Marketing Insurance

Michael D. Shaffer _____________________________________________________

**** *. ******** **.; Apt. 3800 / Boca Raton, FL 33496 / 561-***-**** / ***********@*****.***

Copy Writing Desktop Publishing

Editing/Proofreading Public Relations

Marketing Writing Direct Mail

CAREER SUMMARY

An eager and expressive copy writer with experience in business, creative, technical and

marketing communications for companies in the entertainment, financial and healthcare

industries.

Possess strong writing, editing and proofreading and research skills, which can be effectively

utilized to a variety of audiences with various mediums, including print and the Internet.

Experience in graphic layout (creating newsletters and advertisements), utilizing appropriate

publishing programs; HTML and Internet editing and maintenance.

Adept at Microsoft Word, Quark XPress, Adobe InDesign, PageMaker 6.5 and Excel. Experienced

with PowerPoint, ACT and spreadsheets.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Press Releases Medical/Healthcare Writing Brochures

Internet Content/ E-Marketing Advertisements Product Writing

News Writing Direct Mail Search Engine Optimization

January 2001-November 2003; February 2005 -Present

WRITER/EDITOR/PROOFREADER/TUTOR (FREELANCE)

Development, management of creative concepts from inception to completion, incorporating writing,

editing, proofreading, and in-depth research. Clients included various assignments for creative

staffing agencies, including I Creatives, Aquent Partners and The Creative Group. Interviews

regularly conducted for gathering information and quotes. Writer, editor and researcher of Florida

trivia book. Additionally, employed as a tutor at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Projects included articles, brochures and direct mail packages for the healthcare, news writing and

travel industries.

Assignments completed for a variety of formats, including TV, radio, print (ads and press releases),

special events and Internet.

November 2003 –February 2005

Vitacost.com; Boynton Beach, FL

COPY WRITER/EDITOR

Development of creative healthcare concepts from inception to completion, for both web-based and

printed materials. Responsibilities include:

• Writing, editing and proofreading of the content of various web sites, including:

www.Vitacost.com (the flagship site), www.OcuPower.com (vision-related), and

www.Walkerdiet.com (a low carb lifestyle plan).

• Writing, editing and proofreading of the content of various printed materials, including: the

Vitacost.com Catalog, Vitality, a health-related "magalog," product labels, ads, press releases,

and assorted marketing materials.

• In-depth interviews with physicians, healthcare professionals and patients to gather information

and quotes. Research, through the Internet and print-based, is an essential task.

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Michael D. Shaffer _____________________________________________________

6503 N. Military Tr.; Apt. 3800 / Boca Raton, FL 33496 / 561-***-**** / ***********@*****.***

August 2001-April 2002

First Marketing; Pompano Beach, FL

HEALTHCARE COPYWRITER/EDITOR

• Development of creative healthcare concepts from inception to completion for diverse client

base including nationwide hospitals, insurance agencies and physicians’ associations. Subjects

including disease prevention (diabetes, cancer, bio-terrorism), healthcare tips (exercise do’s and

don’ts, dealing with the flu), safety issues (preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, office

ergonomics) and facility and audience-specific items (doctors’ profiles, hospital news and

happenings, insurance information).

• Responsibilities including writing, editing and proofreading of a variety of newsletters, public

interest stories, magazines and marketing materials, as well as constant Internet research.

• Conducted in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals on a

regular basis to gather information and receive publishable quotes.

• Tasks completed with Microsoft Word, Quark and Excel.

February 2000- March 2001

Hollywood Media Corporation (Hollywood.com)

COPY WRITER/EDITOR

• Development of all creative concepts, from inception to completion, for Musicsite.com, a music-

related website under the auspices of Hollywood Media Corporation.

• Responsibilities included writing and editing of a variety of Internet news articles, reviews and

interviews, while meeting daily deadlines. Subjects included casting news, weekly CD reviews

and artist profiles.

• Performed writing duties for additional websites encompassing movies, television and

celebrities (Hollywood.com), the stage (Broadway.com) and shopping/marketing

(Hollywood.Shopping.com).

• Daily updating and editing of Musicsite.com, utilizing HTML writing and a staging page.

• Tasks completed through the utilization of the Windows system with Microsoft Word and Excel.

PUBLISHED WORKS

Shaffer, Michael D. “Strip Minds; The Popularity and Influence of the American Newspaper Comic

Strip.” Journalism & Mass Communication Abstracts. 1998.

Shaffer, Michael, and Andrew Fleming; Bathroom Book of Florida Trivia; Weird, Wacky and Wild,

Canada, Blue Bike Books; 2007.

EDUCATION

University of Florida; Gainesville, Florida

MASTER OF ARTS IN MASS COMMUNICATIONS: May 1998

Florida State University; Tallahassee, Florida

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH: August 1996

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