Nick Rallo
Marketing Expert
Dallas, United States
Toptal member since October 20, 2026
Across media, nonprofit, and education, Nick is a social media and marketing leader with over 15 years of experience building digital strategy. His toolkit centers on social media strategy, influencer marketing, and driving new user conversion. Nick increased engagement rate by 250% and video views by 554% year over year.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Analytics
- Content Creation
- Creative Writing
- Instagram Growth
- Media
- Social Media
- Strategy
- Web Marketing
Work Experience
Lead Social Media and Strategist
Meat Fight, Inc.
- Owned social media marketing strategy for Meat Fight, a non-profit dedicated to helping people with multiple sclerosis.
- Led influencer and brand partnerships across all social media platforms.
- Generated ticket sales with Meta and TikTok ad placements.
- The campaign led to a sell-out of the main event in one week.
Director of Social Media Marketing
Heritage Auctions
- Led strategy, content creation, influencer marketing, and analytics across all platforms for the global auction house with locations in LA, London, New York, Japan, and Brussels.
- Designed and implemented social marketing strategies with goals to drive engagement, grow revenue through new users, and increase revenue.
- Cultivated partnerships with creative marketing teams of major brands like Disney, AMC’s The Walking Dead, Michael J. Fox Foundation, HBO’s Game of Thrones, and The Simpsons.
- Managed and optimized budgets to ensure effective resource allocation.
- Coordinated influencers across 60 categories of collectibles.
- Led, mentored, and cultivated a high-performing content management team of five.
- Collaborated across departments, including art direction and public relations, to drive cohesive marketing initiatives.
- By collaborating with GOT cast members, GOT influencers, and podcasters, we delivered an omnichannel campaign that resulted in one of history’s most successful entertainment auctions, which delivered $21 million in realized value when the gavel fell.
- The Wizard of Oz's ruby slippers: I led the social campaign that sent Oz historians and Wicked influencers to events nationwide. The slippers sold for a record $32.5 million, now the most expensive movie memorabilia ever sold at auction.
- My social campaign for the auction of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber helped set a new world record for a screen-used Star Wars prop ($3.75 million).
Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy
SMU Meadows School of the Arts
- Led all content and managed the school’s website, built roadmaps, and developed digital growth strategies.
- Led email marketing campaigns aimed at students and alumni.
- Managed Gen-Z influencers and a team of three content creators.
- Managed and scaled SMU Meadows social media across all platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X).
- Managed a team of student interns and web design clients.
- Managed in-house web developers, UX, and SEO optimization, including web redesign of entire consumer-facing website smu.edu/meadows.
- Led all marketing efforts for the National Center for Arts Research, a non-profit arm of SMU.
Web Editor & Social Media Manager
Dallas Observer
- Led all content for the website, including the website’s verticals (news, food, arts, and music).
- Directed all social media digital initiatives and strategies, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Managed marketing and social media interns, content creation, and all copy.
- Managed photography and video for the website and social media.
Content Marketing Lead
DigiSynd
- Led content creation for social media and video platforms, including YouTube, Vimeo, Tumblr, and Facebook.
- Built content calendars and platform-specific marketing plans for Disney and Warner Bros. film and TV.
- Managed partnering brand YouTube and Vimeo pages (Wayans Brothers, Disney characters, Spike Lee).
Project History
Heritage Auctions - Social Media Growth
- 215% — Engagement Increased (IG and FB)
- 1579% — Interactions Increased (IG and FB)
- **717% ** — Views increased (IG and FB)
- 690% — TikTok New Followers Growth
The challenge was this: With some of the world’s biggest collectibles going to auction, how can the social media team capture global communities, engage fandoms, and increase social media engagement and reach?
I built a new plan for attracting bidders and increasing reach:
• Created 70% Organic, educational content; 30% Paid, targeted social media into a leading brand voice
• Created our own trends and interactive content; upscale production values and owner storytelling
• Built a network of micro-influencers with big engagement in the communities relevant to the auction (DC Comics, Star Wars, Disney, The Simpsons, Animation)
• Staged incentives surrounding brand partnerships and product launches
• Deploy paid carousels with direct product links and reel-based ads for Story post placements
Heritage Auctions broke multiple world records in Q4, including a Superman #1 issue that became the most valuable comic in the world.
The Ruby Slippers Campaign
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yPB7fbCXmM2-Mkznf-K981s-6hRIA6L2/view?usp=sharing- **6.374 Billion ** — Total Reach
- $59 Million — Estimated Media Value
- 2.6 Million — Likes, Comments, and Shares
- 150+ — Influencer Posts and Creator Content Videos
One of four surviving pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz went up for auction in December 2024. Our challenge was to keep the conversation going for months after the announcement.
I led the social campaign that sent Oz historians and Wicked influencers to events nationwide to hold the iconic slippers and explain the story of their stolen past.
• Engaged Wicked fans, Hollywood historians, and pop culture experts
• Built an influencer network of Wizard of Oz collector/creators to co-create content
Awareness: 6.374 Billion in Total Reach
Owned and Earned Media: $59 Million in Estimated Media Value.
Conversion: $32.5 million—the most valuable movie piece of memorabilia ever auctioned.
The HBO Game of Thrones Auction
- 1.35 Million — Social Media Influencers Reach
- $13.91 Million — Influencers Estimated Ad Value
Coordinate with HBO’s creative marketing team to create an editorial calendar to sell props, costumes, and weapons from every season of Game of Thrones.
How can we drive fan engagement with the biggest Game of Thrones auction ever?
By collaborating with GOT cast members, costume designers, influencers, and podcasters, we delivered an omnichannel campaign that resulted in one of history’s most successful entertainment auctions, which realized $21 million at the fall of the gavel.
Delivering earned and social results that were as epic as the show itself.
EARNED MEDIA
Reach: 9.65B
Media Hits: 4,261*
Estimated Ad Value: $85.33MM
AMC's The Walking Dead Auction
- 3.1 Million — Influencer EMV (Estimated Media Value)
- 1.54 Million — Organic Media Views
- 1.96 Million — Auction Revenue
Drive bidders to the biggest Walking Dead auction in history. Props, weapons, and costumes from every season of AMC’s The Walking Dead were headed to the auction block: How can we capture the passionate fandom and convert them into bidders?
• Partnered with AMC’s creative team for collaborative social posts across Instagram and Facebook.
• Engaged horror-genre-specific influencers to spread the word
• Invited them to hold the props, including the iconic bat wrapped in barbed wire, and create content
• Built an aggressive content calendar highlighting the top props and weapons and used imagery from the show
Heritage Auctions and AMC Networks’ Oct. 30-Nov. 1 The Walking Dead Universe Auction realized $1.96 million with buyer’s premium across 892 lots, drawing 1,840 bidders worldwide
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Communications
Southern Methodist University - Dallas
Skills
Core
Content Creation, Social Media, Instagram Growth, Web Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Organic Social Media, Marketing Budgeting, TikTok Marketing, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Google SEO, Social Media Design, Public Relations (PR), Social Media Marketing (SMM)
Platforms & Tools
Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Meltwater, Mailchimp, Linkedln
Other
Strategy, Meta Business Suite, Webflow, Microsoft Office Suite, Creative Writing, Video Editing, Social Media APIs, Media, Videos, YouTube, Influencers, Video Generation, Media Production, Analytics, ChatGPT, Klear, Sprout Social, Constant Contact, UX Research, Photography, B2B Marketing, Brand Voice, Meta Ads, Email Design, Brand Books, Salesforce, Wix, Squarespace, Social Media Apps, Organic Content Marketing, Organic PR, Video Production
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