If you follow Vitalant’s Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook feeds, you’ve no doubt seen an energetic new face making a splash as he touts the benefits and how-to's of blood donation. That energetic individual is Shane Burke, the newest member of Vitalant’s communications team.
Shane studied communication and advertising at Southeast Missouri State University. While working at the University’s award-winning student newspaper, The Arrow, as the multimedia editor, Shane discovered his talent for creating short videos to explain complex ideas in simple-to-understand terms.
He also created “man on the street” interviews where he’d approach other students and ask them fun questions like, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” These videos were a hit, causing a huge spike in the paper’s web views whenever the newspaper posted a new one. 
Before coming to Vitalant, Shane honed his creative skills developing social media and training videos for a garage door company.
”I was basically tasked with creating all of the training videos, literature and resources, photos and really whatever else came my way,” he said. “I just really love making stuff. I’m obsessed with the process of creating something from nothing.”
Shane’s passion for content creation is now focused on Vitalant’s lifesaving mission. “I feel like I’m the best version of myself when I’m helping people. It makes me kinder, more empathetic, more motivated, and more grateful. So, when I saw the opportunity to help folks and create meaningful content every day, I just couldn’t pass it up.
“An educated person is a comfortable person, and a comfortable person is much more likely to take the next step. That’s kind of the thesis of everything I do. I think a lot of people are primed to become donors; they just haven’t had the right information delivered to them in the right way. I want to provide as much education and comfort as I can to help people understand that donating blood is easy, and the impact is incredibly powerful.”
Shane is now a proud resident of Arizona, which he calls “one of the most beautiful places in the world.” He lives there with his partner, Kate, and their two cats, Luna and Minerva. In his free time, he loves playing guitar, hiking, going on “photo drives” and watching soccer and basketball. 
It’s clear that Shane feels a calling for what he does. “This is the coolest time in history to be a person who loves to create things. You no longer need a big budget and a team of people to share your stories and creations. All you need, literally, is a cellphone. And I think that’s really quite beautiful.”
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Here’s a sampling of Shane’s video work:
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