A collaborative, detail-oriented writer and editor who combines over 15 years of journalism experience with marketing expertise to deliver clear, concise narratives to inform and engage a wide audience.

EXPERIENCE

Newfangled                                                                                       Chapel Hill, NC (Remote)
Senior Marketing Writer                                                                        March ‘20 – Present

• Interview experts and executive leaders at B2B companies specializing in digital development, healthcare marketing, cloud storage, and other disciplines to create SEO-friendly website copy and thought leadership content to support marketing strategies.
• Transform highly technical topics into engaging white papers, case studies, articles, and other assets targeting key audience personas. Develop unique style guides to define a voice and tone appropriate for each client’s brand.
• Partnered with content, email, and paid media strategists to execute campaigns that include email programs, newsletters, landing pages, and ad copy. Test and apply AI tools to research, generate, refine, and incorporate results to accelerate content development. Iterated through results from AI platforms to inform development of a proprietary marketing strategy tool.
• Nurture client relationships to further my understanding of topics like design systems, cloud storage, cybersecurity, and entertainment marketing to enhance editorial quality and secure department-high retention rates.
• Collaborate with internal teams to refine production processes and train new hires.

Los Angeles Times                                                                            Los Angeles, CA
Senior Writer, TV                                                                         Aug. 2012 – May 2019

• Led coverage of business and cultural topics of national interest with stories ranging from breaking news blog items to long-form interviews and analysis in a fast-paced environment. Distilled complex concepts into clean copy with a clear, conversational voice.
• Collaborated with content teams to shape, expand, and distribute coverage of high-interest events across platforms, incorporating editorial feedback while offering eye-catching headlines and design direction. Delivered increased site visit lengths year-over-year.
• Steered the cultural conversation as critic, placing key issues and figures into broader context to inform a general audience. Created and wrote the column Overrated/Underrated, a weekly feature that drew a dedicated audience with voice-driven commentary.
• Contributed to coverage efforts on social media as well as various appearances on public television, radio and podcasts, offering timely commentary while promoting editorial features. Moderated audience Q&As and live interviews at Festival of Books events and film screenings.

Deputy Editor                                                             April 2007 –June 2016

• Led digital coverage as deputy editor, organizing and executing publication plans around breaking news and planned events while working to increase audience engagement through sharp headlines, SEO strategies and social media.
• Conducted regular meetings with stakeholders from editorial, design, and marketing to find innovative ways to present content and provide the best user experience. Monitored audience data to inform story placement and create the most intuitive user experience.
• Oversaw news coverage on weekend shifts, coordinating resources in response to news and contributed as a writer across coverage areas, including books, arts, obituaries, and business.
• Acted as section editor for two years, assigning and refining stories for publication while managing a diverse team of writers through daily and weekly deadlines encompassing breaking news and major events. Achieved results that exceeded audience goals year-over-year.
• Worked with development teams through production of a redesign of the local entertainment product. Helped test, debug and satisfy use cases for the site and its CMS. Crafted external messaging and user documentation around new tools while advocating for digital priorities.
• Supervised and trained a team of writers while serving as point of contact for technology teams to address production issues. Maintained a weekly editorial calendar while curating stories for promotion across multiple channels.

EDUCATION

SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY                                                               San Jose, CA
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science 

• Graduated cum laude with a concentration in public policy; minor in technical writing and communication.

SKILLS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Experienced with managing and producing content on multiple content management systems as well as Adobe Creative Suite, Slack, social media. Completed coursework in copywriting and UX writing.