Experience

 

Editor: Patch.com
Brighton, Canton and Plymouth, Michigan

Community-specific news and information website owned by Hale Global, LLC and AOL

08/2011 – 01/2014

·         Managed, edited and reported for Plymouth-Canton Patch in 2013, one of Michigan’s top performing sites in terms of traffic and advertising revenue

·         Previously served as Editor for both Brighton Patch and White Lake-Highland Patch

·         Used social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to engage community and draw traffic to articles on website

          Reviewed social media analytics and insights to improve traffic and engagement

·         Identified and recruited community members who provided content for the sites

·         Grew Patch’s presence within communities by organizing and working marketing and public speaking events

·         Planned daily e-newsletter, met deadlines, targeted press releases and managed freelancers and budgets

          Regularly met or exceeded traffic and community engagement goals

·         Worked collaboratively with all aspects of Patch – marketing, sales and editorial

 

Freelance Journalist: Patch.com
Canton, Farmington, Northville, and Plymouth, Michigan

09/2010 – 08/2011

·     Covered local government, school board meetings and local community events

·     Acted as Interim Editor for Plymouth Patch, managing content, social media, freelancers and budget

·     Acted as On-call Weekend Editor for Berkley, Farmington, Hartland and Northville Patch websites, managing multiple deadlines and social media sites

 

Freelance Journalist: Belleville Lake Current
Belleville, Michigan
Weekly newspaper serving Belleville, Van Buren Township and Sumpter Township, Michigan

09/2010 – 11/2010

·     Covered local government and school board meetings

·     Reported and photographed general assignments in Belleville and Van Buren Township

 

Summer Intern: The Armada Times and The Bay Voice
Armada and New Baltimore, Michigan
Weekly newspapers, part of Digital First Media Michigan

5/2003 – 8/2003 / 5/2004 – 8/2004

·     Answered phones and handled customer/subscriber issues

·     Reported general assignments and developed sources

·     Copy-edited and reviewed stories and special sections

·     Completed special projects for old newspaper organization

·     Reported and photographed local area events, including summer fairs/festivals 
 

 

Education

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Outside Specialty in Public Relations

2003 – 2008

 

Skills

·         Excellent writing, editing and copyediting skills

·         Highly proficient on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest

·         Expert at shooting digital content with DSLR cameras

·         Highly skilled in video editing with iMovie and Adobe Premiere Elements

·         Knowledgeable on widgets, including Cover It Live and Storify

·         Knowledgeable on Adobe PhotoShop, InDesign and Acrobat

·         Windows and Mac platform savvy

 

 

Honors & Awards

·         2011 and 2012: Media Award presented to Brighton Patch by the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce

·         2011: Patch on the Back Award for excellence in sourcing and generating story ideas

·         Fall 2006: Published in newspapers statewide as a Michigan State University Capital News Service Correspondent

·         2003 and 2004: Michigan Press Association Foundation Scholar