Staff Writer Social Media

Phillip D. Collins

P.O. Box ****, Lusk, Wyoming *2225 307-***-**** ***************@*****.***

CAREER OBJECTIVE

Professional journalist with extensive experience working for the Vandalia Drummer, a weekly news publication that covers an Ohioan city with a population exceeding 15,000. Recipient of several journalistic accolades and honors.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Article composition and editing.

Interviewing and maintaining media liaisons with various luminaries and officials.

Layout and design.

Maintaining and updating various social media sites.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Lusk Herald, Lusk, Wyoming

Freelance Journalist, 2023 - Present

Reports on various community events and local personalities.

Conducts interviews and collects pertinent information for the composition of articles.

Proofreads articles and columns.

Wyoming Department of Corrections, Lusk, Wyoming

Field Public Information Officer, 2012 – 2016

Prepared press releases, speeches, articles, social media posts, and other materials for public consumption.

Developed strategies and procedures for working effectively with the media.

Maintained good working relationships with media organizations.

Collaborated with executive management and the marketing team to ensure a cohesive public image.

Composed articles for the Rap Sheet, WDOC’s official internal newsletter.

Spoke directly to the public or media to address questions and represent the organization.

Vandalia Drummer (Times Community News), Vandalia, Ohio

Staff Writer, Nov. 2007 – Nov. 2011

Covered and reported on City Council meetings, Township meetings, School Board meetings, sports, and other local events.

Conducted interviews and collected pertinent information. Subsequently, I wrote comprehensive articles.

Paraphrased and wrote up news briefs, such as traffic reports, event announcements, police reports, and press releases.

Proofread and edited all newspaper pages before final publication.

Laid out and designed newspaper pages using desktop publishing software.

Built and maintained a strong network of contacts in the community, businesses, and local and national media organizations.

Developed story ideas and followed up on promising leads.

Screened and selected submissions that were consistent with publication content.

Posted stories to official publication website and maintained publication’s official Facebook page.

Wrote and updated publication’s official Twitter page.

Photographed various locations and subjects to accompany articles.

EDUCATION

Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio Sept. 2001 – Aug. 2006

Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Studies and Liberal Studies with a Minor in Philosophy

Clark State Community College, Springfield, Ohio Apr. 1995 – June 1998

Associate’s Degree in Arts and Sciences

HONORS & AWARDS

Received a 2011 Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Award, First Place in the category of Best Photo.

Received a 2012 Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Award, First Place in the category of In-Depth Reporting.

Honored with the proclamation of "Phillip Collins Day" by the City of Vandalia, Ohio on Nov. 7, 2011 for four years of faithful community service in the capacity of Vandalia Drummer Staff Writer.

Member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.

Member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

PUBLICATIONS

Vandalia Drummer

Xenia Gazette

Fairborn Daily Herald

Springboro Sun

Kettering-Oakwood Times

New Carlisle News-Sun

Lusk Herald

Rap Sheet

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel spreadsheet, Adobe Premiere video editing software, and Quark Press publishing software.

Over a decade of experience in customer service.

REFERENCES

Available Upon Request

Contact this candidate