ABOUT ME
The best content finds that sweet spot between what the robots need and what humans need, which is why I equally value art and science in content strategy.
I'm endlessly fascinated with metrics and can get lost for hours in Adobe or Google analytics, Chartbeat, Crazy Egg, or whatever numbers I can get my hands on. I geek out over inferential statistics, quantitative analysis and confidence intervals.
But I also know that true innovation and content success comes from creative writers, editors, data viz specialists, designers and visual media editors.
Content consumption is a puzzle that I want to solve, which is why I’m always digging, pushing, experimenting and stretching. If I don’t know something, I’ll learn it.
I grew up in a journalism household and started in the industry as a reporter. When I realized stories don't get read without good headlines and design, I switched my focus to design and editing. I rose through the ranks from a copy editor to a manager.
I wanted to be a better leader, so I went back to school while working full-time to get my masters. Mizzou's program was amazing, offering a mix of practical and theoretical skills.
My thesis was a quantitative and qualitative national study of management training among newspaper managing editors. Seeing the gaps in their training made me even more committed to finding the training I needed to elevate my skills.
When I saw the future of journalism was online, I shifted to digital strategy and innovation. When I saw the credibility of media eroding, I organized a plagiarism and fabrication summit. When I saw the ranks of copy editing collapsing, I guided ACES in rebranding to include all editors. Finally, when I could no longer see a rewarding future for myself in journalism, I shifted to branded content.
Right now, I consider myself a leader first, a strategist second, an innovator third and a marketing exec fourth. But that is constantly changing as I adjust to meet the demands of different jobs, the needs of different employees and the digital landscape.
I cannot wait to conquer the tomorrow’s challenge.
