Publishing / Printing: Jobs Landed

I work as a Senior Managing Editor with Hayden-McNeil Publishing in Plymouth, MI. We publish custom course materials for the higher education market. My job gives me the opportunity to work with many interesting academics in various disciplines from across the country as I serve as their point person throughout the publication process. A recent challenge facing all publishers has been the transition to digital content delivery. While many of my projects are still hard copy texts, several have converted to fully interactive e-books or have added digital components such as animations, assessment tools, videos, etc. within the last year or so. Having been immersed in the print world for so long, I have enjoyed learning the intricacies of digital publishing, and would bet many more of my projects will go paperless within a few years. While it hasn't been the easiest road to navigate, digital publishing is the future, and I look forward to seeing how it unfolds.

I cover the University of Michigan football and hockey teams, writing game stories, player and team features, notes and columns for our monthly magazine (The Wolverine) and our daily Web site (TheWolverine.com).
 
I love my job. I discovered writing at an early age, and continued to pursue it through high school and college. When I reached the second semester of my senior year, I realized the two things I was most passionate about were sports and writing so I went all out to get a job in that field, and succeeded in that endeavor.
 
I spent three months in Hillsdale, Mich., writing for the daily newspaper there and was lucky enough to find the current job I’m in shortly into my tenure in Hillsdale. I’ve been with it ever since, and really appreciate being part of the Ann Arbor community (as an adult this time!).
 
I look forward to going to work every day because if I wasn’t in the position I was in, I would likely spend hours on end talking sports with my friends or visiting the site I currently help produce. The only downside to this job, and one all journalists can relate to, are the hours. They’re long and can consume a weekend, but 10 years later,  I’ve found a way to make it work without sacrificing all the great adventures I want to experience.

I specialize in assisting companies to increase profits by controlling and managing costs related to document output, distribution, and management. My work with other organizations has led to increased employee productivity and increases in work flow efficiencies.

By evaluating current processes and infrastructure, we locate any waste, dysfunction, and redundancies that negatively impact corporate profits during the document lifecycle. I also analyze and report best practices that impact the flow of your corporate information. This entire process allows you to learn your total burdened cost in the area of document work flow. I then work with you to design and propose technology that will make your staff more productive and efficient, many times at a lower operating cost than you are currently spending.

I am the editorial director for a magazine (monthly), internet newsletter (bi-weekly during football season) and Web site (daily) that covers University of Michigan athletics, with a primary focus on football, basketball and hockey. I assign and write feature stories on Michigan teams and athletes, oversee our internships and assist in our marketing and business strategy efforts.

I help people find the information they need faster and have it be more useful for them.  Specifically, I've spent most of my time at ProQuest implementing and writing content for the Help system that works in conjunction with our main product, an internet-based research application.  When I have a few spare moments from the Help system, I do a bit of information architecture and design work for this product as well.

I handle day to day operations.  My current responsibilities include publisher, creative director, marketing, and community relations.  Currently we are working on a new product called uSurvive that will launch in July at 18 colleges and universities throughout Michigan and Ohio.  Basically uSurvive is a "survival guide" that helps students navigate college life through print, web, and video.  The pocket sized print version is a phone directory like tool with coupons and a planner in the back.  The online version rewards students for their interaction (blogging, posting pics and video) through uPoints which can be redeemed for prizes like concert tickets, scholarship money, or even planting a tree.

I am in charge of day to day operations.  I am responsible for sales, accounting/finance, and product development.  Currently we are working on a new product called uSurvive that will launch in July at 18 colleges and universities throughout Michigan and Ohio.  Basically uSurvive is a "survival guide" that helps students navigate college life through print, web, and video.  The pocket sized print version is a phone directory like tool with coupons and a planner in the back.  The online version rewards students for their interaction (blogging, posting pics and video) through uPoints which can be redeemed for prizes like concert tickets, scholarship money, or even planting a tree.

As the marketing director, I am in charge on developing and executing comprehensive B2B marketing efforts for a mid-size book manufacturing firm.