RESUME
Professional
summary
Communicator with more than a decade of experience in content creation including storytelling, journalism and multimedia work.
Winner of numerous state and local awards, including 11 Keystone Press Awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, three Golden Quill Awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, a Society of Professional Journalists Award and the Truth in Finance Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Work
experience
Content Creator. Mt. Lebanon Magazine
Oct. 2020 - Present
◦ Tasked with growing social media following and engagement on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Grew Instagram engagement by 40% in first month on the job
◦ Helped create a social media strategy for the magazine and municipality and oversees implementation of organic growth measures
◦ Writes and publishes stories and blog posts for print and digital on a wide array of topics—from school issues to new business openings, utilizing AP Style;
◦ Working knowledge of CMS
◦ Helps content edit magazine, web stories and blog posts for publication
◦ Broadcast live events on YouTube and Facebook Live; wrote scripts for video
◦ Helps produce biweekly newsletter; works well on tight deadlines
◦ Assists public information officer with quality control
Freelance writer. Self-employed
Sept. 2016 - Present
◦ Contract writer and reporter for numerous digital and print publications. Bylines included Blue Sky News; PublicSource; Trib Total Media's TribLIVE, Sewickley Herald, Signal Item and South Hills Record publications; Kidsburgh; Next Pittsburgh; and Deadline Hollywood.
◦ Pitched and wrote stories that included spot news, in-depth months long investigations, features, personality profiles and entertainment pieces.
◦ Worked on tight deadlines, juggling multiple projects. Stories included multimedia packages with video, photos and charts.
◦ Created calendars for content publication.
◦ Worked with local nonprofits to produce content, including blog posts and working with refugee youth to assist them in writing their personal stories.
Staff writer. South Hills Record/Trib Total Media
2010 - present
◦ Prepared daily, weekly and enterprise packages with supporting online content. Worked on tight deadlines. Work ranged from in-depth stories to concert and product reviews.
◦ Managed social media accounts to engage readers. Provided live updates at events, with photo and video, to keep the public informed.
◦ Created content calendars for story publication.
◦ Used data to track trends. Assisted with copy and content editing of stories and proofed pages.
◦ Managed projects and worked collaboratively with a team to produce award winning stories. Photographed events and breaking news with an EOS Digital SLR camera.
◦ Developed and maintained sources and pitched stories for publication.
Staff writer. Woodland Progress
Sept. 2007-June 2008
◦ Covered a wide array of stories focusing on interracial and class discrepancy issues in the Woodland Hills School District, which was formed through a court- ordered merger in the 1980s following lawsuits surrounding violations of the Civil Rights Act in Pittsburgh's east suburbs. Charted budgetary constraints in the financially strapped district.
Freelance writer. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
2010 - present
◦ Covered a variety of stories for the daily and suburban weekly sections of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, including the decision to build a recreation center in Upper St. Clair and budgetary woes faced by school districts in Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs.
Intern. WTAE-TV 4
2005
◦ Conducted interviews for breaking stories, from court verdicts to police chases.
◦ Helped oversee the assignment desk to coordinate reporters and gather news tips from the public.
Intern. KDKA-TV 2
2005
◦ Covered a variety of stories and conducted interviews for packages, including a home explosion, a Hazmat scene and locker room interviews for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
◦ Put together packages and wrote voiceovers used on-air.
Skills
SOCIAL MEDIA
AP STYLE
CONTENT WRITING/BLOG POSTS
MEDIA RELATIONS
COPY EDITING
MULTIMEDIA REPORTING
PHOTOSHOP
TIME MANAGEMENT
SELF-MOTIVATION
TEAMWORK
Noteables
◦ Volunteered with non-profit to help teach refugee youth to write their stories.
◦ 2015 Vice President of Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association and Regional Director.
◦ Dedicated runner, running a 5K a day for 205 days straight
Education
Bachelor of Arts in English Writing: Journalism
Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Rhetoric
University of Pittsburgh
Aug. 2006
◦ Graduated with a double major in English Writing: Journalism and Communication and Rhetoric with a related area of focus in psychology.
◦ Worked as a reporter for the Pitt News, an independent, undergraduate daily student newspaper, covering government related stories and cultivating sources.
◦ Worked in the Office of Measurement and Evaluation at the University and proctored student evaluation surveys to classes with more than 300 students.