(click here for printable pdf)

CHRISTINA McDONALD-LEGG
christinamac79 [at] gmail.com

OBJECTIVE

To advance further in my Journalism career while utilizing my skills in investigation, reporting and writing.
 

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

• Ability to source and publish news from any angle while building relationships and contacts.
• Provided concise, accurate and gripping stories written in a compelling way for print and online media.
• Experience writing in a variety of styles for range of audiances including ad writing, features and news.
• Ability to interview and question sources using telephone and person-to-person interview techniques.
• Experience editing and producing newspapers, magazines, newsletters and books.
• Edited and coordinated academic book for European Union project.
• Fundamental knowledge of .html writing, SEO and content management systems.
• Knowledge of Dreamweaver, MS Office, Photoshop and Quark.

CAREER HISTORY:

9/09 - Current            Freelance Content Writer, Demand Studios, Seattle

• Write content articles about range of topics for use on ehow.com, livestrong.com, trailstravelcenter.com and more.
• Responsible for search engine optimization (SEO) in content for site.

11/06 – 8/08               Travel Writer and Image Editor, Expedia.com, London

• Write content articles about travel destinations, airport information and hotels for use on website.
• Responsible for search engine optimization (SEO) in content for site.
• Edit images for uploading onto site, edit captions and content.

5/05 – 12/06                Journalist/Editor, Community Knowledge Initiative, NUI Galway

• Worked as Social Affairs Journalist for community project based within leading university, where I was responsible for sourcing and investigating story ideas, interviewing sources and writing articles.
• Designed, laid out, edited, produced and published magazines, newsletters and academic books.
• Maintained and wrote website using content management systems and .html, as well as produced podcasts for publication on the website.

1/04 – 10/06                Journalist (Freelance), Galway City Tribune and Connacht Tribune

• Pitched stories as well as received calls asking me to write up articles for news, features, advertorials and editorials.
• Wrote features for newspaper’s weekly magazines about health, beauty, lifestyle, weddings, community and travel.
• Researched information, interviewed sources and wrote articles, turning in before deadline.

5/06 – 8/06                  Health Columnist (Freelance), Galway Independent

• Found sources, interviewed contacts, researched health information and wrote articles on health issues in the city of Galway.

9/04 – 4/05                  News Reporter, Beacon Hill News, Seattle

• Wrote on and off-diary stories for weekly publication, including attending launches and events, researching and interviewing.

5/04 – 6/04                  Journalist, Sunday Times, Dublin

• Worked as a Journalist after receiving an MA degree in Journalism.
• Sourced and investigated story ideas, interviewed various sources, researched stories and wrote articles for publication.

8/02 – 8/03                  Production Assistant/Audio Engineer, Atari Entertainment, Seattle

• Worked in the gaming industry in production and design prior to receiving my MA in Journalism.
• Designed sound for games using Cool Edit Pro and recording studio.
• Coordinated administrative duties, including contracts for voice talent.

12/00 – 6/01                Production Assistant Intern, Komo 4 TV, Northwest Afternoon, Seattle

• Worked in broadcast as an intern during my undergraduate degree in Communications.
• Edited and cut scenes onto beta tapes, researched information, wrote and distributed scripts.

 

EDUCATION:

2003 – 2004                MA Degree, Journalism, National University of Ireland, Galway
Studied print and broadcast journalism, shorthand, media history, media law, Quark and Photoshop.  Learned news and feature writing for print and broadcast.

1997 – 2001                BA Degree, Communications, University of Washington, Seattle
Studied media law, media history, politics, history of media and politics.
 

SKILLS SET:

NEWS and other WRITING SKILLS Sourcing and publishing news from any angle Investigating and writing stories Experience with variety of interview techniques Finding news angles Writing advertorials, editorials, features and news Writing compelling copy to sell products and info. Using words in imaginative way	EDITORIAL and PRODUCTION SKILLS Editing, proofreading and sub-editing Producing newsletters and magazines Budgetary control for publishing Developing and assigning interesting stories Writing tag lines and copywriting Conducting on-camera and radio interviews Writing weekly editorials
COMPUTER and TECHNICAL SKILLS MS Office Dreamweaver Quark Xpress Photoshop Cool Edit Pro Sound Forge Creating and producing podcasts Variety of content management systems and html	TRAINING Certificate in Dreamweaver Certificate in Quark Xpress Certificate in Photoshop Member of National Union of Journalists

REFERENCES:
Letters of recommendation and references are available on request.