Meet Kathryn Shea Duncan, travel marketing leader, 2024 Destination Marketing’s 30 Under 30 honoree, avid content creator, and Sr. Director of Social Media/Communications at Visit Lake Charles (VLC). In less than a decade, Kathryn Shea has built an impressive career, using data-driven insights, on-the-pulse social strategies, and the art of storytelling to champion local tourism.
An Early Intro to Visual Storytelling
Kathryn Shea’s first mentor was her mom, a photographer and production manager for Louisiana State Newspapers. “She gave me a camera and showed me the ropes. We started off doing sports photography,” she recalls. By middle school, her mom had introduced her to typography and the basics of Adobe Creative Suite. “When she was a production manager,” Kathryn Shea adds, “she’d put me to work during the summer, having me create ads in Photoshop.”
In college, she supported herself through local photography gigs and a staff photographer role with N2 Publishing. But she made a conscious decision to keep photography as a passion, not a paycheck. “It’s always been a creative outlet for me, and I never wanted it to be tied to my income,” she says.
A true creative unicorn, Kathryn Shea blended her design and photography background into a wider skillset—one that would eventually lead her into marketing, social media, and communications leadership.
The Rice Queen Discovers the Power of Tourism
Kathryn Shea’s passion for local storytelling and tourism was sparked during her senior year of college, when she was crowned Queen of the 81st International Rice Festival in Crowley, Louisiana. The small town, home to just 12,000, was flooded with more than 200,000 visitors in a matter of days.
She was captivated by the power of events and storytelling to draw people in from near and far. “I come from a fifth-generation rice farming family, so it was a dream come true to be a rice festival queen,” she says.
Crown in hand, she spent that year traveling to festivals and attractions across the state, from strawberry farms to paper mills, getting a firsthand look at the diverse experiences Louisiana had to offer. “That’s when I realized I love travel and tourism—and how much it can do for small communities.”
Trying on All the Marketing Hats
Kathryn Shea’s first full-time role was Special Projects Coordinator at the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce, where she handled everything from event planning to writing newsletters.
Active on social media during her travels, she used local hashtags to highlight attractions, which caught the attention of the Louisiana Tourism State Director, Kyle Edmiston. He offered her a PR manager role, where she secured coverage in Food and Wine, Outside Magazine, and The New York Times.
In 2019, after her team restructured, she expanded her role to Director of Social Media at Visit Lake Charles. Now, she leads the social media strategy, content creation, and communications, constantly refining her approach.
As the in-house photographer, she’s always in need of fresh content. She relies on CrowdRiff UGC to meet the growing demand for diverse perspectives on the destination.
“Since I’m our staff photographer, thankfully, we have a lot of assets, but a lot of times people want to see the photos from other people who have come to the destination, other visitors, and see their perspective.”
A Powerful Partnership
One of Visit Lake Charles’ most successful campaigns was a collaboration with Gerald Greunig, a Lafayette news anchor and local personality who Kathryn Shea worked with in her days at the Chamber of Commerce.
“He was gaining a large social following,” she says, “so I invited him to Lake Charles. We did some videos, and I packaged them into a blog, some Pinterest pins, and a campaign on Facebook and Instagram. To this day, it’s probably our highest-visited campaign. I think it’s one of the coolest things I’ve been able to do,” she says, “just recognizing someone who I knew was on the road to being a macro influencer.”
The campaign’s success inspired Kathryn Shea to focus on video content. “We’ve incorporated it into organic and paid social, for our partnerships with Garden and Gun and Travel South, and many other publications,” she says. “Those videos now also live in galleries on our website and have enhanced the visitor experience.”
Showing the People Behind Local Businesses
Kathryn Shea believes that authentic, relatable content is key to showcasing local businesses.
“Being able to whip out your phone and capture a 30-second video of someone doing what they love—people just connect with that,” she says. “It’s paid dividends for our organization and community and changed how many people perceive us.”
She says the most powerful content highlights the personality behind the business. “There are plenty of great fried chicken spots and taco joints,” she says. “But what truly draws people in and makes a destination stand out is the people behind it.”
A New Degree, a New Approach
In 2022, three years into her expanded role, Kathryn Shea felt her on-the-job social media expertise needed a formal business education. With tuition support from Visit Lake Charles, she enrolled in McNeese State University’s Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program.
The MBA program helped Kathryn refine her data-driven approach. “It’s both hands-on creative and also strategic and forward-thinking,” she explains. “You can get drawn into the creative side, but if you’re not making smart, strategic decisions, the creative will fall flat because you haven’t laid the groundwork to make it happen.”
Today, Kathryn plans content a year in advance, using project management tools to keep her team aligned and ensure consistency across social media, newsletters, and other channels. Always eager to grow, she also earned the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) designation—the industry’s highest certification.
Advice for New Marketers
In 2023, Kathryn Shea was named one of Destinations International 30 Under 30. The yearlong program and conference connected her with fellow winners across five countries. “One of the great things about this industry and program,” she says, “is that everyone is so giving and open to what works for them—and what doesn’t. Everyone wants to see each other rise.”
Kathryn is generous with her advice, especially for aspiring travel marketers. “Be on the channels every day,” she says. “If you’re not consuming that content, you won’t know what’s going on. And it changes every single day.” She also advises against overthinking content creation. “If I spend over two hours editing a video, it might not perform well. If I create something in ten seconds, it might be the most engaging post that week.”
Most importantly, Kathryn stresses the value of work-life balance. “It’s important to log off and do things outside of work that bring me joy. I love music and actively seek out shows—and I usually come back feeling more inspired and creative.”
Thank you, Kathryn Shea, for taking the time to share your story with us!
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