Farhan Devji

Professional Info

Farhan Devji is a writer/editor, feature producer, and content manager who’s worked in professional sports for close to a decade with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and most recently, the Vancouver Canucks.

Farhan’s written work has previously appeared in the Edmonton Journal and Ottawa Citizen and his book, Alphonso Davies: A New Hope, was published in May 2023.

A native of Nanaimo, B.C., Farhan is a proud second-generation Canadian who lives in Port Moody, B.C. with his wife Sarah.

Work Experience

Freelance
2011 – Present

  • Write thought leadership blogs for Roomvo, a leading visualization solution in the home improvement industry. 

  • Authored the first biography of Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies, published in May 2023 with ECW Press.

  • Served as an independent contractor for Canucks Sports & Entertainment in 2022, leading content plans for the organization’s First Nations Night and inaugural Black History Month theme game.  

  • Published numerous times in the Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, and on the official website of the Vancouver Canucks.

Key achievements: coverage of the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships for the Edmonton Journal included a front-page story; breaking story on the controversy surrounding the “Ottawa TomaHawks” moniker was the top-read article on OttawaCitizen.com over 24+ hours.

Content Manager, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
April 2019 – March 2021

  • Developed and implemented the organization’s digital content and social media strategy, delivering league-leading content to an audience of more than 850,000 social followers.

  • Led a four-person content team, assigning stories, providing editorial direction, and establishing workflow processes while enabling a culture of creativity and collaboration.

  • Identified and managed a series of revenue-generating content campaigns for some of the world’s leading brands, including A&W, Bell, BMO, DoorDash, GE Appliances, and RE/MAX.

  • Created and managed content plans for major club announcements, campaigns, and initiatives. 

  • Collaborated with all departments, including Brand & Fan Engagement, Communications, Community Relations, Events & Experience, Partnerships and Sales, and Soccer Operations, to produce content that aligned with organizational objectives.

  • Assisted with writing/editing articles, social captions, and video scripts, in addition to posting on web (Drupal) and social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube) as needed.

Key achievements: contributed to significant year-over-year increases in total actions across social media (Facebook: 124.5%, YouTube: 85.3%, Instagram: 35.5%, Twitter: 5.2%); developed robust content/social plans for launch of Vancouver Aquarium facemasks ($3+ million in sales) and signing of Lucas Cavallini (1.5+ million impressions); played a lead role in the ideation and project management of flagship video series sponsored by Bell and BMO; pitched/managed #FrontlineHeroes initiative, highlighting a frontline worker across Whitecaps FC social media channels for 85 consecutive days during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Club Reporter and Editor, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
July 2013 – April 2019

  • Wrote, edited, and posted game previews/recaps, player features, training updates, tactical/analytical breakdowns, breaking news stories, and press releases.

  • Provided copy for email newsletters, infographics, landing pages, social media captions, video scripts, and more.

  • Developed and executed weekly editorial calendar and plans for major announcements, campaigns, and initiatives. 

  • Collaborated with club videographer(s) on the production of videos of all lengths and tones, including a new documentary series telling the intimate personal stories of our players.

Key achievements: awarded the 2017 MLS Digital Content Experience of the Year for 18-minute documentary Becoming Canadian: The Alphonso Davies Story (1.5+ million views), and runner-up for 2018 MLS Social Media Activation of the Year for #FarewellPhonzie content/social plan (1.5+ million video views and 3.5+ million impressions).

Editor-in-Chief / Sports Editor & Writer, The Charlatan
May 2011 – April 2012 / September 2008 – April 2011

  • Edited copy for all sections of Carleton University’s independent student newspaper, including Arts, Features, National, News, Opinion, and Sports.

  • Chaired weekly editorial meetings planning the upcoming paper and managed a staff of 10+ student editors.

  • Sat on Board of Directors alongside a treasurer, advertising manager, and faculty/professional representatives, making important decisions surrounding the business of the corporation. 

Key achievements: instituted the publication’s first-ever social media position; launched The Charlatan Sports Twitter account; oversaw the complete redesign of charlatan.ca (resulting in a 53% increase in unique visitors) without an increased budget.

Education

Bachelor of Journalism, Carleton University
2008 – 2013

​​Trained in print, radio, TV, and multimedia journalism, as well as public relations. Recipient of the Herdman and Zelda Roodman Award in Journalism, “awarded annually, on the recommendation of the Director of the School of Journalism and Communication, to a graduating student in the Bachelor of Journalism program for excellence in reporting.”

Skills

Storytelling
10+ years’ experience unearthing and telling engaging stories across various platforms.

Writing/Editing
Expert in writing and editing articles, blogs, press releases, social captions, video scripts, website copy, and more. 

Project Management
Consistently lead projects involving many stakeholders, from ideation to execution. 

Content Strategy
Deep understanding of the best practices in digital content and social media.

Content Production
Proven ability to guide and bring the best out of graphic designers, photographers, and videographers on the production of visual materials.

Communication
Confident communicator with vast experience chairing meetings, conducting interviews with business executives and professional athletes, and speaking on live television/radio. 

Technically Adept
Proficient with:

  • Adobe Suite

  • Blinkfire Analytics

  • Creator Studio

  • Drupal

  • Hootsuite

  • LiveCut

  • Microsoft Office

  • Trello

  • WordPress

  • Wrike

  • WSC Sports