Versatile Writer and Emerging Screenwriter with PR Experience
Resume:
Samantha R. Tolson
Richlands, VA 24641
(Willing To Relocate For
Work)
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Writing/Editing Portfolio Link:
https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/samantha-tolson-a71b3152 Summary:
I'm a goal-oriented and versatile writer who will add an original and fresh voice to your company. My over twenty (20+) years’ experience as a professional writer spans multiple fields - including comedy stage, screenwriting, and PR. I've written over ten (10) comedy sketches and a feature-length script, over twenty (20+) PR pitch letters, client/sponsorship proposals, monthly newsletters, short bios, conference minutes, a mise-en-scène, and a film treatment.
My goal is to become a screenwriter. My feature-length script, Feathers, was a finalist during the 2015-2016 Screenplay Festival competition. Skills:
● Writing/Copywriting,
● Proofreading/Editing,
● Editing Footage (Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid),
● Research,
● Graphic Design (After Effects, Adobe Flash CS5 and CS6, and PhotoShop),
● Creative Development,
● And French (intermediate; +10 years).
Education:
Professional Experience:
Supernatural & Magic Publishing and Productions (Self-Employed) Writer/Producer
January 2003 to Present
Responsibilities:
● Writing treatments, premises, and loglines;
● Illustrating cover art for novels and DVD cover art;
● Writing short stories for children;
● Designing/Maintaining a business website;
Social Media Handles:
X (a.k.a. Twitter) - @scholasticgirl4
Meta/Facebook - @scholasticgirl4
YouTube - @scholasticgirl4
TikTok - @scholasticgirl4
● All Saints’ Academy (Winter Haven, FL; Graduated in 2009) – High School Diploma;
● St. John's University (Jamaica, Queens, New York City, NY; Graduated in 2013) – Bachelor of Science in Television and Film;
● And Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA; 2010 – 2011) – I took online courses in screenwriting and film production for one (1) semester.
● Designing logos;
● Designing and constructing props;
● Planning project budgets;
● And completing research for historical pieces.
Major Achievement: I created a ten-year long project called Olympith which is a fully-realized magical world that is the basis for my fantasy books series of the same name. TikTok Creator
December 2024 to Present
Responsibilities:
• Writing and producing weekly episodes for a self-created comedy/variety show titled, "The Florida Show".
Centene Corporation
Marketing Copywriter/Editor (Temporary Employment) July 2022 to September 2022 (2 Months)
Responsibilities:
• Proofread Medicare documents (English and Spanish) in order to check the accuracy of: cost/share benefits, plan names, hours of operation, state agency names, website links, etc.;
• And logged any clerical errors, so the underwriting team can go back and re-insert the correct information.
Grassroots Education Marketing
Social Media Advocate
May 2022 to August 2022 (3 Months)
Responsibilities:
• Promoted Grassroots Education Marketing ten (10) times a day (Monday through Friday) on Facebook and Twitter;
• Researched and contacted local employers in Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County who, at the time, did not have the ability to offer their employees benefits;
• And referred interested employers to in-house benefits advisors who offered the G.E.M. no-cost benefits bundle (which does not cost the employer anything but allows their employees to have vision, hearing, dental, and more benefits). SimpleTense Education
Freelance Academic Writer/Editor
March 2022 to April 2022 (1 Month)
Responsibilities:
• Wrote custom academic essays for Chinese students studying abroad (including college essays and graduate-level term papers). 2
The Florida Show
Major Achievement: The opportunity to help high school and college students succeed in their academic careers.
Reason For Leaving: I became too involved in other freelance opportunities. Showtime Wood Records (Independent Music Production and Distribution Company) Freelance Publicist
November 2016 to October 2020 (3 Years, 11 Months) Responsibilities:
• Wrote and edited PR collateral: pitch letters, web copy, sponsorship proposals, press kits, social media campaigns, digital flyers, and game rules for social media contests;
• Secured interviews and other business opportunities for my former client (the owner and CEO of Showtime Wood Records and a rising rap star in Atlanta, GA) to promote his latest music projects and expand his brand;
• And held weekly (at least monthly) meetings to strategize a game plan to successfully execute my former client’s promotional goals.
Major Achievement: While my former client has gone on to achieve sponsorships and secure a contract deal on his own, I was able (for a brief time, at least) to be a small part of his growing brand.
Reason for Leaving: I decided to pursue other freelance and scriptwriting opportunities. Front Door Films, LLC (Start-Up Film Production Company) Assistant Television and Film Writer
December 2015 – January 2018 (3 Years, 1 Month)
Responsibilities:
• Served as assistant writer (including researching production styles and techniques of kids’ animated TV shows for preschool and elementary school ages) on scripts for a kids’ animated show currently still in development;
• And proposed new storyline and production ideas on other television and film ideas the company still has in development.
Major Achievement: While all the projects are still currently in development, this was an amazing opportunity to sink my teeth into the script-writing process (brainstorming, character development, plot outlines, and writing the first, second, and third drafts, etc.). I learned that
(beyond the screenwriting) I completely love the production of a television and film series. Reason for Leaving: I am just waiting for the company to finalize contracts with HBO and gain investors before resuming work on the projects. TMI Hollywood (L.A.-Based Comedy Show)
Contributing Writer
January 2015 to February 2021 (6 Years, 1 Month)
Responsibilities:
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● Wrote weekly comedy sketches.
Major Achievement: While I didn't get any scripts into the show, I learned the process of creating a whole comedy stage show every week – which includes a SNL-style setup of tight comedy sketches and a weekly featured musical act. Reason for Leaving: I decided to pursue other freelance and scriptwriting opportunities. SimpleTense Education
Freelance Academic Writer/Editor
March 2016 to September 2016 (6 Months)
Responsibilities:
● Wrote custom essays for Chinese students studying abroad (including college essays and graduate-level term papers).
Major Achievement: I wrote fully-researched, quality essays for students which provided original thoughts on the subject and were more than once commended by my editor. Reason: SimpleTense has a strict policy about employees not submitting more than two (2) late assignments. I submitted two (2) late assignments in a row, so my contract was terminated. However, I have since improved markedly in my time management skills, and I was re-hired by SimpleTense in March 2022.
Charity Mavens (Non-Profit Organization)
Writer/Journalist
October 2014 to January 2015 (3 Months)
Responsibilities:
● Drafted e-mails;
● And proofread charter documents.
Major Achievement: I helped my employer, Ann Taylor, form the groundwork for an after- school program in Jacksonville where kids would get a meal after-school and receive help with homework while their parents were still at work. Reason for Leaving: My employer, Ann Taylor, ran into hard into financial hardship and was no longer able to pay her employees. So, she let me go, and I found other employment. Jay Productions Agency, LLC (Internship)
Senior Publicist
March 2014 to October 2014 (8 Months)
Responsibilities:
● Four (4) clients whom I met every month, promoted daily on social media, and pitched to outlets (magazine, blog, radio, and television) for interviews;
● Wrote proposals to bring in new clients;
● Took extensive minutes at meetings;
● Wrote pitch letters, monthly newsletters, press kits, and clients’ bios (for electronic press kits); 4
● Reviewed/Proofread other colleagues’ pitch letters and newsletters before they were sent out to media contacts;
● And researched information for media campaigns and client charities. Major Achievement: I was promoted from graphic designer, to junior publicist, to senior publicist within eight (8) months.
Reason for Leaving: Following the end of this six-month (6-month) internship, I was offered a permanent position. However, the proposed salary was not enough to live on, so I decided to resign and look elsewhere for employment.
Adventures in Volunteering/Traveling (Self-Published Short Story) Proofreader/Editor
January 2014 to January 2015 (1 Year)
Responsibilities:
● Checked each draft for grammatical errors;
● And inserted writing revision suggestions.
Major Achievement: This was a self-published short story printed by the company, Southern Printing & Marketing. It is a personal memoir written by Ruth Merchant, a former volunteer who traveled around the world teaching English, counting turtle eggs, caring for Romanian orphans, and more. Through my editing, she was able to develop a quality manuscript which best conveyed her amazing experiences as a volunteer to her readers. St. John's University – Televised Athletics Department (Internship) Television Production Intern
August 2012 to December 2012 (4 Months)
Responsibilities:
● Put together sports highlights on Adobe Premiere Pro to feature specific St. John's basketball players and their pinnacle performances during home games;
● And set up cameras and lights for media events between the press and St. John's basketball coach.
Major Achievement: I learned how to do sports webcasting (technical direction, video editing, stats reporting, etc.) from the best line producers at a well-known basketball university. My intern class was the first to have their work featured on ESPN.
Reason for Leaving: The was a 100-hour practicum course/internship designed to offer real world experience producing (including camera work, audio, technical direction, and editing) web footage of St. John’s basketball season (home and away games) for ESPN. The practicum course/internship ended when the semester ended.
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First Congregational Church of Lake Worth
Proofreader/Editor
July 2012 (1 Month Project)
Responsibilities:
● Edited and compiled recipes for a church cookbook;
● And checked recipes for any grammatical errors and overall instruction clarity. Major Achievement: I helped raise money for First Congregational Church by editing and compiling recipes from church members into books which were sold at the church. Reason for Leaving: This was a short-term editing project that was only meant to last one (1) month.
B.O.S.S. Services
Telemarketer
January 2011 to August 2011 (8 Months)
Responsibilities:
● Invited businesses in south-western Missouri to apply for Better Business Bureau membership;
● And interviewed business owners to make sure their respective businesses qualified for BBB membership.
Major Achievement: I signed twenty (20) businesses within eight months. Reason for Leaving: I resigned in order to return to St. John's University and complete my Bachelors degree.
All Saints' Academy Yearbook Committee Student Yearbook Copywriter and Layout Designer
August 2007 to May 2008 (1 Semester)
Responsibilities:
● Wrote all captions for yearbook pages;
● And shot layouts for multiple pages of All Saints' Academy 2007-2008 yearbook. Major Achievement: I learned how to create quality layouts from a professional journalist. It was here I also discovered that while I was not the best photographer, I was great at writing captions for the photos.
Reason for Leaving: This was a yearbook committee project that was incorporated into a weekly class, complete with instruction by a professional journalist on how to create professional photo layouts and write captions. It ended when the semester ended.
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Volunteer Experience:
Global Volunteers
Browning, Montana, United States
July 2011 (2 Weeks)
Duties:
• Delivered meals to the homes of poorer residents on the Blackfeet Reservation;
• And prepared meals in the local nursing home cafeteria. Major Achievement: I learned about Blackfeet culture and was introduced to, first-hand, the severe poverty which exists on the Blackfeet Reservation. Reason for Leaving: This was a strictly two-week (2-week) volunteer program. International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ)
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa
February 6, 2023 – February 17, 2023 (1 Week, 4 Days) Duties:
• Collected litter within the wider Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve (also known as the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve);
• Weeded in the communal Nakavango Conservation Center garden;
• Built ridges (man-sculpted mounds of dirt in which farmers sew their seeds and irrigate them) in the community garden at the local Masuwe Primary School (in the Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe);
• Slashed datura and lantana (invasive plant species) within Victoria Private Game Reserve (also known as the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve);
• Tracked animal movements within Victoria Private Game Reserve (also known as the Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve);
• Aided in patrolling the outer perimeters (the electric fence) for signs of tears or other types of damage;
• And briefly visited other countries going to and leaving from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Livingstone, Zambia; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Doha, Qatar.
Major Achievement: I realized a longtime dream to travel to Africa. Reason For Leaving: Although I had the option to extend my volunteer service for longer than two (2) weeks, I decided to only stay two (2) weeks at the program and return home in order to continue pursuing my professional goals in the United States. 7
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