Cynthia Toney

August ****- Present

Contributing Writer and Editor

www.TheBoldPursuit.com

Research and write investigative journalism articles and political commentary for political blog site.

July 2009- Present

Freelance copyeditor and marketing writer

Edit articles and books; write advertising and marketing collateral.

July 2005- July 2009

Design Consultant

The Sofa Gallery (Norwalk franchise/Luxe Home Interiors)

Gulfport MS

Developed room designs and custom-order home furnishings for retail clients. Developed displays and store décor. In 2006 placed twelfth among seventy-six design consultants company-wide to receive Norwalk Challenge Top 25 Sales Performance Award.

Co-authored two articles on decorating for Gulf Coast Woman magazine. Also wrote script for segment of cable television show.

2001- 2003

Advertising & Marketing Director

Syndistar Inc. Educational Publishers

New Orleans LA

Marketed supplemental educational materials (booklets CD s videos pamphlets workbooks) to health departments hospitals fire departments school districts and law enforcement agencies.

Developed concepts wrote all copy provided creative direction and oversaw production and mailing for numerous direct-response mail pieces monthly as well as twelve to fifteen catalog editions annually. Mined customer database to select target markets; composed all mailing lists from appropriate samples.

Wrote copy for e-commerce website e-marketing newsletter and print media advertising.

1997 -2001

Partner

CYBER3 Graphics LLC

Proprietor

Salvage Chic™ Newsletter

Baton Rouge LA

Sold developed and produced marketing materials for print and web. Designed and wrote copy. Managed accounting customer service job trafficking and vendor relations. Clients included financial retail wholesale and service organizations.

Created wrote and designed home-decorating newsletter. Sold and designed all advertising for newsletter.

1998-1999

Advertising Art Coach/Manager

BellSouth Advertising and Publishing

Charlotte NC

Developed BellSouth's new advertising art department for the Charlotte office which handled more than $60 000 000 in annual advertising revenue. Established workflow procedures while adhering to BellSouth specifications and standards. Fostered communication between artists clerical staff and sales force of over eighty representatives in order to aid them in adjusting to a new process and working environment while continuing to focus on customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities included supervising a team of two clerks and ten artists who produced yellow pages and white pages advertising for Charlotte and eighteen other telephone directories in the southeastern United States. Monitored team members accuracy and recorded their production while encouraging and developing their creativity assessing their progress and providing training.

Created new business for BellSouth by providing the sales force with speculative advertising art to sell to prospects.

Handled difficult customers for the art team and/or sales representatives.

1981-1998

Artist/Designer

Capital City Press (The State-Times/Morning Advocate The Advocate)

Baton Rouge LA

Created single ads and ad campaigns for contract advertisers as well as self-promotional ad campaigns special section covers and posters for marketing/promotions department. Responsibilities included conceptualization design/layout editing and production.

Received numerous design awards from the Louisiana Press Women and one from the National Federation of Press Women.

Also served as: public relations speaker representing employer at advertising seminars for community and professional organizations and developing all materials for presentations; trainer/instructor for Creative Services Department of approximately fifty employees writing training materials and teaching classes to advance their skills in various computer graphics programs; pre-press troubleshooter for Creative Services Department solving design color separation and printing problems.

EDUCATION

B.A. Art Education

Magna Cum Laude

Southeastern Louisiana University

Hammond LA

Phi Kappa Phi Alumna

COMPUTER SKILLS

Numerous applications for Mac and PC

HOBBIES

Reading Politics Writing Novels Gardening Decorating Dogs

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