Download a copy of Chris Nelson's resume as a .pdf document here.

A writer and copy editor who quickly turns around high volumes of clean, engaging copy for websites, magazines, newspapers, advertising and marketing, and who manages publications and websites.

Professional Experience

CorMedia, LLC, P.O. Box 12009, Raleigh, NC   919-833-7113   www.theslammer.com

Managing Editor       December 2009 – August 2011
Supervised editorial production of multiple weekly editions of The Slammer, a newspaper about crime. Recruited and supervised writers and oversaw design; edited copy, and wrote headlines and cover lines; wrote news articles.

• Oversaw growth from four weekly editions to 15 (12 were being published as of August 2011).
• Implemented consistent style and journalistic standards for editorial and design as first professional journalist hired by family-owned company.

The News and Observer Publishing Company, 215 South McDowell Street, Raleigh, NC 27601   919-836-5600   www.newsobserver.com

Niche Publications Editor       January 2008 – August 2009
Edited and wrote for bimonthly Living in Style and About Downtown Raleigh magazines; copy edited, wrote for monthly skirt! Magazine, semiannual Carolina Bride magazine; wrote web content, ad supplements, sales materials.

• Participated in creation of Living in Style magazine, creating regular features and recruiting contributing writers.
• Wrote six to nine articles per issue of Living in Style (Summer 2006-June/July 2009).
• Managed and developed content for www.newsobserver.com/advertising; developed, managed advertising department intranet site as bulletin board for downloadable marketing materials, blog of media/advertising news, issues.
• Added photography to duties, retained Feature Editions Editor duties upon staff reductions.

David M. Griffith & Associates, Ltd., 1100 Logger Court, Suite D 100, Raleigh, NC 27609 (Firm bought by Maximus, no longer in Raleigh; www.maximus.com).

Consultant/Technical Writer       January 1992 – June 1997
Managed competitive-bid proposal program and job analysis studies; wrote and edited job descriptions, study reports, manuals, marketing brochures, etc.; created and managed monthly newsletter.

• Won more than 90 percent of bids, including competition against “Big Six” firms. Sixty-five proposals in 1996 won contracts worth $800,000; indirect contracts exceeded $1 million.
• Wrote more than 2,000 job descriptions for local government clients in six states.

The Fayetteville Observer, P.O. Box 849, Fayetteville, NC 28302   910-323-4848   www.fayobserver.com

Copy Editor       September 1988 – December 1989
Edited local and wire service articles for afternoon daily; designed pages, wrote headlines and photo captions, supervised page paste-up. Wrote occasional general assignment news and features.

Education Reporter       May 1984 – September 1988
Covered public schools, including city-county school systems merger; state university; community college; DOD school system at Fort Bragg and education issues. Copy edited for Sunday Observer-Times.

Staff Writer       September 1981 – May 1984
Wrote Live Wire daily consumer information/advocacy column, covered Town of Spring Lake, wrote general news and features, including for Sunday feature sections; copy edited for Sunday Observer-Times.

Selected Freelance Work

Carolina Parent Magazine, Durham, NC   919-956-2430   www.carolinaparent.com     2010 – Present
  Editor/Writer for 2011 and 2012 Parents’ Guide to North Carolina Colleges, and have written additional features for the magazine.

Consultwebs.com, Inc., Raleigh, NC   800-872-6590   www.consultwebs.com      2010 – Present
  Content Writer preparing SEO public relations news releases and website content for multiple client law firms.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, Chapel Hill, NC   919-843-7148   www.law.unc.edu      2009 – Present
  Contributing Editor copy editing Carolina Law magazine, white papers and website content.

Our State Magazine, Greensboro, NC   336-286-0600   www.ourstate.com/magazine      2007 – 2008
  Contributing Writer with features published in three issues.

Independent Publications

Carolina Music Festivals   www.carolinamusicfests.com      2010 – Present
Created, developed and manage calendar and guide to multi-act, daylong and multiple-day music shows in North Carolina, including all HTML coding, writing, design, photography. Market website through active Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Carolina Outdoors Guide   www.carolinaoutdoorsguide.com      2006 – Present
Created, developed and manage comprehensive directory of public recreation sites in North Carolina, including all HTML coding, writing, design, photography. Includes This Land, Your Land blog, which keeps up with parks and outdoors news, and thereby updates site. Market blog and website through active Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC   www.appstate.edu
English major, communication arts minor (emphasis on print journalism).