Freelance Experience

Patch.com Local News (8/2009-Present)

Listings copy editor

• Edit 300 business directory listings per week
• Ensure descriptions are clear and concise, all pertinent information is present, and that listing conforms to Patch house style, which is based on AP style

Freelance Writer

• Research and write 350-500 word articles about a variety of local issues
• Interview subjects, distill interviews into salient facts
• Manage multiple, concurrent tight deadlines
• Work independently and with editors
• Create, edit and publish photographs
• Publish approximately 1800 words/week

The Suit Magazine (10/2011-present)

Freelance copywriter

• Write biographies and articles about corporate leaders in a wide variety of industries, 250 – 850 words long

Sterling Publishing (9/2009-present)

Freelance editor/copywriter

• Helped an internationally-renowned wine expert write his memoirs; provided research, copywriting and interview transcription
• Compiled two dozen Popular Mechanics articles, organized them into chapters, edited for continuity and wrote introductions, conclusions and bridging text for a 50,000 word book to be published in late 2010
• Cut a 400,000-word day-by-day account of the American Civil War down to 100,000 words, keeping story threads intact and editing for readability. Added photographs from the George Eastman House collection and wrote captions.

Manuscript Preparation (4/2011-present)

• Ensure clients’ manuscripts are free of spelling and grammatical errors
• Format manuscripts following Chicago Manual guidelines and publishers’ and editors’ submission requirements
• Edit for brevity and precision of word choice
• Help clients improve writing style
• Troubleshoot clarity and cohesion problems
• Perform market research, write query letters, develop book proposals, and guide clients through the process of submitting their manuscript to agents and editors

Fiveknuckles.com(2/2010-1/2011)

Freelance writer

• Draw upon industry contacts and Internet sources to disseminate latest-breaking mixed martial arts (MMA) news
• Phone interviews with well-known MMA fighters in such promotions as the UFC and the WEC, and write 500-700-word articles
• Cover and photograph live MMA events
• Craft commentary and editorials on timely MMA topics

The Steaming Pipe, Kean University Newspaper (1/2009-8/2009)

Copyeditor

• Edit pieces for grammar, spelling, and conformity to AP style conventions
• Work with section editors to more effectively develop authors’ writing
• Edit approximately 15,000 words in the five days prior to the release of the issue

Northeast InTune Magazine (1/2005-8/2006)

Staff/Feature writer

• Evaluated Electronic Press Kit
• Contacted and interviewed musical act featured in Electronic Press Kit
• Wrote feature articles (750-1500 words) about musical act featured in Electronic Press Kit.

Skills

• Journalistic skills: research, reporting, information gathering, interviewing, writing to deadline and word count
• Writing for print and Web
• Business writing and copywriting
• Copy editing and proofreading
• Knowledge of AP Style and Chicago Manual
• Expertise in full suite of MS Office programs
• Photo composition and knowledge of Nikon and Canon dSLR systems
• Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop
• Desktop publishing software such as MS Publisher and Serif PagePlus

Education

Kean University (1/2006- 6/2009)

B.A. in English/Writing

• Summa cum laude
• Member, Sigma Tau Delta, national English honors society
• Member, Phi Kappa Phi, national honors society
• Member, Lambda Alpha Sigma, Kean’s honors society