BU launches Terrier Creator Program to showcase the BU experience through social media platforms

BY KANINIKA DEY Contributing Writer

Dave McDonald, Boston University’s associate director of social media, said in a world where students are “going to social media first before they even go to a website,” showcasing the BU community and student experience is “really important.”

That’s why BU launched its Terrier Creator program, in which students can get paid to upload videos that “amplify the BU experience,” according to their website.

BU’s official TikTok account published a video encouraging students who love to create videos on Instagram and TikTok to apply to their Terrier Creator Program and “get paid to do something they love to do.”

McDonald said he hopes the program will highlight “all the aspects of the BU experience,” on social media — from student life to research to dining to the in-classroom experience.

“I think it’s really important just to showcase that through the lens of the students,” McDonald said.

McDonald said that while creators will be sent some guidelines for the content, the team wants creators to have their own voice.

BU’s current social media presence includes ‘Terrier Takeovers,’ posted on Tuesdays, where a student logs a day in their life while answering questions on Instagram’s story feature.

Irene Kim, a senior in the College of Communication said that not only does this program benefit BU in highlighting their program, but it allows students to “add to their resume.”

“This is something that [students] can do to build on their skill set,” Kim said. “And the program will require them to answer questions about their interests, the clubs that they are a part of, aspects of their life that make their BU experience unique and what makes them stand out as a content creator.

McDonald said students will be paid per video they produce for the program, which serves as an “incentive” to join the program.

Siddharth Valecha, a secondyear graduate student in the Metropolitan College who has previously created content for BU’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, said that people “don’t understand the importance of marketing in every aspect of life.”