Chicken
Art & Canadian Politics
When Rob Thompson caged two people to protest the plight of commercially
grown chickens, he was merely following a great Canadian political tradition.
Web
Items
Teaching
The Web To Think
With the help of surfers everywhere, the Mindpixel Corpus group hopes
to create an online consciousness.
In
The Foxhole With Maeve
An interview with internationally acclaimed author Maeve Binchy in which
she discovers the secret numerology of Tara Road.
Business
& Information Articles
Wipe
That Smile Off Your Face
Marketing research is an honourable profession — maybe. But when
your product is toilet paper ... ?
Where
Have All The Toasters Gone?
Being a student is tough; but being a student and trying to decide which
bank has the best Student Account is almost impossible.
Christopher
Simpson
KEY
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Proven interview
skills with people of all social levels and nationalities: theatre
personalities like Linda Griffiths and Michael Hollingsworth,
authors like Maeve Binchy, Ian Rankin, Doug Kennedy and Dermot
Healy, and even astronauts James Lovell and Julie Payette.
Flexible
and authoritative writing style adaptable to many different types
of copy: features, interviews, historical articles, satire, news
reporting and commentary.
Effective
and well-respected team leader capable of working with a wide
range of age groups and personality types.
Client friendly
approach to commercial assignments resulting in consistently high
levels of client satisfaction and repeat business.
Ability
to work independently in high pressure
environment.
Managing
Editor
Editor's Sidebar
April 2001 - Present
(Editor's Sidebar is a resource site for Ontario newspaper editors.)
Supervising
a small team of researchers and editors collecting and compiling
information for Ontario newspaper editors.
Writing
and publishing the Editor's Sidebar Newsletter, a newsletter
offering industry specific information, resources and tips.
Regular
attendee at the yearly Canadian Booksellers Association trade
show in order to liaison with publisher representatives for the
purpose of promoting Ontario authors to regional newspapers.
Communicating
with authoritative figures in the industry like Peter DeWolf (Arnprior
Chronicle-Guide) and Tony Sutton (Globe and Mail re-designer).
Managing
Editor
Circa2000 Time Capsule
December 2000 - September 2001
Researching
hundreds of Web sites every week and compiling information on
Web trends.
Writing
seven weekly features, each heavily researched, dealing with Web-related
subjects ranging from online pop culture to an in depth series
analysing the history and present state of Web advertising which
received many kudos from leaders in the field such as Ken Dardis.
Senior
Staff Writer
What's On Queen Magazine
1994-2000
Regular features
included "Bookstores On Queen," "Theatre On Queen,"
"Queen Street History," "Artists On Queen,"
and "Music On Queen."
Frequent
articles on numerous merchants, restaurants, and Queen Street
personalities.
Seasonal
specials from gift-giving guides to Christmas and Halloween stories.
Executive
Editor
Celtic Curmudgeon: Arts & Entertainment Review (Quarterly)
July 1996 - June 2000
Co-creator,
original designer. Supervised 1998 redesign.
Planned
issues, wrote editorials, assigned stories, wrote and edited articles,
supervised production, circulation, advertising and promotions
and chaired meetings.
Began my
annual attendance of the Canadian Booksellers Association Trade
Show to assess the season's new Celtic books and interview internationally
renowned authors.
Assignment
Editor
The Outrider
1992 - 1994
Assigning
and editing articles.
Writing
articles ranging from local news to promotional pieces.
Regular
satire column reviewing advertising.
Learning
the trade under Rod Goodman, News Editor and Ombudsman of the
Toronto Star (now retired), and Jan Hayes, News Copy Editor of
the Globe and Mail.
Technical
Writer
Various Contracts: 1991-1992
From my
experience as PC Support and Applications Design Analyst with
the advertising company J. Walter Thompson, I accepted and successfully
completed several private contracts analysing software and writing
computer manuals for major companies like DeBeers, a Command Data.
PC Support
and
Applications Design Analyst
J. Walter Thompson
1989 - 1991
Responsible
for all technical and software support across Canada.
Application
design of special programs, such as the computerized catalogue
of the company's in-house TV commercial video library.
Researched,
recommended and managed the installation of all new software and
fielded all problems from our offices across Canada.
