Christopher byrd
Brooklyn, NY ***** 917-***-****
****************@*****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-byrd-68381733/
Communications Expert Summary
Reputation of Excellence – Trusted by major media companies such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post and The Guardian for researching and writing articles ranging from 800 – 4000 words that are both insightful and highly informative.
Content Strategy and Communications Plans – Collaborate with editors to develop audience growth strategies and create monthly content plans.
Deep industry knowledge and connections – With an encyclopedic knowledge of the media and entertainment industry, sought after for public speaking engagements--nationally and internationally. Liaise between senior level business professionals, writers, editors, and public relations personnel. Interact with executive industry leaders to facilitate talks between different businesses to explore joint ventures, sponsorships, and other forms of partnership.
Expanding Businesses reach to new audiences – Employ the use of cultural research to help businesses expand their reach. The visionary force behind the creation of a newspaper column that continues to appeal to a general audience and has gained additional revenue for the company by capturing the attention of new readers.
Corporate Communications - Proofread and edit corporate communications; review PowerPoint presentations, internal documents, and highly confidential internal communications for law firms, as well as other companies. Help brands to refine their marketing to display an increased level of emotional intelligence.
Professional Experience
April 2022 to August 2022
features editor
SuperRare Magazine, New York, NY
●Edited articles about digital art, Web3 innovations, and the art market as well as profiles, investigative pieces, marketing and educational materials
●Engaged in every stage of the editorial process from fielding pitches, to offering editorial guidance, to placing articles in the CMS
● Rewrote articles and line edited to add extra polish where needed
● Formulated media strategy
●Responsible for bringing in top-tier, internationally-recognized, writers and consultants
September 2014 to April 2022
sunday arts columnist
The washington post, New York, NY
●Write weekly articles on literature, history, music, and interactive technology for an audience of over 1.5M digital subscribers and over 800K Sunday print readers; directly responsible for over 300 articles
●Interview major figures in the entertainment industry such as Keanu Reeves, award-winning novelist and tech guru Bruce Sterling, Todd Howard, the Director of Bethesda Game Studios, and Jonathan Blow the award-winning game designer
●Schedule and assign occasional reviews to freelancers
●Consulted on the development of Launcher -- a new vertical that covers the interactive
technology sector -- which often receives over a million-page views per-month
September 2017 to february 2019
Proofreader, copywriter, and editorial consultant
Neuroleadership institute new york, New york
●Proofread and edited corporate communications, PowerPoint presentations, internal documents, and highly confidential communications for the Neurological Leadership Institute
●Edited and worked on documents that addressed the latest findings from neurological science -- information that can improve a company’s marketing and human resource strategies
●Used proprietary semiotic methods to analyze and draft reports about entertainment products for Truth Consulting,
a company that works with Fortune 500 media conglomerates to help them identify emerging trends in culture and broaden their audience
february 2001 to march 2011
Contract paralegal, web editor, and copywriter
Law firms such as Levy Phillips & Konigsberg; Davis Polk & Wardwell; Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; Debevoise and Plimpton, and others.
●Edited attorney correspondence
●Content optimization - rewriting websites’ homepages and other landing pages for increased readability and conversion
●Drafted attorney profiles
●Compiled and submitted material for “Best Lawyers”
●Formulated advertising strategies
●Organized and reviewed exhibit files; created an index for reviewed documents
●Monitored and evaluated similar law firms’ websites using SWOT method
●Formulated advertising strategies
●Contributed articles on Chapter 11, Chapter 13, Life After Bankruptcy, Stopping Foreclosure, Rights in Bankruptcy
●Conducted on-site and off-site research
●Assisted in the redesign of the content on their website
EDUCATION
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
BA, Philosophy; Minor, French
Vassar-Wesleyan Program in Paris Paris, France
Major Course of Study: Literature (all classes taught in French)