What I do...
This just in...
I can write. I can photograph. I can film. I can tweet.
I can leap tall buildings in a single -- no, wait, that’s Superman. I can't jump that high, but I am just as determined to make the world a better place.
Work
experience
Senior crime reporter.
10/2015 - 1/2018
The Sun News
(Myrtle Beach, SC)
I started on the beach beat, documenting a wide variety of issues from homelessness and off-shore drilling to harsh business regulations and threats to tourism. Then I moved to the crime/court/public safety beat, which has always been my forte, shedding a brighter light on locally-committed crime and how it affects the people who live and visit here. From January to June of 2017, my story reach among online readers grew by more than 1,000 percent, even behind a paywall.
Staff writer.
9/2012 - 10/2015
Hendersonville Times-News
(Hendersonville, NC)
I started as a city government reporter and then moved to crime and public safety. In that role, I showed the long wait for defendants facing murder trials, compounded by a big backlog in forensic lab testing. Changes to speed up the process were initiated after my report. I was also able to document the third-world conditions one trailer park was living in under a landlord who refused to fix its many problems. After a series of stories, the development was purchased by a new company that promised change and relief.
Editor.
6/2008 - 9/2012
The Kings Mountain Herald
(Kings Mountain, NC)
I was promoted to this position from Staff Writer. In addition to all of the duties listed under that position below, I developed and maintained our paper's first website, Facebook and Twitter feeds; planned news coverage, assigned stories, developed weekly news budgets, shot/edited photos, planned and designed news pages and assisted with company-wide projects.
Staff writer.
3/2006 - 6/2008
The Kings Mountain Herald
(Kings Mountain, NC)
I wrote stories in all beats of community journalism, took and edited photos, wrote cutlines and headlines, followed leads, established and maintained positive relations with sources and the public, handled page layout and design, proofed pages before they went to press, helped get papers ready to ship, developed story ideas and participated in community events to promote the paper.
Marketing assistant.
8/2005 - 3/2006
DesignLab, Inc.
(Greenville, SC)
I created proposals for promotional product usage, assisted customers with price quotes, wrote purchase orders, managed department workflow, etc.
Education
Western Carolina University.
2000 - 2004
(Cullowhee, NC)
–Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, with concentration in Journalism
–Minor in Criminal Justice
North Henderson High School.
1996-2000
(Hendersonville, NC)
–College Prep Diploma
–N.C. Scholar
Recent courses.
–Media and Innovation: How to Play in the Sandbox, Poynter's News University, Nov. 18, 2014
–The Life Cycle of an Investigative Story: Master Class with David Barstow, Poynter's News University, Aug. 1, 2014
–Graduate of the Henderson County Sheriff's Citizens Academy, April 2014
–Graduate of Vision Henderson County, a leadership course, May 2014
Skills
Writing
SEO
Investigative storytelling
ANALYTICS
Digital/multi-media storytelling
DATA JOURNALISM
HTML CODE
Writing engaging headlines
SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONS
Holding leaders accountable
RESEARCH
Finding trends
PHOTOGRAPHY
Videography
EDITING
Timeline JS
CHARTBEAT
CrowdTangle
ADOBE SUITE / InDesign
Google platforms/tags
AUDACITY
Website development
PERISCOPE/FACEBOOK LIVE
Problem-solving
VIDEOLICIOUS
NewsGate
FINAL CUT PRO
Microsoft Office Suite
Languages
AP Style
Spanish (not fully-fluent)
HTML
Awards
Judson Chapman Award for community service in journalism, second place, for "She didn't want to be a prostitute. She became one anyway," S.C. Press Association Contest (2017)
Reporting In-Depth, second place, for "'Satan is on the rampage!' Horry County battles rise in violent deaths," S.C. Press Association Contest (2017)
Breaking News Reporting, third place, for "Structure fire rages...," S.C. Press Association Contest (2016)
News Enterprise Reporting, first place, for series on Alpine Woods, N.C. Press Association Contest (2015)
Deadline News Reporting, third place, for "Pit Bull Attack...," N.C. Press Association (2015)
Best Multimedia Project, third place, for "...Fruits of Their Labor," N.C. Press Association (2015)
Media and the Law Award of Excellence from the N.C. Bar Association for "Wait Gets Longer for Murder Trials," N.C. Press Association Contest (2014)
News Enterprise Reporting, second place, for "Wait Gets Longer for Murder Trials," N.C. Press Association Contest (2014)
Feature Writing, third place, for "What's Haunting Hendersonville?" N.C. Press Association Contest (2014)
General News Reporting, third place, for series on Triple Homicide, N.C. Press Association Contest (2013)
Volunteer Award from White Oak Manor (2007)
First Place in Literacy Feature (Community Newspaper Division), N.C. Press Association Contest (2006)
