*Some* of the jobs I’ve had (all in digital) over the span of almost two decades at CNN.com: Associate producer in the newsroom, interactives associate producer, Sections producer, Features producer, Assignment editor, Superdesk editor, Special reports editor, World editor, Executive editor, Executive director.
The cnn.com audio/video producer for eyewitness accounts on day of 9/11 attacks (and one of the interactives producers for months that followed); 15 years later, produced the interactive “Day that never ends”
The main producer of the Peabody-award-winning Hurricane Katrina coverage + all interactives (digital specifically called out by Peabody Awards)
Launched Impact Your World and Freedom Project initiatives
Led redesigns and replatforms, new templates, new CMSes
One of 3 publishers to work with Apple to shape Apple News before launch; launched CNN on Apple News, Google Newsstand app, Amazon Alexa and Google Home
Lite site, Haiti Lost and found (within 36 hours partnering with Google and Red Cross), Mauritania project manager
Award-winning Afghanistan coverage in 2009-2011
World editor during Arab Spring and other times of tumultuous world events 2011-2013 (Japan tsunami, Norway terror attacks, bin Laden, Gadhafi death)
One of 3 Elections main producers 2004 & results, 2006, 2008 (in-depth resources and results, CNN’s first mobile election site especially for the then-emerging iPhone, homepage treatments, registration/sign in “political market” prediction game with 100,000+ members, Facebook-CNN integration for community
CNN Business launch in 2018
Launched digital presence for Anthony Bourdain and CNN Films & Original Series
Paris attacks - especially victims interactive (which became a template)
2018 Midterm politics calendar app, live commentary prototype (live text analysis synced with live video), Fingerprints prototype (fingerprints of a story - what page linked to it, from what placement and when, and what headline/images were used to tease it)
Kennesaw State University, Fall 2019-present
Full-time lecturer: Digital journalism, news reporting, mass communication
University of South Florida, Fall 2014-2016
Adjunct: Graduate level Multimedia Reporting class
• Board of Directors: Canopy Atlanta (2023-present), The Red & Black (2022-present)
• Early Georgia movies project, 2024-ongoing
• Author, book: “Press Ahead: A practical guide to finding journalism jobs and navigating newsrooms" (2023)
Executive director, Editorial Initiatives, 2019
Lead key initiatives within Digital Editorial and with partners in the Tech, Product and Operations teams, as well as working across CNN Worldwide and the entire portfolio.
Executive director, Projects & New Initiatives, 2016-2019
Led a group that created, planned and executed innovative strategy, coverage and digital products across the global portfolio, across platforms.
Consistently brought together vast editorial, creative, tech and business teams and executives into cohesive planning, prioritization and regular communication of priorities such as re-platforming CNN's mobile web, overhaul of custom in-house CMS, large-scale special events (Elections, 2017 Eclipse of the Century, Anthony Bourdain digital footprint) and major product launches.
Created and conspired with minds across different disciplines on prototypes that experimented with technology to better serve audiences. This included such projects as a low-bandwidth automated site for natural disaster victims, a synchronized live video commentary tool, a 2018 midterm Election calendar subscription and an internal story tracking/placement tool for editors.
After working with Apple in Cupertino as launch partner on Apple News, led a 4-person cross-functional team to drive CNN to the No. 1 publisher spot on the platform and expanded audience reach through live video strategies, specific mobile video campaigns and alerting experiments.
Director, Content strategy & development, 2013-2016
Built an editorial product strategy for new beats, existing and emerging technology, new templates and editorial-driven business opportunities.
Part of leadership team for CNN's massive redesign including UX/UI ideation, audience research, workflow documentation, template implementation and 100+ training sessions on design system.
Editor, World coverage, 2011-2013
Directed CNN.com’s world coverage and strategy, including conceiving and editing stories; streamlining and growing social media accounts; and connecting U.S. CNN.com audience to accessible, understandable and original global news, features and perspectives.
Drove the World section to a consistent No. 1 spot of most popular section with audiences.
Special Reports:
Sr. Producer, 2008-2010; Assignment Producer, 2007-2008; Producer 2004-2007
Managed 10-person group's assignments and priorities, production schedule and content oversight; developed templates and launched new sections, special projects and site features.
Examples of work include:
Mauritania: Slavery’s Last Stronghold
Served as the executive producer/project leader. Worked with the reporter, videographer, editor, designers and technical leads to plan out workflow, best practices, troubleshooting and problem solving as well as social media, marketing and PR plan and roll-out/promotion schedule for CNN.com homepage. Integrated into overall CNN Freedom Project, which I launched and produced in its first year. (Winner of numerous awards, including the 2012 Online Journalism Award) cnn.com/mauritania
Home & Away: Coalition Casualties
Oversight and planning of massive data visualization of U.S. and troop casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq. Taking advantage of 8+ years of CNN data to make meaningful interactive. (2010 Online Journalism Award nominee). cnn.com/casualties | Extra screengrabs | Awards
Haiti: The missing, the found, the victims
Project leader as well as editorial lead in bringing together iReport, technology and development teams, design and outside partners such as Google and Red Cross into quickly putting together a database of people looking for missing loved ones in the wake of the historic Haiti earthquake. http://haiticrisis.cnn.com/
Afghanistan Crossroads
Planned, coordinated and served as sole editor of the Afghanistan Crossroads blog as cross-platform centerpiece. (2010 Online Journalism Award nominee). cnn.com/afghanistan
Election 2008
One of the main producers for Election 2008
Producer for CNN.com's special Mobile site, which was produced in part for the iPhone
Pitched, developed and created the successful prediction game, "Political Market," with more than 100,000 registered users
Conceptualized, experimented and built the large community and Facebook integration for "The Forum." The feature was one of the first by a major Web site to use Facebook integration
Also one of the three main producers for Election 2004 and 2006 coverage
Other: Section Producer/Health, 2002 - 2004, CNN.com, Sr. Associate Producer, 2000 - 2002
Original producer CNN cross-platform franchise with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Fit Nation”
Launched and conceptualized digital presence on the inaugural reports, and gave guidance on subsequent reports, for "Black in America" and "Latino in America"
The main producer on Hurricane Katrina special report and coverage, which was part of CNN's Peabody Award, the oldest honor in electronic media
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Communications Coordinator, 2000
Marietta Daily Journal, Assistant Editor, 1997 - 2000
Managed 4-person copy desk, designed pages, copy edited, launched and maintained web site
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, University of Georgia; Athens, GA, 1996
M.A., Digital Journalism and Design, University of South Florida at St. Petersburg, 2014
Courses include: Multimedia reporting, Social media, Digital media technology, Web publishing, Digital democracy, Digital media law and ethics, Visual design theory and Digital video/audio production