Posts Tagged ‘In the Workplace’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

In the Workplace with Amy Nalette

Sunday, January 18th, 2009

Name: Amy Nalette
Title: Associate Acquisitions Editor
Website: www.pubint.com
Location: Chicago, IL

nalette_pomo

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I double majored at MSU in Spanish and Professional Writing. I plan to pursue a master’s degree next – hopefully soon!

Tell us about your current job.
Publication’s International, Ltd. (PIL) is a privately owned Children’s Book Publishing company in the suburbs of Illinois. We create two different types of Children’s books: Electronic books (with all sorts of buttons that play sound effects, music, voices, etc.) and Quiet books (your typical storybooks without any sound component). We create books that feature licensed characters.

So for example, we work with Disney to create books featuring the Disney Princesses, Cars, Finding Nemo, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, etc. (the list goes on and on).  Additionally, we work with Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, HIT Entertainment (Thomas the Tank Engine), Marvel, Dreamworks, and more.

My title is Associate Acquisitions Editor, but being an acquisitions editor at PIL is quite different than a typical publishing company. We do not accept outside manuscript submissions from anyone, because we create everything ourselves in-house. We have teams of editors, art directors, production editors, sound designers, animators, etc. that are assigned to each project. Every acquisitions editor in my department is assigned a different licensor that she works with daily. I am the acquisitions editor for Disney! Well, actually, since Disney is our biggest account, we had to split it in half. So I am responsible for all of Disney Quiet Books and another girl is in charge of Disney Electronic Books.

(more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Career, Editing | Comments Off

In the Workplace with Justin Sailor

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Name: Justin “Bugsy” Sailor
Title: Freelance Web Developer, Aspiring Photographer, and Renowned US Traveler
Website/Blog: www.bugsyrocker.com
Location: Marquette, MI

Justin Sailor

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
My home is the Upper Peninsula, where I was raised through high school and am proud to represent my Yooper heritage. After high school, I found myself at Michigan State University where I spent five years, finishing with a B.A. in Advertising and a B.A. in Sociology. However, when I wasn’t working on my degrees, I continued to stay busy pursuing my passions in photography and web development.

After graduation, I started and completed my biggest project to date: a yearlong 50-state tour of the United States. Through a lot of hard work and a bit of luck, I was able to get sponsorship from Jeep, national press, and stay in over 100 households of people I had never met. I documented it with 12,000 photos and over 400 blog entries, and ate better than any other time in my life. It also led me to bring the first squirrel to go to all 50 states. That finished up in September 2007, and you can read more at www.hometowninvasion.com.

Tell us about your current job.
Since coming down from the clouds after my trip, 2008 has focused on my freelance photography and web design work, mostly working with small businesses across Michigan. With my latest web projects I have been putting more emphasis on the power of search engine optimization, search engine marketing, social media, and web analytics.

Another of my projects started in February 2008 and can be seen at www.yoopersteez.com. After seeing all 50 states, I collected nearly as many t-shirts and was a little inspired by it. I knew that after finishing my tour across the country I wanted to come back to my roots in the Upper Peninsula. It was clear that the U.P. could use a quality website and product that didn’t involve any stereotypes.

Since its inception, Yooper Steez has delivered t-shirts to over 30 states and have been photographed on five continents. It has allowed me to network with Yoopers across the world. It has been an incredible learning experience, not only to start my own business, but to find the potential in a very small niche market.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Design, Web, Writing | 1 Comment »

In the Workplace with Stephanie DeVos & Brian Josefowicz

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Names: Stephanie DeVos & Brian Josefowicz
Titles: Copy Writer & Bloggist and Owner & Operations
Website/Blog: www.ThePhotoboothCompany.com
Locations: Steph – Redondo Beach, CA; The Photobooth Company – Muskegon, MI

Stephanie DeVos & Brian Josefowicz

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
Well, both Brian and I attended a little school in Allendale, MI, the nation’s leader in division II football, Grand Valley State University. I graduated with my Bachelors in Public Relations and Advertising. I basically ran out of money and decided a degree in communications was the best bet for me.

Brian started out with a photography degree, switched to economics for a while, then switched again to business. After getting a smattering of knowledge in each department, he decided it was best to put the school money to better use and started his own photography business.

Brian and I had been friends for a few years when he got into the photobooth biz and asked me to help out with a few things because, as he says, he has the writing ability of a four year old. Over the years, the company has grown and so has our love for taking crazy pictures of ourselves and others.

Tell us about your current job.
We both are actually involved in a few different things right now, to keep things interesting for me and to hold Brian’s attention since he gets distracted easily. My full-time job is at a print media advertising company near Los Angeles where I sit at a desk and talk on the phone most days. On the side I work with Brian putting together promotional pieces, writing the copy for the site and blog, and brainstorming creative new ideas for the company. I also do a little freelance writing for a site in LA when I have a spare moment. Brian, on the other hand, runs a small answering service Monday through Friday and has recently began dabbling in technical consulting and data storage when he isn’t knee deep in photostrips.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Web, Writing | Comments Off

In the Workplace with Shauna Nicholson

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Name: Shauna Nicholson
Title: Marketing Manager at Biznet Internet Solutions
Website/Blog: shaunanicholson.com/blog / biznetis.net
Location: Metro Detroit, MI

Shauna Nicholson

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
My undergrad degree is a BS in Technical and Professional Communication—essentially technical writing; my concentration (saving grace) was Multimedia Writing. I started out as a marketing coordinator running the entire marketing department at a telecom company. Being ambitious, I grew bored with that and started exploring how social media marketing could work/was working… that led me to working solely in web marketing and I couldn’t be happier.

Tell us about your current job.
Essentially, I have three core responsibilities: marketing Biznet, networking, and marketing Biznet clients. I’m often tasked with creating social media plans, networking solutions, and SEO-infused content.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Web, Writing | 8 Comments »

In the Workplace with Stephanie Tardy

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Name: Stephanie Tardy
Title: Blogger and Designer
Website/Blog: Handmade Detroit and Phantom Limb
Location: Detroit, MI

Stephanie Tardy

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I went to Michigan State and graduated with a BA in journalism, focusing on publication design. After school, I went to work at a newspaper, then another newspaper, both times as a copy editor and designer. There has been the occasional freelance assignment or column, mainly covering and reviewing pop culture or the arts.

Three years ago, I started selling paper goods and art under the name Phantom Limb. This was really just an extension of my design background – a way to get more hands on with the creative process.

Seeing a lack of opportunity for alternative crafters in my city, I then started Handmade Detroit, a collective that creates opportunities for these artists.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Design, Writing | 3 Comments »

In the Workplace with Victoria Pater

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Victoria Pater's Fresh brandName: Victoria Pater
Title: Visual Design + Branding Specialist
Website/Blog: letusgetfancy.blogspot.com
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I attended Ferris State University for Graphic Design. Their bachelor’s program is housed in the College of Business, so students gain skills that will help prepare them for the real world. I believe we started out with 65 freshmen and graduated with a tight knit class of 15 students. From there I took a job at a small design firm in Lansing. It didn’t turn out to be the kind of workplace I could grow in, so I reevaluated what I wanted out of my career.

Tell us about your current job.
I am currently working as a Visual Designer / Brand Specialist at a forex trading company. We recently went through the re-branding process and are trying to bring both the web and print materials up to par. There is talk of changing up the navigation and creating a better user experience for new and existing clients. We currently have offices in New York, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and Sydney. I hear there are a few more opening up elsewhere this year. Our headquarters is in Grand Rapids, so we handle all the design work. I am extremely interested in the different cultures we market and hope I get the chance to visit and fully explore…you know, so I can better serve them!

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Design | Comments Off

In the Workplace with Suban Nur-Cooley

Monday, June 23rd, 2008
Name: Suban Nur-Cooley
Title: Communications Coordinator & Freelance Writer
Location: Lansing, MI

Suban Nur-Cooley

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I’m completing my Bachelors in Journalism at the University of Canberra, Australia. I transferred from my Urban Planning degree knowing that writing was truly my passion. I’ve worked as a freelance writer for a little over three years, with BMA Magazine, NOISE, and most recently Capital Gains Media. I am also currently working as Communications Coordinator for the American Cancer Society.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Writing | Comments Off

In the Workplace with Lauren Fox

Sunday, June 8th, 2008

Name: Lauren C. Fox
Title: Assistant Editor
Location: Chicago, IL

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I studied in the professional writing major, editing and publishing track, for four years at MSU. I also worked as a copy editor for The State News for a year before being promoted to copy chief, which I loved doing for a year and a half, and was recognized as Copy Editor of the Year in May 2007. I moved to Chicago to intern at Venus, Chicago Agent and Miami Agent magazines before being hired as News Editor for the magazines.

Tell us about your current job.
In July 2007, I was hired at Associated Publications Inc., where I continue to work as one of two assistant editors of three national magazines: Complete Woman, Sophisticate’s Black Hair and Sophisticate’s Hairstyle Guide. I mostly write content for the magazines, but also do a great deal of editing and securing material via PR and salon contact. I have interviewed various celebrities and their stylists, such as Amanda Bynes (actress) and Cassie Ventura (singer/actress). Some of my favorite pieces are about fitness/diet/exercise, such as how to get bikini-ready in 30 days and an in-depth look at organic food.

What does a typical day look like for you?
Work starts at 8:30 a.m. every day. I typically get into the office and read/respond to emails for about a half hour. After that, it’s nearly impossible to set a schedule. Since I have three different editors, one for each magazine, they likely will call me at least 10 times throughout the day to ask for celebrity photos, updates from PR agencies on different stars and status/progress on my story assignments.

Between that, I generally work on researching and writing stories. I share an office with the other assistant editor and the associate editor, so the three of us work hard but also are friends, so we take time out to talk during breaks. This is the time when we get ideas for stories, as we discuss our weekends, love lives, sex, etc. Anything goes, and everyone shares. I break for lunch around noon, come back and get back to writing. Some days I have five interviews, while some days I have none. Some days I have to write five stories, while some days I’m so bored I organize my files and alphabetize transcripts. It varies greatly from day to day. The office closes at 6 p.m., and the work day is done. We keep such long hours because we have to be in contact with both New York and Los Angeles for PR firms, celebrities and stylists.

(more…)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Career, Editing, Writing | Comments Off

In the Workplace with Casey Wright

Sunday, June 1st, 2008

Name: Casey Wright
Title: User Experience Researcher, TechSmith Corp.
Website/Blog: www.caseyanne.com/portfolio
Location: Okemos, MI

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I have a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Digital Rhetoric & Professional Writing, both from Michigan State University. This graduate study allowed me to extend my background in writing, design, and communication into new media, using rhetorical methodology to understand solve social problems surrounding new media design and the interaction of design around user goals. During my graduate work, I specified in user experience research, user-centered design, and technical communication. I also worked as a graduate research assistant at MSU’s Usability & Accessibility Center as a Usability Specialist, managing research projects and usability tests and performing expert reviews for product usability and accessibility.

Tell us about your current job.
Currently, I work within a department of Interaction Designers and User Experience Researchers. Our company develops consumer software based on screen capture and recording and media sharing (some of our products are Camtasia, SnagIt, and Morae).

As a researcher, I work closely with Interaction Designers and product development teams (comprised of Developers, QA Testers, Product Managers, and Documentation Writers). I conduct research to ensure that our software products are usable and to understand how people expect to interact with interfaces in general. I communicate findings from this research and usability principles to product developers and designers to help guide user-centered design of our products.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Web | Comments Off

In the Workplace with Lisa Shaw

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Name: Lisa Shaw
Title: Copy desk intern / fact checker extraordinaire for Coastal Living magazine
Website/Blog: www.lisamarieshaw.net
Location: Birmingham, AL

 Lisa Shaw

Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I graduated from Michigan State University in 2007 with a major in Professional Writing, emphasis in Editing and Publishing, and specializations in English and Journalism. I also have a certification in book publishing from the University of Denver Publishing Institute.

Tell us about your current job.
Fact checking is a lot of what I do, which can be best explained in this video: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/eae26bb96d.

What does a typical day look like for you?
Google searching, and lots of it. Verifying facts on company Web sites, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce sites, etc. For stories that focus on families and their homes/businesses, I will call whoever the writer has listed as a contact person to verify name spellings and other details.

Researching and writing a story (roofing products for coastal environments, anyone?) also requires usually a day or two of Googling and phone calls. I also work with our market editor quite a bit, which means calling in products for photo shoots and then re-packing and shipping products back to companies after we’re done with them. Occasionally I write rejection letters and handle PR and reader queries.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Career, Editing, Writing | Comments Off

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »