Writer/Editor/Photographer
Resume:
Jeffrey Allen Johncox
405-***-****; ***** Ridge Manor Way, Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Email: ****.*******@*****.*** - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-johncox-68510b15
Photography, design and writing samples available by request
Introduction
Jeff Johncox is an English writing graduate from the University of Oklahoma and an accomplished and award-winning writer, photographer, graphic designer and journalist.
Most recently, Mr. Johncox spent 2017-18 teaching children as a staff member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim. With the Club, Mr. Johncox co-coordinated the Kid Reporters program while also co-designing a lesson plan for the program shared with the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Before moving back to southern California, Mr. Johncox spent nearly 20 years in media and journalism in the state of Oklahoma, during which time he was asked often to make complicated and technical subject matter easily understandable by a large readership.
From August 2013-May 2017, Mr. Johncox was the managing editor of The Comanche County Chronicle (which would become The Chronicle in 2016) in southwest Oklahoma. After the murder of Chronicle publishers John and Tinker Hruby in late 2014, Mr. Johncox helped the Hruby Trust find a new ownership group and stayed on for said group, Hilliary Communications, as managing editor. During his time at The Chronicle, Mr. Johncox wrote over 30,000 words and designed eight pages per week while also taking all photographs and performing all other news-related duties for the newspaper.
During this time, Mr. Johncox created, managed and provided daily content for The Chronicle’s Facebook page, earning over 11,000 followers in a coverage area of less than 7,000 people. Subscriptions for The Chronicle under Mr. Johncox’s leadership also grew from less than 350 to over 2,200 in three years.
While at The Norman Transcript from 2004-2011, Mr. Johncox wrote a nationally-syndicated Comics Corner column, wrote, directed and starred in weekly online movie review shows titled TNT Movie Geeks and On Preps and covered college, prep and professional sports as a beat writer. Mr. Johncox also designed 10-12 pages of The Transcript per week, often designing and working desk four to five nights per week.
Mr. Johncox has extensive experience working with most creative software - including all Microsoft Office, Quark and Adobe Suite products (including InDesign, Photoshop and Premiere). In addition to prose and literature, Mr. Johncox studied technical writing and grant writing in college, along with screenwriting and adaption.
Skills
Writing
Photojournalism
Page design (Quark/InDesign)
Copy editing and design editing
Microsoft Office experience
Adobe Suite experience
Types 125 words per minute
Years of experience cooking, serving and bartending
Public Relations
Deadline-driven
Exceptional adherence to journalistic ethics
Award-winning photographer and writer
Non-linear editing
Expert interviewer
Technological newsgathering experience
Voiceover experience
Strong interpersonal skills
MPEG file creation
Broad knowledge of local, national and world topics
Natural leader
Self-motivated
Clean driving record
No criminal record
Accomplishments
2001 Summer scholarship for University of Oklahoma International Studies Program, studying European history in Graz, Austria with weekend studies in Croatia and Slovenia
2003 Oklahoma Press Association (OPA) – First place investigative journalism for piece on University of Oklahoma’s academic advisory program
2003 Emceed the Miss Greek OU Pageant in front of a crowd of several thousand
2005 OPA – Third place sports reporting
2007 OPA – Second place sports reporting
2009 OPA – First place entertainment reporting
2013 OPA – First place photography; Third place sports reporting; Second place layout and design
2014 OPA – Second place photography; Second place layout and design
2016 Nominated and elected Elgin (Oklahoma) Chamber of Commerce Secretary
Employment Experience
Youth Development Professional
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim – Anaheim, Calif.
Contact: John Machiaverna, executive director – 714-***-****
Employed: January 2018-Present
Summary: After spending almost nine months as a volunteer coordinator, was brought onto the staff in a paid position to continue growing the Kid Reporters program while also helping with press releases, grant writing and child development. Co-coordinated Kid Reporters while also co-authoring a lesson plan and prep list shared with the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Created, promoted and run a fundraiser with Lazy Dog Restaurant for Kid Reporters and Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim.
FOH Hospitality
Lazy Dog Restaurant – Orange, Calif.
Contact: Mike Ogilve, store manager – 714-***-****
Employed: July 2017-March 2018
Summary: Performed food running, food prep, hosting, seating and clean-up duties while working with a large team of coworkers in a very busy restaurant environment.
Managing Editor
The Comanche County Chronicle (The Chronicle) – Medicine Park/Elgin, Okla.
Contact: Dustin Hilliary, CEO at Hilliary Communications, LLC (Publisher of The Chronicle) – 580-***-****
Employed: August 2013-March 2017
Summary: Published news, previews, reviews and videos across a wide spectrum of topics. Created a Facebook page with over 11,000 followers in a readership area with under 7,000 residents, at one time serving over 6,000 Facebook followers and less than 1,000 print subscribers. Raised paid subscriptions from 320 to over 2,200 in three years.
Published photo galleries, videos and small teaser stories from the scene of breaking news and sports, including immediate updates from the side of the road at accident scenes that impacted area residents and their commutes.
Served as Elgin Chamber of Commerce secretary while serving as editor of the Chronicle while also attending all Chamber, school board and city council meetings.
Took over the paper for nine months as publisher when friends and publishers John and Tinker Hruby, along with their daughter, Katherine, were murdered in Oct. 2014 by their son, Alan.
Traveled tens of thousands of miles in personal vehicles covering a variety of topics.
Networked with various industry leaders and experts to gather multiple perspectives on issues. Captured visual content and edited general assignment stories for multiple platforms.
Helped advance the sale of The Chronicle to Hilliary Communications in June 2015 and was asked to stay on as managing editor. Managed a staff of three people until leaving to move to California in April 2017.
Temporary Social Assistance Representative
Catholic Charities – Oklahoma City, Okla.
Contact: 405-***-****
Employed: May 2013-August 2013
Summary: Worked with tornado victims in Moore, El Reno, Carney and Shawnee, Okla.
Distributed gift cards to help victims while hearing their confidential stories and trying to help them rebuild their lives.
Asked to discern between those trying to take advantage of the situation and those in desperate need of help. Reported scammers to local authorities when needed. Worked for one month at the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) at ground zero of the May 2013 EF-5 Moore tornado, located at Westmoore High School. Through the month of July, created spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel for each tornado and flood victim for a Catholic Charities support database.
Server
On the Border Restaurant – Norman, Okla.
Contact: 405-***-****
Employed: May 2012-August 2013
Summary: Second-most senior server on staff, helping managers manage and inspire the younger servers. Opened the restaurant four days per week and closed the restaurant four days per week, often working double shifts.
Sports and Entertainment Writer/Online Personality
The Norman Transcript – Norman, Okla.
Contact: Clay Horning – 405-***-****
Employed: August 2004-Oct. 2011
Summary: Wrote factually correct, concise and engaging news stories with tight deadlines. Produced two to three written stories and designed four to six pages per day.
Gathered and verified factual information through interviews, observation and research.
Interviewed a variety of celebrities, politicians and athletes, including Barry Switzer, Dillon Overton, Roger Clemens, Ben Stein, Ed Harris, Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates, Gerard Way, Leon Russell, Adrian Peterson, Blake Griffin, Dez Bryant, Roy Williams, Ben Templesmith, Garth Ennis, Toby Keith, Jim Inhofe and more.
Wrote, produced, starred in and directed the online movie review show TNT Movie Geeks from 2008-2011. Wrote, produced, starred in and directed the online prep sports show On Preps from 2008-2009.
Traveled tens of thousands of miles covering college, prep and professional sports, including as a beat writer covering Oklahoma softball in Seattle, Amherst, Mass., Tucson, Ariz., Ann Arbor, Mich., and more.
Traveled tens of thousands of miles in personal vehicles covering a variety of topics.
Networked with various industry leaders and experts to gather multiple perspectives on issues. Captured visual content and edited general assignment stories for multiple platforms.
Covered breaking news and sports. Wrote hundreds of stories on news, sports and entertainment over seven-plus years at the Transcript.
Writer/Editor/Photographer
The Oklahoma Daily (University of Oklahoma Student Newspaper) – Norman, Okla.
Contact: Jack Willis – 405-***-****
Employed: 1996-98; 2000-2003
Summary: Gathered and verified factual information through interviews, observation and research.
Wrote factually correct, concise and engaging news stories within tight deadlines.
Introduced fresh and new angles on previously-reported material to update and inform readers.
Interviewed celebrities, athletes and visiting politicians and speakers.
Elected sports editor by newsroom vote in May 2002.
Became only the second non-journalism major to hold a section editor position at the Daily, and the first in almost 30 years (previous was also an English major).
Reviewed films, music and art.
Covered University of Oklahoma sports and managed a staff of six writers while designing three to six pages per day from 2002-2003.
Sports Illustrated: On Campus representative from 2002-2003 with bylines in Sports Illustrated: On Campus and the parent magazine.
Asked by Sports Illustrated: On Campus to work the 2004 Athens Olympics. Turned the position down to begin work at the Norman Transcript, but submitted my assistant editor to take my spot in Greece.
(Earlier Work Experience Available Upon Request)
Education and Training
The University of Oklahoma – Norman, Oklahoma
Bachelor of Arts, English Writing, History Minor
Walked for graduation in 2004 and immediately began working at the Norman Transcript with one online class remaining. Finished online course in 2012 earning English Writing degree.
Studied summer 2001 in Graz, Austria, at University of Graz (UniGraz).
Jones High School – Jones, Okla. (degree)
Foothill High School – Tustin, Calif. (through 11th grade)
Graduated with a 3.98 grade point average and earned a physics and general studies scholarship to the University of Oklahoma and a baseball scholarship to Central College in McPherson, Kan.
Participated in band, football, baseball, chorus, student council, weight lifting, Physics Club and Model Rocket Club.
Earned the highest Oklahoma state French horn score in 1993 and 1994.
Personal and Professional References and Recommendations
Melissa Dawson – Vice President of All-America Bank, Elgin, Okla.
Treasurer of Elgin Chamber of Commerce
Contact: 580-***-****
“I had the privilege of working with Jeffrey for several years when he ran the Comanche County Chronicle (The Chronicle). He ran all aspects of our community newspaper, including writing, advertising and editing, and was an extremely active member of our community. I most recently served on the Elgin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors with him. He puts 100 percent into everything he does and will be an asset to whatever organization he works with.
Dustin Hilliary – CEO at Hilliary Communications, LLC (Publisher of The Chronicle)
Contact: 580-***-****
“As an editor and manager at The Chronicle, Jeffrey was able to utilize his skills in managing people and deadlines to turn out a well-respected and quality newspaper, weekly. He directed the staff of the entire department. In addition, he would volunteer to numerous civic and social organizations in the area, including the Elgin Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development. I would highly recommend Jeffrey to any position he is seeking. He is driven and well-versed on numerous issues, in addition to being a fast learner and great team member.
Edward Hilliary – Managing Member at Hilliary Media/The Chronicle
Contact: 580-***-****
“Jeff was a hard worker and will always be the first to volunteer to help on any project.”
Adam Scott – Former entertainment editor at The Norman Transcript
Contact: 405-***-****
“Jeff and I have been friends since 1994, and we had the opportunity to work together at the Norman Transcript from 2004-2010. Jeff is one of the hardest-working, loyal and dedicated professionals I’ve worked with. He and I started TNT Movie Geeks film review show together in 2008, an idea of Jeff’s since 2006, before smart phones allowed many people to stream video content. At the birth of streaming, especially in central Oklahoma, Jeff wrote, produced, directed and starred in the video segments that would garner thousands of views – again, during a time before streaming was widely available. I would recommend him for any job opportunity. He is a dedicated worker with ingenuity and experience.”
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