WEEK 1: A Conversation with Guest Speaker Matt Meeks by Sherry John

By UCLA X469.21 Student Sherry John

Sherry John

Matt Meeks – the former advertising and Warner Bros. executive who now serves as chief digital officer for the Los Angeles Archdiocese — visited our class to share best practices and discuss how he helped turn a 126 year-old print publication into an online multimedia news platform.

Meeks is the social media guru behind the new digital look and feel of one of the region’s most revered and influential organizations. Under his vision and leadership, the Archdiocese has transformed its Angelus News publication into an exciting and interactive digital format.

Matt Meeks

The goal was to reach more people and disseminate more information more efficiently. Meeks responded with a digital strategy focused on expanding the reach of the Archdiocese and its relationship with church members and the general public. To do this, he works with a team of videographers/ photographers, web developers, graphic designers and social media community managers, along with an analyst who provides feedback on which messages resonate.

And it’s working! One such example is a Facebook campaign earlier this year intended to recruit more members for the marriage ministry. The result — 120 volunteers answered the call! Prior recruitment campaigns yielded results that were at most in the tens. The Facebook campaign orchestrated by Meeks proved far more impactful.

Based primarily in L.A., Angelus News covers various aspects of Catholic life in an eye-catching array of photographs and artwork. The Los Angeles Archdiocese is the largest in the country, serving 5 million people across 40 languages. Because of its rich diversity and large congregation, it is considered a model for the global church and a testing ground for its use of social media.