Resume
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On this page you will find a detailed description of the experience, education and honors found on my resume. If you would like to download a PDF of my official resume, you can find one at this link. If you would like to get in touch with me, my email address can be found in the “Contact” tab above. More information is also available in the resume PDF as well.
Elevator Pitch
I graduated from the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University in 2009 with a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication. I spent the better part of a year writing hundreds of articles for both the well known blog ReadWriteWeb and the internet TV show GeekBeat.TV. In October of 2010, I moved to Amsterdam to work as a web producer, copywriter and community manager for Layar.
Experience
Web Producer, Copywriter & Community Manager, Layar – Since October 2010
In October of 2010 I was invited by Layar to move to Amsterdam and join the company as web producer and copywriter. Since the move I have expanded my role to include community management for both Layar and new communities created by the launch of new initiatives.
As web producer, I am responsible for the Layar blog, which has included authoring close to 100 blog posts, arranging various post series involving Layar employees, Layar developers and Layar partners, and managing style, schedule and organization. I also produce videos for the blog and other portals by editing provided footage and capturing my own footage. I liaise with various managers to craft newsletters to our developer and partner communities, as well as smaller groups of beta testers. Other duties as web producer include drafting visual concept mockups for new pages on the Layar.com website, producing content for these pages, and in some cases, building simple pages and publishing them. I also aided in the planning and implementation of and entirely revamped design and functionality of the Layar.com website, as well as the choosing of a new email marketing platform.
As copywriter, I oversee all text across all mediums related to Layar. Included in this copy within the Layar app itself, such as basic tooltips, the “About Layar” information section and a welcome sequence explaining new features to users. I also produce copy for various parts of the Layar.com website, overhaul copy of existing pages, create copy for brand new pages and double-check the site for clarity, tone and accuracy. I have also produced written case studies for publication, and written copy for internal mockups, wireframes, presentations, proposals and other documents, and managed all text in various public app stores.
More recently, my role at Layar has grown to include community management, including the oversight of various social media platforms. I have helped expand Layar’s online presence to include new and growing social channels, including Tumblr and Instagram, and revamped the company’s overall social strategy to drive engagement and serve multiple audiences across the globe. I am also responsible for helping target and build a brand new community of users based around a yet-to-be-released product initiative.
Writer, ReadWriteWeb – May 2009 to October 2010
I began at ReadWriteWeb – an internationally renowned blog about the Web and related technologies – in May of 2009 as a research intern under lead writer Marshall Kirkpatrick. My duties as an intern included various data mining and research tasks that often involved generating OPML and XML files for tools the site was developing.
That December, following my graduation from graduate school (see “Education” below), I was offered a position as a writer in the site’s ReadWriteStart channel – a portal of resources for early-stage startups and first-time entrepreneurs. In June of 2010, my role at the site was modified to include writing general breaking news in addition to startup resources.
In January of 2010, I worked with Kirkpatrick on researching the emerging tech field of augmented reality. In late March, “Augmented Reality for Marketers and Developers: Analysis of the Leaders, the Challenges and the Future” – a premium report of which I was the lead author – was published and sold alongside ReadWriteWeb’s other premium reports.
My work with ReadWriteWeb led to several invitations to attend, cover and speak at various conferences and events. In May of 2010 I travelled to Boulder, Colorado where I was invited to attend Boulder Startup Week, a week-long series of events focused on everything entrepreneurship. Also in May, I attended the ReadWriteWeb Mobile Summit – a one-day un-conference about the mobile industry – in Mountain View, California. As a facilitator, I helped guide many of the small one-hour group discussions about various topics related to mobility.
In June I attended the Augmented Reality Event (ARE), a global conference on the business of augmented reality, in Santa Clara, California. In addition to attending and covering the event, I also hosted a session about the ReadWriteWeb augmented reality report in which I moderated a panel discussion. Later that month I travelled to San Diego, California where I was invited by Qualcomm to attend Uplinq 2010 – an event centered around the company’s mobile development community. Qualcomm invited me specifically to be on hand for major announcements surrounding the company’s initiatives in the field of augmented reality.
Throughout the summer of 2010, I have contributed articles on ReadWriteWeb’s behalf to Hewlett-Packard for its “Reimagine ROI” series – a collection of stories featuring unexpected returns on personal investments, no matter how small. In August of 2010 I was invited by Verizon Wireless and Federated Media to host a one-hour webinar about Google tools for small businesses. The webinar was attended by roughly 200 live participants and can be watched in its entirety on Verizon’s homepage.
Writer, GeekBeat.TV – Since July 2010
In July of 2010 I was one of seven writers chosen from hundreds of applicants to help launch the tech blog for GeekBeat.TV – an internet TV show and video podcast hosted by Cali Lewis. Articles of mine were posted a few times a week and were at times featured in episodes of the show. Since moving to Europe I adjusted my role to be an occasional contributor and aide to the blog. The show is aimed at a broad audience of tech geeks and tech newbies, and is syndicated by the Revision3 network where it is published three times a week.
Education
Master of Mass Communication – Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, Fall 2009
Between 2008 and 2009, I attended the Cronkite School in downtown Phoenix as part of a 15-month full-time progressional master’s degree program. During my time in the program, I had the privilege of studying under former Minneapolis Star Tribune Editor Tim McGuire, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Steve Doig, former executive editor of the Sacramento Bee Rick Rodriguez, along with many other notable professors.
I focused my education at the Cronkite School in the field of digital media, providing the opportunity to participate in the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship – a new media lab founded by author, investor and former San Jose Mercury News columnist Dan Gillmor.
In the summer of 2009, I was one of ten students chosen to participate in News21 – a national initiative hosted by the Cronkite school and led by 12 universities to encourage innovation and creativity within digital journalism. The program – supported by both the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation – consisted of a ten-week investigative deep-dive into Latino issues surrounding the Arizona/Mexico border. My partner and I travelled to San Diego, San Francisco and North Carolina to interview subjects for our award-wining story (see “Awards and Honors” below) about Latinos in the U.S. military.
Additionally, I spent the last year of my education as a member of the Gannett New Media Innovation Lab (NMIL) – a place where media clients could employ Cronkite students to brainstorm, prototype and build-out experimental new media initiatives. Projects I worked on included improving online commenting systems, researching the viability of an online community for moms, and the possibilities for mobile applications built around location-based services and augmented reality. The lab is directed by former BET Vice President Retha Hill who was recently named one of the winners of the Knight Foundation’s 2010 News Challenge.
My fellow graduates have successfully gone on to work with several prestigious news networks, including National Public Radio, PBS NewsHour, CNBC and Reuters, to name a few. At graduation in December of 2009, I was named the Outstanding Graduate of my class.
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Music and History – Arizona State University, Spring 2008
In 2008 I graduated from ASU with an interdisciplinary studies degree – a relatively new program that allows students to piece together their own unique major from two fields of study. While many students would pair one focus or another with business or communications, mine was a little different in that it combined music and history.
I began my undergraduate career as a music major, studying percussion performance, but quickly decided to switch to a more versatile degree program. The interdisciplinary studies degree allowed me to maintain my interest in music while branching out to other areas, like history.
Awards and Honors
Outstanding Graduate Student – Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, December 2009
Inductee – Kappa Tau Alpha National Honors Society in Journalism, December 2009
Society of News Design’s Best of Multimedia Design – “Latinos in the Military” – October-December 2009 Quarterly Winner
First Place, Interactive Multimedia – “Bordering Change” – Broadcast Education Association
Second Place, Best Independent Online Publication – Advanced Online Media, Spring 2009 – Society of Professional Journalists
Second Place, Best Use of Data – The Cronkite Zine, “Bordering Change: Project 28″ - Center for Innovation in College Journalism
Second Place, Best Interactive Package – The Cronkite Zine, “Reality of Sex” – Center for Innovation in College Journalism
Dean’s List – Arizona State University, Fall 2004 through Spring 2008.
