4316 N. Albany Avenue, #1   Chicago, IL  60618   (773) 931-4948

joelcreese@gmail.com

Accomplishments

• Conceptualized start-up website from inception to live site garnering more than
  1.2 million page views per month. Worked with SEO, created blog, and developed entire sections of site that taught novices how to become familiar with the stock market.
• Writing published in national publications, including The Best American Sports Writing, The Mobil Travel Guide, Spin, Details, Playboy.com, and Deadspin.com
• Earned several awards, including a National Magazine Award nomination, for writing and editing work
• Served as Editor of Time Out Chicago magazine. Managed a staff of 50 employees, oversaw 16 of magazine’s top 25 sellers, and increased web traffic by 77 percent.

Work Experience

2008 – 2010             WeSeed.com Chicago, IL

Managing Editor

• Created, edited, and leveraged content to engage with users and drive traffic, which reached 1.2 million page views per month
• Used SEO, Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media to increase website’s presence
• Created and maintained site blog, which saw 300% traffic increase over its first two months
• Regularly placed stories on the front page of Google News

2008                           TRU Insight Chicago, IL

• Analyzed data and wrote copy for Global TRU Study and U.S. TRU Study, comprehensive studies of teens and young adults purchased by 150 of world’s leading brands (e.g., Nike, Coke, Kellogg). A contract position.

1995 – 2008             Freelance Writer Chicago, IL

• Articles published in The Best American Sports Writing, The Mobil Travel Guide, Spin, Details, Texas Monthly, Chicago, Unlimited, CS, Montanan, Michigan Avenue, Go, Vital, Field-Tested Books, Playboy.com, and Deadspin.com
• “Down and Out,” story of former Dallas Cowboy Golden Richards, published in December 1995 issue of Texas Monthly and reprinted in The Best American Sports Writing of 1996

2004 – 2007             Time Out Chicago magazine  Chicago, IL

Editor/Features Editor/Senior Editor

• Managed a staff of 50 employees
• Oversaw 16 of magazine’s top 25 sellers
• Increased web traffic by 77 percent
• Received 2007 National Magazine Award nomination for Dive Bars issue, July 19–25, 2007
• Conceived and directed magazine’s successful “Chicago’s Funniest Person” contest at the Lakeshore Theater, October 28, 2007

1999 – 2000             Yack.com

Freelance Sports Columnist

• Wrote weekly baseball, basketball, and football columns for general-interest website

1997 – 2004             Daily Herald newspaper  Arlington Heights, IL

Features Writer

• Wrote feature articles, front-page news stories, and movie and concert reviews

1996 – 1997             Chicago Lawyer magazine  Chicago, IL

Features Writer

• Covered courts and wrote feature stories for award-winning legal publication

1994 – 1996             Point Reyes Light newspaper  Point Reyes Station, CA

Reporter, Photographer, Web Editor

• Wrote stories and took photographs for Pulitzer Prize–winning weekly newspaper. Developed
  and maintained paper’s award-winning website.

1993 – 1994             Missoula Independent newspaper  Missoula, MT

Assistant Features Editor, Reporter

• Wrote and edited articles, movie and concert reviews, and maintained calendar for weekly paper while a full-time graduate student

1992                           Gallery 37 Chicago, IL

Supervisor

• Taught writing to Chicago high-school students for federally funded program

1990 – 1992             Proof Positive/Farrowlyne Associates Evanston, IL

Associate Editor

• Edited a variety of educational materials, including elementary and college textbooks. Wrote content for science and language arts projects developed in-house.

Honors

• 2007 National Magazine Award nomination for Time Out Chicago’s Dive Bar issue,
  July 19–25, 2007
• 2004 Peter Lisagor Award for Public Service for Daily Herald’s Suburban Mosaic, a series on issues facing ethnic groups within Chicago’s suburbs. The series also won the National Community Leadership Award from the Inland Press Association.
• 2004 National Media Award from National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation for Daily Herald story “Beyond the Pale,” about portrayal of albinism in popular culture
• First place in 2003 Illinois AP Enterprise Reporting category as one of lead writers in Daily Herald series on 1993 Palatine Brown’s Chicken murders, “44 Minutes in January”
• “Wildfire,” lead story of major forest fire in October 5, 1995, Point Reyes Light, named Best News Story by Weekly Newspaper by Peninsula Press Club and Best Spot News Coverage by Weekly Newspaper by California Press Association
• David Rorvik Award, given to three students annually at University of Montana, 1994
• Dorothy Rochon Powers Scholarship, highest academic award given by University of Montana Journalism School’s graduate department, 1993

Education

• Master of Arts, School of Journalism — University of Montana; Missoula, Montana
• Fiction Writing program — Bennington College; Bennington, Vermont
• Bachelor of Arts, English — Lawrence University; Appleton, Wisconsin

Joel Reese

4316 N. Albany Avenue, #1 ¨ Chicago, IL 60618 ¨ (773) 931-4948

joelcreese@gmail.com

Accomplishments

• Conceptualized start-up website from inception to live site garnering more than
  1.2 million page views per month. Worked with SEO, created blog, and developed entire sections of site that taught novices how to become familiar with the stock market.
• Writing published in national publications, including The Best American Sports Writing, The Mobil Travel Guide, Spin, Details, Playboy.com, and Deadspin.com
• Earned several awards, including a National Magazine Award nomination, for writing and editing work
• Served as Editor of Time Out Chicago magazine. Managed a staff of 50 employees, oversaw 16 of magazine’s top 25 sellers, and increased web traffic by 77 percent.

Work Experience

2008 – 2010 WeSeed.com Chicago, IL

Managing Editor

· Created, edited, and leveraged content to engage with users and drive traffic, which reached 1.2 million page views per month

· Used SEO, Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media to increase website’s presence

· Created and maintained site blog, which saw 300% traffic increase over its first two months

· Regularly placed stories on the front page of Google News

2008 TRU Insight Chicago, IL

· Analyzed data and wrote copy for Global TRU Study and U.S. TRU Study, comprehensive studies of teens and young adults purchased by 150 of world’s leading brands (e.g., Nike, Coke, Kellogg). A contract position.

1995 – 2008 Freelance Writer Chicago, IL

· Articles published in The Best American Sports Writing, The Mobil Travel Guide, Spin, Details, Texas Monthly, Chicago, Unlimited, CS, Montanan, Michigan Avenue, Go, Vital, Field-Tested Books, Playboy.com, and Deadspin.com

· “Down and Out,” story of former Dallas Cowboy Golden Richards, published in December 1995 issue of Texas Monthly and reprinted in The Best American Sports Writing of 1996

2004 – 2007 Time Out Chicago magazine Chicago, IL

Editor/Features Editor/Senior Editor

· Managed a staff of 50 employees

· Oversaw 16 of magazine’s top 25 sellers

· Increased web traffic by 77 percent

· Received 2007 National Magazine Award nomination for Dive Bars issue, July 19–25, 2007

· Conceived and directed magazine’s successful “Chicago’s Funniest Person” contest at the Lakeshore Theater, October 28, 2007

1999 – 2000 Yack.com

Freelance Sports Columnist

· Wrote weekly baseball, basketball, and football columns for general-interest website

1997 – 2004 Daily Herald newspaper Arlington Heights, IL

Features Writer

· Wrote feature articles, front-page news stories, and movie and concert reviews

1996 – 1997 Chicago Lawyer magazine Chicago, IL

Features Writer

· Covered courts and wrote feature stories for award-winning legal publication

1994 – 1996 Point Reyes Light newspaper Point Reyes Station, CA

Reporter, Photographer, Web Editor

· Wrote stories and took photographs for Pulitzer Prize–winning weekly newspaper. Developed
and maintained paper’s award-winning website.

1993 – 1994 Missoula Independent newspaper Missoula, MT

Assistant Features Editor, Reporter

· Wrote and edited articles, movie and concert reviews, and maintained calendar for weekly paper while a full-time graduate student

1992 Gallery 37 Chicago, IL

Supervisor

· Taught writing to Chicago high-school students for federally funded program

1990 – 1992 Proof Positive/Farrowlyne Associates Evanston, IL

Associate Editor

· Edited a variety of educational materials, including elementary and college textbooks. Wrote content for science and language arts projects developed in-house.

Honors

· 2007 National Magazine Award nomination for Time Out Chicago’s Dive Bar issue,
July 19–25, 2007

· 2004 Peter Lisagor Award for Public Service for Daily Herald’s Suburban Mosaic, a series on issues facing ethnic groups within Chicago’s suburbs. The series also won the National Community Leadership Award from the Inland Press Association.

· 2004 National Media Award from National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation for Daily Herald story “Beyond the Pale,” about portrayal of albinism in popular culture

· First place in 2003 Illinois AP Enterprise Reporting category as one of lead writers in Daily Herald series on 1993 Palatine Brown’s Chicken murders, “44 Minutes in January”

· “Wildfire,” lead story of major forest fire in October 5, 1995, Point Reyes Light, named Best News Story by Weekly Newspaper by Peninsula Press Club and Best Spot News Coverage by Weekly Newspaper by California Press Association

· David Rorvik Award, given to three students annually at University of Montana, 1994

· Dorothy Rochon Powers Scholarship, highest academic award given by University of Montana Journalism School’s graduate department, 1993

Education

· Master of Arts, School of Journalism — University of Montana; Missoula, Montana

· Fiction Writing program — Bennington College; Bennington, Vermont

· Bachelor of Arts, English — Lawrence University; Appleton, Wisconsin