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BFA in Communication Design, Parsons School of Design


Design Certifications: 
UI Design Immersion, CareerFoundry (Online) 2022
Coding Workshop, SheCodes (Online) 2021
Design Intensive Workshop, Open Set (NL) 2016
Selwa Abd
Social Media & Communications Strategist,
New York City

I build and monetize audiences for arts and culture organizations. 9+ years,
60K+ followers, and $10K+ in partnership revenue.

  • 60K+ Instagram followers (IG engagement rate: 4%)
  • 6K+ newsletter subscribers (~50% open rate)
  • 20K+ monthly website visitors
  • 65 paid partnerships, $10K+ revenue (2025-26)



Open to full-time social media, communications, and partnerships roles in NYC arts, culture, and mission-driven organizations.

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Case study 1: 
Pick Up The Flow


Building an audience of 60K+ artists and cultural workers


The goal: Make grants, jobs, and residencies transparent and accessible to NYC artists and cultural workers, who often hear about opportunities too late or through closed networks.

What I did: Founded the platform in 2017 and run it end to end: daily Instagram posts, a weekly Substack newsletter, a listings website, and a video interview series. I built the brand, including the wordmark, listing templates, and merch, and set the editorial and content calendar.

The results: 60K+ followers, 6K+ newsletter subscribers with a ~50% open rate, and 20K+ monthly web visitors. Instagram engagement rate: 4%.

Instagram

Substack

Website

Podcast series


Substack Visual Identity, 2025

Instagram Grid Identity, 2026


Listing Card, Template Design, 2025.

Social media design for PUTF's interview series, 2024.
Weekly newsletter nnouncement Card, Template Design, 2026

Weekly Newsletter’s Visual Identity, 2025



Art direction and design for PUTF's listings index.














Case study 2:
Paid partnerships


Turning an audience into a revenue stream

The goal: Fund the platform by offering institutions a direct way to reach a targeted arts audience.

What I did: Created tiered placement packages across Instagram, newsletter, and web listings. I handle outreach, pricing, scheduling, and delivery.

The results:

    • 2025: 36 placements, $5,565
    • 2026 (to date): 29 placements, $4,643
    • Repeat partners include Foundwork, Flushing Town Hall, Target Margin, and ISSUE Project Room










Example of a featured listing:
On the main website page (hosted on Wordpress)








 

Example of a basic sponsored listing:







List of partners:







Case study 3: Music Workers Alliance


Campaign content for a national advocacy petition

The goal: Build public support for fair pay from streaming platforms, and document the pandemic's impact on music workers.

What I did: Designed the logo and campaign assets and ran daily Instagram content for two campaigns: Unemployment Stories (daily accounts from music workers who lost income) and Economic Justice in the Digital Domain.

The results: The petition gathered 5,000+ signatures from musicians across genres and was entered into the record at a Senate subcommittee hearing.

When I joined MWA in 2020, my role focused on strentening the organization’s social media presence by positng daily graphics for ongoing campaigns, organizing musicians in my community, and designing the logo along with various social media assets. 


Music Workers Alliance’s official logo, 2020


















2020-2021 Campaigns

Social media graphic template for MWA’s campaign, 2020






























Other Works



I also design brand identities and campaign graphics, and provide creative direction, for artists, labels, and venues.
See design work:





Creative direction & production for music videos:

Torn Hawk (design in collaboration with Greg Zifcak)



Scott Avery (design in collaboration with Greg Zifcak)