Things I've done at places I've worked.
During my 15+ years in media and marketing, I've witnessed and participated in immense change, relentless resourcefulness and constant innovation. The thread that ties my career experiences together is my dedication to finding the focus of a great story and articulating it with a compelling narrative and creative visuals.
You can see a PDF of my resume or read an expanded version below.
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, COPY // September 2017-Present
Keen eye for editorial + creative direction, for long-form and short form content, social media, podcast and video scripts, narrative and messaging frameworks, site copy, branding work, infographics and other formats. Adept at reading rooms and assessing project requests while navigating the nuances of team dynamics and various levels of ambiguity. Skilled at assembling the right editorial team for the job, from intake to final asset delivery. Involved at all points of creative production, including strategy, estimates, resourcing from our full-time and freelance writers, concepting, drafting, editing and client presentation.
Major wins include:
- Establishing myself as a trusted team member, editorial adviser, forward thinker, and enthusiastic herald of WE and DXT values.
- Developing newsroom strategy and a content style guide for an international restaurant chain--then presenting it at the North American HQ to the department's leader. (She loved it.)
- Vaulting Cisco from #67 to #1 (a position we helped them secure and hold for 3 years running) in Fortune’s + Great Place to Work’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” ranking with a powerful written submission that exemplified the very human heart at the center of a massive corporate structure.
COPYWRITER & CONTENT STRATEGIST // JUne 2015 - MAY 2017
In May 2015, I joined Studio1850, Oregonian Media Group's in-house creative agency team, creating media campaigns, content strategies and brand identities for clients while building an entirely new offering within Oregonian Media Group.
As lead copywriter and content strategist, I worked across teams to create custom site content, ad concepts and campaigns, content strategies, blogs, social media posts, video scripts and storyboards, infographics, emails, collateral and brand guidelines. I handle audience and competitive analysis, client communications and presentation development, as well. I also know how to monitor and improve campaigns based on search and engagement metrics.
My work included a six-month content strategy + creation for Premera BlueCross BlueShield, copy and design for new client websites, original advertising concepts for local and national brands, brand guidelines for Alameda Brewing and presentations delivered in eight countries for Nike’s sustainability initiatives.
RESEARCH ANALYST // APRIL 2013 - JUNE 2015
In my work with the research team, I used metrics and survey tools to dig into audiences in Portland, Oregon, and Southwest Washington. I turned this information into cohesive, creative collateral for Oregonian Media Group's advertisers and internal staff to promote The Oregonian and OregonLive, as well as Advance Local's 10 Local Media Groups nationwide.
Primary responsibilities included supporting media strategists’ relationships with advertisers using original ideas and thoughtful collateral, analyzing marketing efforts based on relevant metrics, creating social media plans and posts, developing personas from audience and industry data, and promoting Oregonian Media Group as a full-service digital agency and an Oregon institution.
Programs and tools used include Google AdWords, Google Analytics, Lotame, DIH/Burthub, Scarborough, comScore, Nielsen/PRIZM, Kantar, Adobe SiteCatalyst, Canva and several others. I used Adobe CS, Microsoft Office and major social media platforms daily.
LAYOUT DESIGNER // MARCH 2012 - mARCH 2013
I coordinated daily news presentation primarily for the St. Cloud Times, but also for the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader and the (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader. Daily responsibilities included calling/Skyping in from my desk in Des Moines to planning meetings with newsroom leaders across the Midwest, ensuring placement of local content, selecting articles and photos from the Associated Press and other national/international news wires, designing top-notch centerpieces for front and local/metro sections, and putting sweet baby newspapers to bed (on time!) each night -- even on Election Day.
In January 2013, I won third place design portfolio from the Minnesota Newspaper Association for a five-day series on the impact of North Dakota's oil boom on Central Minnesota.
COPY EDITOR & LAYOUT DESIGNER // OCTOBER 2009 - MARCH 2012
Attended news meetings, proposed wire and front page suggestions, placed and edited local and wire stories, edited and sent page files to the press, updated SCTimes.com after press deadline each evening, and worked with reporters and editors on featured series. In between, I learned important lessons about Minnesota's most interesting celebrity, Prince, and the glory days of Northwoods League amateur baseball.
I also spent six months on the Times' editorial board with the publisher, editor-in-chief, opinion editor and a rotating community representative.
During my time in St. Cloud, I attended a Poynter seminar on copy editing and writing better headlines. Assignments included analyzing demographic data, identifying key elements of a great headline, and discussing subtle bias and ethical dilemmas in copy.