On this page you will find more about my work history and education.
Distribution and engagement specialist
MPR News
St. Paul, Minnesota
10-2018 to present
Newsroom/company-wide training - Presenting what I learn through metrics tracking and experimentation across the newsroom and across the company to improve our strategies. Working with marketing to enhance and implement ad campaigns and projects, informing their process with my extensive knowledge of our audience. Training reporters and producers on best practices for distributing to and engaging with audiences via individual social media profiles. Teaching newsroom colleagues on the topics of photography, videography, best practices for covering live events and finding our audiences where they are. Helping them build and maintain relationships with our audience and build trust.
Engagement campaigns - Shaping and delivering engagement campaigns, rallying our audience to share their stories and questions across platforms via unique hashtags, eye-catching online posts and survey tools like Typeform and Hearken. Closing the communication loop with everyone we hear from, cataloging their feedback and saving their information to grow our sources database. Presenting their feedback either internally or to our audience as story collections to inspire others to engage with us. Creating reports at the end of each projects, recording what worked, what didn’t and resources to keep in mind and utilize going forward.
Social media management - I helped completely reshape how we interact and deliver news to audiences on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; prioritizing transparency, meaningful conversation and meeting information needs. I have launched and continue to moderate five Facebook groups, each with hundreds to thousands of members, categorized by location and interest to help deliver them the content they want most and facilitating discussion to help them find connections between the news, their own lives and the people around them.
Photo/Graphic/Video Editing - As I did in my previous role, I am a go-to resource for editing visuals to help enhance stories. In my new role I focus on quick-turn videos tailored to social media platforms, with a special emphasis on Instagram. One of my first projects was launching a consistent strategy and practice for posting to Instagram, growing our followers by thousands in the span of a few months.
Story/project distribution - Building online campaigns across platforms, leveraging social media, newsletters and in-house tools to deliver our reporting and engagement projects to the people who will benefit most and/or help better inform our journalism. Helped redesign and reformat the way we present content on our social media properties and newsletters based on industry best practices and feedback I collected from our audience. Reaching out directly to other groups and organizations connected to the stories so that they can share the content with their own unique audiences, growing and diversifying our readership. Turning those new readers into loyal readers by maintaining those relationships and delivering consistent content relevant to their interests and lives.
Metrics tracking and reporting - Using tools like Chartbeat and Google Analytics as well as built in insights tools on social media, I track the successes and failures of our products. Forming strategies around the trends I see and delivering those strategies to the rest of the newsroom to improve presentation and distribution of our stories. Tracking the life of a story, making note of who shared it, who might have missed it and the journey of those who clicked in to read. Building a database of sources to reach out to for distribution and insight collection for future stories. Utilizing Google Trends and Buzzsumo to help inform our SEO for headlines, descriptions and story formats.
Audience engagement - Utilizing social media, our internal database, survey tools and in-person events I initiate and sustain conversations with our audience about what interests them most and what they’d like to see from us. I make sure the audience knows they are heard, find and engage with sources who are most impacted by the news of the day and use their feedback to inform our reporting and the forms and tools we use to bring our reporting to our existing and new audiences.
Digital Producer
MPR News
Moorhead and St. Paul, Minnesota
07-2016 to 10-2018
Website Management - About half of my day was dedicated to amplifying our website and its content. That included copy editing and posting original reporting out of our newsroom, prioritizing and organizing stories on the homepage and adjacent collection pages and enhancing each story with accompanying photos, graphics and related content as well as submission forms for audience engagement. I also aggregated local and national news from wire services, building connections with NPR and the Associated Press.
Social Media Management - Pushing breaking and trending news to Facebook, Twitter and newsletters. Updating and personalizing stories for different audiences. Experimenting with headlines to optimize SEO. Interacting with and engaging readers over social media.
Engagement Reporting - Collecting audience questions via engagement campaigns, social media and one-to-one interactions. Reporting on those questions in the forms of Q&A, feature and explainer pieces. Creating accompanying graphics, galleries and video to deliver an engaging experience for our readers.
Feature Reporting - I was frequently assigned reporting assignments often pegged to upcoming events, local and breaking news. I called sources, went on the scene to cover events live, utilizing Twitter, Instagram Stories and Facebook live to bring the audience to the scene with me. Wrote informative reports for web.
Source Network Management - Maintaining and engaging our audience via the Public Insight Network, an online database of thousands of sources who have previously share their stories, insights and questions with us. I kept the network organized, grew the database with new sources and most importantly maintained relationships with our network of sources by making sure they knew their stories were heard. I would find and connect sources and reporters, distribute stories directly to people based on interest and involvement and gather feedback to then help inform our distribution and engagement strategies.
Photo/Graphic/Video Editing - Using Adobe Creative Cloud to edit photos graphics and videos for use across our web properties. Utilizing reporter and photographer’s work as well as my own to make sure nothing interesting is left on the cutting room floor.
Website Management - My main responsibility is managing the Herald's website. Posting, updating and alerting breaking news. Curating, posting and updating feature, regional, national and world news. Adding multimedia such as photos, videos and links to related articles. Crafting headlines for an online audience. Organizing the homepage to drive traffic.
Social Media Management - Pushing breaking and trending news to Facebook, Twitter and email subscriptions. Updating and personalizing stories for different audiences. Changing headlines for different audiences. Interacting with and engaging readers over social media.
Photo/Graphic Editing - Using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to adjust levels, prepare photos and graphics for print and online respectively. Editing graphics to make corrections, add content. Create simple graphics and cutouts to enhance online and print stories.
File Organization/Sharing - Managing photo and story archives. Creating folder trees, and moving files to ensure everything is organized, available and archived for later use. Sharing stories and multimedia via Google Drive, email and FTP services with sister companies and outside collaborators.
Multimedia Producer
Grand Forks Herald
Grand Forks, North Dakota
08-2012 to 06-2016
On Scene Reporting - Going on the scene to breaking and feature news. Conducting interviews, gathering soundbites and shooting video and photos. Writing up complete stories, researching topics, fact-checking and finding links to additional material.
Video Editing - Using Adobe Premiere to edit video either gathered by myself, photographers or other reporters. Telling concise, comprehensive stories through video. Adding graphics, lower thirds and transitions to add information, style.
Copy Editing - Proofreading, editing stories for online use. Working with reporters and the copy desk to fact check stories, making clarifications and changing word usage when necessary and beneficial.
Advertising - Working with advertising team to push ad campaigns, written series and job openings into public eye through use of social media, email subscriptions and in story linking.
Media Producer /Videographer
UND Marketing Group
Grand Forks, North Dakota
05-2012 to 10-2013
Video Production - Using a variety of professional to personal grade cameras to film interviews, community events, college events, training videos, live sports and more. Setting up multiple cameras and utilizing a go-pro to ensure a diverse collection of angles, b-roll and cutaways.
Lighting/Set Up - Using professional grade lighting to prepare interviews, panel discussions and demonstrations. Micing up hosts and subjects. Checking audio and color levels on multiple cameras.
Interviews - Researching topics, scheduling and conducting interviews with the public, business representatives, students, athletes, and performers. Crafting questions for informative, sometimes emotional, soundbites. Gathering as much information on topics as possible.
Video Editing - Using Final Cut Pro to edit a wide variety of segments for online and broadcast. Adjusting color and audio levels. Adding lower thirds and other graphics. Using fast cuts, unique angles and other techniques to keep videos fast paced, engaging and informative.
Marketing - Working with local businesses and the University of North Dakota to create exclusive content, organize giveaways and spread brand awareness for both my company and others.
Feature reporter/technical director/stage manager
Studio One
Grand Forks, North Dakota
12-2009 to 12-2010
Reporting - Coming up with story ideas, researching topics and setting up shoots and interviews for multiple segments each week. Setting up lighting, audio for interviews. Conducting interviews - searching for important, meaningful information and soundbites. Working with videographer to capture variety of b-roll to help tell the story.
News Writing - Pick most informative, impactful soundbites and using them to build story. Making sure all important information is present either through my writing or in soundbites. Always keeping in mind what kind of content viewers will want to see. Always consider what kind of questions viewers might have on the subject.
Video editing - Using Final Cut Pro to piece together interviews, b-roll and voice overs to create engaging, complete news segment. Adjusting audio and color levels, adding lower thirds and graphics as they apply. Output to proper format for on-air broadcast.
Voice Overs - Recording voice overs in editing booth. Adjusting pacing, word usage, and audio levels to get best possible result.
Stage Management - Greeting and escorting guests to green room and on set. Micing up guests, walking them through the interview process and making sure they are comfortable before and after broadcast. Answering any additional questions they and other visitors may have about our show.
Technical Director - Operating a switchboard during live broadcast. Taking directions, paying attention and thinking on my feet while controlling which shots go live. Keying in lower thirds and graphics. Operating complex machinery under pressure and thinking fast should things go wrong.
Education
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Major: Communication
Minor: English
Focus: Communication technology and
advertising strategies
Summa Cum Laude
4.0 GPA throughout entire college career
Video Production - Studied professional and artistic filming techniques. Took courses on television studio production, electronic field production and the art of film making. Produced several short films, worked on live broadcast and trained with professional filming and video editing equipment.
Photo/Graphic Design - Studied photo editing for promotional purposes. Took courses on graphic design, basic design and visual persuasion. Mastered many advanced techniques in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Designed and produced a variety of branded products.
News Writing - Learned proper writing technique for print, broadcast and online news. Took courses in general media writing, survey of broadcasting and newspaper reporting. Researched, investigated and wrote complete features for print.
Academic Writing - Wrote numerous research papers throughout college career. Took courses in literary criticism, the art of writing nonfiction, survey of American fiction and several classes on proper composition. Mastered the art of researching and proper formatting through lots and lots of practice. Also learned to analyze others' writing and my own to find and convey meaning efficiently
Advertising- Learned different advertising techniques across different mediums and how to apply them to a variety of audiences. Took courses in advertising and society, technology and societal change, and media advertising through history. Produced several advertising campaigns of my own. Analyzed and critique current practices by some of the nation's largest companies and charities.
Communication - Learned how to effectively convey meaning through visual, written and verbal communication. Took courses in communication and how it relates to the human community, fundamentals of public speaking and the interactions between producer and consumer. Oral presentations were a regular part of most of my courses and proper communication techniques were emphasized no matter the project.
Philosophy - Studied several different schools of philosophical thought. Took courses in public philosophy, ancient philosophy and mysticism. The experience helped me better understand complex problem solving and how to learn from different views as well as express my own.
Psychology - Took courses on the history of psychology, early practices and took a course specific to the psychology of communication. These classes helped me to better understand emotional reactions and how to elicit them from an audience or calm them in interpersonal communication.
Sociology - Participated in an integrated studies program that looked at literature, history and the human community. Took several courses that covered globalization and communication across a worldwide network.
Science - Took a course in meteorology and studied the birth of physics, math and how it changed and continues to affect the world we live in.
Boxing - I took a semester of boxing. I am not good at boxing.