Zachary M. Smith
EDUCATION
- M.S. in Journalism, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. 2004 (GPA 3.70/4.0); Thesis: “Marijuana of the Nursery:” An Exploration of Censorship Efforts Against Comic Books. The thesis examined court cases concerning the content of comic books.
- B.A. in English, North Carolina State University, 1998-2002. Minors in Film Studies and Creative Writing, GPA 3.72/4.0 , Magna Cum Laude
- 1998: Graduate Broughton High School, GPA 4.0 (weighted), National Honor Society
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Freelance Writer, August 2006-Present. Experience includes writing articles, web content, promotional materials, manuals and more for a variety of companies and publications.
- Staff Writer, WingSwept Communications, July 2008-October 2008 (contract position): Duties involve writing content for the web site of a company focusing on IT solutions, web design work and government services. Also wrote brochures with Microsoft Publisher
- Head of Media Relations, IR Complete, October 2007-January 2008. Wrote and edited press releases, investor sheets, PowerPoint presentations, online content for business sites and blogs, and brochure and newsletter copy for various companies represented by an investor relations firm. (company is no longer operating, though references are available)
- Freelance Writer, The Independent Weekly, October 2006-present. I write at least one news or entertainment story per week, usually running from 300 to 800 words. Pieces include movie reviews, events at local universities, real estate issues, interviews and profiles, and in-depth coverage of film festivals.
- Contributing Writer, Newsarama.com, September 2006-present. Duties include interviews and news pieces about comic books, novels, movies and television. Newsarama is a comic book-themed web site that receives over 2 million unique visitors per month, and was recently picked as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Top 100 Sites on the Web.” Interviews typically run from 1,500 words to 4,000 words.
- Scorer for Measurement Incorporated, March 2007-April 2007. Scored up to 200 standardized-test essays per day based on a four-point scale. Short-term project.
- Freelance Writer, Triangle Business Journal, 2004-present. Duties include writing pieces on business practices and profiles of local business figures. Most pieces run from 700 to 1,200 words, and are designed to make complicated business practices, such as fixed-rate mortgages or the Human Genome Project, accessible to mainstream audiences.
- Staff Writer, Lynchburg News & Advance, February 2005-August 2006. Covered Amherst, Appomattox and Campbell counties; wrote news and feature pieces on local government, crime, courts, schools and human interest using ACT software. Also wrote historical pieces, animal pieces, profiles, business features and entertainment features/reviews. Left to move back to Raleigh.
OTHER SKILLS
- Trained in copy editing with AP Style Manual
- Experienced doing research and critical/analytical writing
- Basic knowledge of HTML/Dreamweaver
- Trained in Microsoft Office 2007, including Word, Outlook, Excel and Access
- Experienced doing interviews/press releases on daily deadlines
- Certified in Adobe InDesign and doing streaming video with Adobe Premiere Elements
- Certified in writing grant proposals
