Project Manager, Media Acquisitions, Photo Editing, Copy Editing

Mark A. Dierker

*** *. ***** ****** *******, IA *2001

563-***-**** *******@***********.*** www.LinkedIn.com/mark-a-s-dierker

Accomplished Media Project Manager

Accomplished Editor/Writer/Photographer/Media Project Manager with over 20 years of experience with national companies, association publications and news reporting. Effectively introduces structure, organization and inventory into environments where resources are in demand. Publication and website designer. Develops outside talent such as photographers and archivists to build a strong team with wide backgrounds. Combines a task-orientation with big picture thinking to meet deadlines and achieve results that can exceed expectations.

Areas of Expertise:

Media Acquisition

Archive/Inventory Development

Highly Organized

Media Project Management

Graphic Design

Problem Solving

Research

Publication Layout

Curious and Persistent

Selected Career Highlights

Too Few Images – Facing a lack of discipline-specific images populating McGraw Hill Education’s digital asset library, recruited and developed a team of 12 freelance photographers from around the US. Action: Established procedures and negotiated contracts to acquire over 20,000 low-cost, royalty-free and wholly owned photographs targeted to meet specific publishing needs. Result: Over $1.5M in cost saving was realized with this new “in-house” inventory.

Where Are Those Images? - McGraw Hill Digital Asset Library (DAL) contained over 200,000 media assets that were difficult to search due to a weak search engine and insufficient metadata. Action: Worked with a team of archivists and image researchers to establish a set of procedures for tagging all digital assets with XMP metadata. Result: This allowed the addition of over 15,000 new and legacy images and other media to be added to the searchable online database used to support efforts and enhance finished products of the publishing and marketing teams. Procedure became the standard for new asset additions and legacy assets were tagged as time allowed. At present the DAL contains in excess of 400,000 media assets.

Broader Range of Offerings Needed – Philmont Staff Association needed its bi-monthly magazine to serve as a recruitment tool, reward for membership and fund-raising tool. Action: Developed system to publish Print-on-Demand, annual edition of six bi-monthly magazines from previous year plus legacy editions for every year going back to 2006. Developed the capacity to publish additional special issues. Results: Over 300 past year editions were purchased as collector’s items creating a new funding stream. Several hundred members elected to receive monthly online edition in exchange for a printed year-end annual edition resulting in over $1000 of related cost savings. Annual editions were placed with membership recruitment materials to generate further interest in the organization.

We Should Do Print on Demand – The publishing committee of Philmont Staff Association needed to switch its offerings from a traditional offset press model to an on-demand print model to cut down on printing and storage costs. Action: Researched four on-demand printers to determine cost and overall efficiency. Selected one and presented a cost-benefit analysis to the committee. Included options for bringing editing, layout and photography responsibilities in-house, to further cut costs. Results: All publications are now developed in-house for a fixed cost. Publications are printed in numbers to fill demand cutting down on storage costs and logistics. Publications are easily re-ordered from a single source which also offers an online marketing component in addition to the Association’s own online store.

Professional Career Overview

Manager of Photo Acquisitions McGraw-Hill Education Dubuque, IA 2008 – 2016

Managed licensing of images and other media to expand digital offerings available to both publishing and marketing employees. Developed new image acquisition procedures in support of educational publishing business units’ program needs.

Managed Digital Asset Library (DAL) Archivist as well as up to 12 freelance photographers.

Performed litigation discovery research in support of ongoing legal actions.

Layout/Design Editor - Remote Philmont Staff Association Cimarron, NM 2012 – Present

Offsite freelance, layout and design of bi-monthly High Country Magazine, the publication of the Philmont Staff Association, Cimarron, NM. Design and publication of legacy and newly developed book titles.

Media Project Manager McGraw-Hill Companies Burr Ridge, IL 2007 – 2008

Built student and instructor websites and CD-ROMs in support of McGraw-Hill Career Education division. Managed projects including creation of print and digital instructor manuals, test banks and Power Point presentations while training and supervising vendors in the creation of components of course management software. Aided production supervisors in evaluating textbook projects for printing and archiving.

Senior Image Editor Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Peoria, IL 1998 – 2006

Researched and licensed stock and work-for-hire images in support of middle school, high school and vocational education products. Developed instructor material CDs. Managed freelance photo shoots. Supervised team of up to 12 freelance photographers and illustrators to create media as needed for ongoing textbook projects.

Managed the art program for more than 2 dozen textbooks in the subject areas of technology education and family/consumer sciences.

Monitored printing of textbooks to assure good color and registration.

Established and maintained digital image tracking database to support textbook production. Allowed easy location of previously licensed images for reuse in other projects by multiple editors.

Professional Photographer/owner Bear Dancer Studios Rushville, IL 2005 – Present

Act as event photographer for concerts and weddings. Plan and execute freelance model shoots geared toward publication. Creative photography of landscapes, night skies, severe weather and Americana aimed at gallery exhibition.

Early Career Positions

Associate Managing Editor, The DeWitt County Constitution newspaper, Clinton, IL

Advertising Sales Associate, Beardstown Newspapers Inc., Beardstown, IL

District Executive, Uwharrie/Old North State Council, Boy Scouts of America., High Point, NC

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Adams State University, Alamosa, CO

Currently pursuing Master of Arts in Communication, University of Illinois

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