Alumni spotlight: Bailee Hicks on creativity, curiosity and content creation

For SDSU alumna Bailee Hicks, what began as a middle school hobby of filming and sharing content slowly grew into a fully realized career in digital storytelling. Today, she realizes that the effortless appearance of great content depends on the unglamorous parts no one sees, from careful strategy to countless rounds of trial and error.

Hicks works as an associate vertical content manager in the social department at Raindrop Agency, a San Diego based branding and advertising company known for helping brands build meaningful relationships with their audiences. In her role, she spends her days concepting and brainstorming ideas, writing briefs for creator driven videos, responding to client requests and collaborating with teams across the agency to bring campaigns to life.

“I even have days where I film myself for social projects,” Hicks said. “From baking videos to making memes, it really changes every day!”

For Hicks, social media has always been captivating because of the way it connects people, spreads ideas and offers a window into different parts of the world. She loves that it blends creativity with strategy and constantly evolves, much like the marketing industry itself. However, the fast pace of the industry creates a constant challenge: finding new ways to keep ideas fresh.

“I stay inspired by keeping an eye on trends, seeing what creators are doing, and finding ways to make those ideas my own,” Hicks said. “Inspiration can come from anywhere if you stay curious.”

Hicks channels that inspiration into social videos for brands like Sprouts and larger campaign concepts for companies such as Good Culture and Sacheu, work that has stretched her creatively but remained exciting and enjoyable. Hicks is able to create compelling content for these brands because she takes the time to understand the tone and style that best fits each one. This thoughtful groundwork allows her ideas to feel both authentic and effective to specific audiences.

“I always start by diving into the brand’s history and getting to know its voice and values,” Hicks said. “Understanding how a brand operates day to day and what matters most to them is often reflected in their audience and are things that will land with them.”

Even though much of Hicks’ understanding of social media has come from hands-on experience in the industry, she says the foundation of her career in content creation and marketing was built during her years as an undergraduate at SDSU.

“SDSU taught me the importance of networking and using your resources,” Hicks said. “So many great opportunities come through the school, and I learned how valuable it is to take advantage of them.”

Hicks encourages current SDSU students to get involved in any way they can, from joining clubs and attending campus events to networking and simply starting conversations with new people.

For Hicks, joining the Advertising Club was one of the most influential parts of her time at SDSU. It showed her the value of collaboration and the importance of bringing people together, lessons that continue to shape her work today.

“Every connection counts, and you never know where a conversation might lead,” Hicks said.

As her career continues to evolve, Hicks hopes to take on larger creative challenges and one day lead campaigns as a creative director. What started as a simple interest in digital creation has grown into a path defined by curiosity, connection, and a genuine love for the craft, and she is excited to see where that path leads next.