Meet Tineke Buiskool-Leeuwma
Tineke is like the personality hire — except she’s also full of the talent, passion and creativity that makes Starling thrive. No bad vibes, only impeccable work and lots of sparkle. How did we get so lucky?
If you’re interested in working with Starling Social and wondering what it would be like, keep reading to get to know one of the stars of our team.
Personal Life
“Involved” is one of the first words we would use to describe Tineke. This woman does everything! You can find her supporting local shops and restaurants, on neighbourhood tours, attending community events, and joining book clubs. Essentially, any fun activity going on in Winnipeg, Tineke has done or plans to do. She was even asked to give a Pecha Kucha talk about being a tourist in your own town!
She loves our city so much that she has the Winnipeg skyline tattooed on her shoulder, which balances the wheat tattoo on her other shoulder, showcasing her country and city roots.
We are very font of her “bee’s knees” tattoo because it showcases her love of typography and puns. She’s just our type! The Futura looks bright for this one... okay, we will stop.
Work Life
Tineke graduated from the Red River CreComm program in 2004. She immediately put her skills to use with mall and area marketing — she’s worked for five different malls in Manitoba and Alberta and two business improvement zones.
“I love these industries as my work supported small businesses and a lot of local, independent owners! I became a Certified Marketing Director (CMD) through the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) and graduated from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Leadership program (a program I highly recommend)!”
All this experience, combined with Tineke’s love for local businesses and inherently supportive nature makes her the perfect fit for the Starling team (and probably your business).
Tineke loves it all when it comes to her job. In fact, the variety is what makes it so exciting.
“I am super partial to writing for social media, e-newsletters and blogs. I love a great campaign, but supporting the ongoing work for a client is also super rewarding because you get to see it grow over the long term.”
The results of ongoing work with clients is just as rewarding for us as it is for them!
You could likely guess that Tineke is an avid reader, so working with a local publisher on their social media has been a highlight of working with Starling.
“It was incredible to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of the publishing world, plus learn more about talented authors and illustrators.”
Working With An Agency
We often hear about how marketing is the next thing on the to-do list, but the creativity and time it takes just aren’t available.
TBH, we’re creatives, we love this sh*t. We understand you are so busy that you don’t have time for consistent posting, messaging, or marketing. This is where working with someone like Tineke can help support your initiatives.
Working with small businesses is awesome because the time from idea to execution is really cut down. We work with your team, as an extension of your business, to tell your story. Even if you have a marketing or communications team and are looking for a little extra support, we can jump in with whatever your needs are. Sometimes, clients need a bit extra support to allow their current team to focus on other initiatives.
“One way I like to support is by creating educational and informative content so that there is a consistent brand presence and the on-site team can share the day-to-day and behind-the-scenes content. It tends to flow really well together, and the output ticks all the boxes: educational, informative, and entertaining!”
Ongoing Support v.s. One-Off Projects
Tineke loves building relationships with her long-term clients, which goes hand in hand with strengthening marketing strategies. The payoff of seeing the results of that creativity and partnership is really rewarding.
However, she says short-term support is also a lot of fun for both parties! Whether it's supporting an event (eg: a conference), a product launch or a marketing campaign, the Starling team can deliver on these shorter projects!
“The best part is that we can help with whatever you need.”
If you’re interested in leveling up your social media game, or have a project you could use some help with, reach out to us here.
And to end with a smile, as you do when meeting Tineke, we leave you with a final Typography joke:
