TORSTAR CORPORATION

Content & Brand Strategy

I work on Torstar’s marquee brand Toronto Star, as well as Hamilton Spectator, Waterloo Region Record, St. Catharines Standard, Peterborough Examiner, Welland Tribune, Niagara Falls Review and dozens of community newspapers across Ontario. I lead creative and strategic content promotion, working closely with product, newsroom/editorial, data science and ad operations to acquire, engage and retain subscribers. I package and promote journalism in support of the digital subscription business, including (but not limited to) email programming, on-site/display advertising, paid social and search, digital advertising, print advertising, UX/UI development and optimization, radio/podcast campaigns, editorial and corporate partnerships.
See more: Toronto Star touts commitment to quality journalism in new subscription drive

THE TRACE

Digital News & Engagement

Through multi-platform storytelling, data dives, long-form features and comprehensive reporting on their social feeds, The Trace performs the daily dot-connecting necessary for an accurate understanding of America’s gun violence crisis.

During my time there, I informed and implemented social strategy, helped build community through reader engagement and measured the impact of our reporting through audience data gathering and analysis. I pitched and wrote short-form posts optimized for social sharing, and fact-checked and contributed reporting to long-form features. I also helped design and execute social media projects, including social videos that featured explanatory reporting or detailed eulogies of gun violence victims.

Major takeaways when it comes to growing and engaging audiences: listen to your public, learn from the data without kowtowing to it, practice the virtues of requesting and responding to feedback, show your work.

See Writing for selected features.

HUFFPOST CANADA

Front Page & News

It’s a moment of extreme flux in digital journalism, and working as a news editor demands agility and adaptability. On the editorial side, I write, report and fact-check features, social copy and headlines for politics, business and lifestyle verticals, and provide deft coverage of breaking news with a mix of original reporting, social media and wires. I also script, edit and build original videos.

On the audience engagement and development side, I manage the front page, optimizing for reach, impact and design. I gather and report daily traffic, engagement and social metrics, coordinating with fellow front editors and audience development teams. I also write and schedule social posts for Facebook and Twitter.

See Writing for selected features.

ALL HOURS MAGAZINE

Founder

I founded a digital publication that featured long-form multi-platform interviews with creatives during my second year at the University of Toronto. I managed a number of freelance web developers, graphic designers, photographers and writers. I put together our editorial and social strategy, facilitated interviews, produced social media content and oversaw the production of two special theme issues, where I contributed to art direction, layout, photography and photo-editing.

See Writing for selected features.

SID LEE

Content Editing & Strategy

My time analyzing and understanding audiences, building content strategies and exploring emerging platforms taught me how to apply the foundations of journalism — accuracy, clarity, engaging prose — to ad campaigns. The experience opened my eyes to the fluidity of content and media creation, and gave me all kinds of insight into segmenting, promoting and monetizing journalism.

I produced and managed social and web content for clients in entertainment, food, lifestyle, finance, tech and transportation industries. I created and implemented influencer, social-media and audience-growth strategy, trend research and metrics. I strategized and wrote taglines, short and long-form copy for image-overhaul projects.

Highlights: Fuel Transport’s brand overhaul, Italian Trade Agency’s website and social, President’s Choice Financial’s blog

PORTER AIRLINES

Contributor

I write and report features, trend pieces and interviews for Porter Airlines’ in-flight magazine, re:porter. My latest story explored the ubiquity of co-working spaces, and how they’re changing our relationship to work itself. Before that I wrote about the technical prowess behind a series of Christmas windows on New York’s Fifth Avenue . Right now I'm working on a piece about Paterson, New Jersey as the quintessential American city, and the immigrant communities that call it home.

See Writing for selected features.

UPPITY: WOMEN, RACE AND CLASS IN AMERICA

Reporter & Researcher

Tanzina Vega was already a reporter and writer par excellence when she was recently ‘passed the mic’ as the new host of WNYC’s The Takeaway. I’m thrilled to be at her side as she writes her first book.

I joined the project early and have been contributing research, reporting and data management for almost a year. I’ve reached out to hundreds of women of colour across the United States about work, money, love and health, covering a wide variety of topics including access to C-suite jobs, colourism and dating, the stigma of mental health in immigrant communities and the challenges facing so-called ‘model’ minorities. Now I’m helping to organize these fascinating stories into Uppity: Women, Race and Class in America, an expose of the obstacles that women of colour face as they strive to get ahead.

FIFTH STORY

Editorial & Media Coordination

This is where my passion for newsletters and email marketing took root. I wrote and edited copy for a variety of multi-platform campaigns and contributed to content strategy, scriptwriting and editing. I also gave a presentation at Edelman Toronto on creating intelligent content in an ad-saturated world.