After graduating from college, I joined the Consulate General of France in San Francisco as their Press and Communications Attaché.

I had one broad mission: How to modernize the way the Consulate connect with its constituents? The main challenge was to tear down the antiquated idea people have of a consulate.

Of course, a consulate is a place you go to vote, to get a new passport, a marriage certificate, or a visa to go to France, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. It attracts and supports French artists, facilitates visits of high ranking officials, connects experts, breeds partnerships and collaborations between universities and so much more.

We decided to highlight these efforts through social media, a video program, events and initiatives to bridge the gap between perception and reality, and to open new channels of communications for the French community.

Below are examples of projects I owned or worked on during my two years at the Consulate.

Role: Project lead, interviewer, producer

This video program became very popular within the French community. Twice a month, I would interview French entrepreneurs, artists, or partners to showcase their success, their path and their projects in San Francisco and/or the Pacific Northwest.

Politics

Nicolas Hulot (French minister) | Nicolas Dufourcq (BPI France)

Entrepreneurship

Marc Onetto (VP Amazon) | Andrew Ng (Coursera) | Electric Odissey | Micha Benoliel (Open Garden) | Anne Bezançon (Placecast) | Julie Hasson | Pashû Dewailly Christensen (The Hive) | Harmless Harvest | Manuel Clément (Google X) |

Culture

Gad Elmaleh | Chris Anderson (Wired) | Renaud Garcia (Musician & Composer) | Maryann Jordan (SAM) | Wax Tailor | Nicolas Batum | Le Bal Littéraire | Bill Foster (NW Film Center - Portland Int'l Film Festival) | Jean Paul Gaultier | Bob Sinclar

Role: Project lead | Sponsor: XL Airways

Every Bastille Day, the consulate organizes an event for the French community. I was in charge of promoting the event (design poster, social media campaigns, email blast), securing sponsorship (XL Airways), and handling logistics for our 500 guests.

Role: Concept & project lead | Partner: Golden State Warriors

I reached out to the Golden State Warriors to set up and organize French Community Nights when the Bay's team played against popular French players like Tony Parker and Nicolas Batum. Ticket holders had courtside access to shootaround before the game and enjoyed a meet & greet with the players after the game.

Role: Project lead

Throughout my tenure at the consulate, I secured many placements in local and French media to highlight events, programs, and visits.

68th Anniversary of D-Day (CBS) | Les Français et la Silicon Valley (French TV) | Les écoles d'immersion française dans l'Utah (TV5MONDE) | La langue française conquiert l'Utah (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Documentary) | Romain Serman interview (USA21.tv) | Fleur Pellerin press conference (local and French media) | Fleur Pellerin interview (Bloomberg TV)

Role: Project lead

Every year, French nationals go back to France for work or to visit their families. How can we take advantage of it? We launched this program to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and French students. Through talks, meet & greets, or in a more informal manner, we tried to inspire students to follow in the footsteps of their successful alumni.