Writer's Week
August 24, 2015
Deadline for next edition Sept. 4

President's Message
Kaye Spector - high res
Kaye Spector
Hi everyone,
 
I hope you all have had a great summer. For many years, I felt fall arriving with my children's return to school. But in recent years, it's also been the SPJ Cleveland Pro Chapter's annual board organization meeting that has marked the end of summer for me.
 
At this meeting, which took place this year on Aug. 19, the board talks in an informal setting about what it wants to do over the coming year, and the new officers begin to sketch out their plans for the coming months.
 
Last week, the board heard a report from board members Tom Moore and Tony Kozlowski about the annual Ohio SPJ awards. Tom and Tony are part of a statewide committee that is working on transitioning the awards to a new contest coordinator, as well as making improvements to the way the contest is organized and run. The Central Ohio, Cincinnati and Cleveland SPJ chapters jointly operate the awards. The contest is among our most important chapter activities and attracts more than 600 entries every year. The work this committee is doing will safeguard the contest and keep it viable for years to come.
 
I also presented information on an informal poll of board members about what the group's priorities should be for the year. The No. 1 response was growing our membership. I've asked each board member to contribute ideas and efforts to attract new members and retain current ones.
 
Other priorities include maintaining and expanding our digital presence, initiating a community service project, connecting with journalism students and fundraising for the Porter scholarship that our chapter awards each year to a high school student who wants to be a journalist.
 
We were able to identify next steps for several of these priorities, and I'll be telling you more about them in future columns.
 
Update on Excellence in Journalism, SPJ's national convention to be held this year in Orlando Sept. 18-20: The early bird special is over but if you register by Sept. 3, you can save $100, as well as get a sneak peek of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and Walt Disney World passes. 

Kaye Spector
President, SPJ Cleveland Pro Chapter 
This newsletter goes out to members two days earlier than to our many subscribers who are not SPJ members. This gives our members first crack at the jobs and other opportunities listed here. If you're not yet a member of SPJ, but thinking about it, check out this list of other reasons to sign up:

SPJ joins call for Ferguson to drop charges against reporters

The Society of Professional Journalists has joined 38 other media organizations in sending a letter to St. Louis County officials protesting the recent filing of criminal charges against two reporters over incidents that occurred during protests in Ferguson, Missouri. 

"The best way for Ferguson to show that it will respect the First Amendment rights of journalists covering the continuing controversy there is to rescind these charges immediately," the letter stated.

Participate in a survey on journalism & trauma

Click below to participate in a survey being conducted by Kenna Griffin from the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The research project is " A Conflict in Journalism: Understanding Emotional Trauma in the Newsroom." This research is being conducted through the Norman, Oklahoma, campus.


Group of event related 3D words. Part of a series.
Careers
Sept. 1 
Association of Health Care Journalists
Fellowship on Comparative Effectiveness Research


Sept. 18-20
Excellence in Journalism 2015
The national SPJ annual conference
This year in Orlando, Florida

The early bird special is over but there's still a chance to save money by registering early for EIJ15. Register here by Sept. 3 and save $100.

Registering before Sept. 3 also gives you 
access to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival sneak peek and Walt Disney World 
passes. Attendees who register after Sept. 3 will not be able to participate in either of those activities.
Aug. 27
Organizing and Managing your Great Ideas: An Overview of Notes Apps  
presented by the
Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group
 
Have scraps of paper everywhere? Can't find that useful note when you need it? If this has ever happened to you, attend the August CDPUG meeting and get an overview of the popular Notes applications available that use the Cloud to have your great ideas right where you need them. Our panel of speakers will show a variety of applications to help manage the details of our busy lives.

Reception Starts: 6:00 p.m.
Meeting Starts: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Apple Store, Eton
28849 Chagrin Boulevard, OH
Woodmere, OH 44122
Cost: Free for members, $10 for guests
Click here to RSVP
Membership has its benefits: SPJ has an employment career center
 
SPJ's Employment and Career Center allows users to apply for jobs and connect with journalists in our Job Bank. Post your Freelance Directory profile, peruse tips and articles from the Journalist's Toolbox and SPJ Blog Network, and check out a long list of job sites and resources from across the Internet. It is all in one place now, so you can post and find the journalism job of your dreams.
 
 
Job opportunities

PRODUCER, REPORTER & VIDEOGRAPHER -- WEWS-TV
Cleveland

Nightside executive producer (executive producer - job #8332) who is creative and dynamic, can take charge of the morning news team, knows how to get a team to produce visually-compelling newscasts, is hands-on, takes charge, understands how to make on-air presentations sizzle while maintaining journalistic and quality control standards, can post to all platforms, can monitor Web analytics, can manage schedules and overtime and has good news judgment.
  
Reporter/videographer (multimedia journalist - Job #10490)  who can receive assignments, evaluate news leads and tips, develop story ideas, gather and verify information, organize material, shoot video and still photos, edit or assist in editing videos for all platforms, do smooth live shots, work cooperatively when assigned a videographer, assist producers in preparing newscasts,report/write/edit/shoot/produce stories for multiple platforms, edit on FinalCut Pro, display strong broadcast and AP style writing skills, be self-motivated and work well in a fast-paced environment
 
Videographer (Job #10467 and 10737) who has high command of photo and video techniques, can create and develop visual storytelling across multiple platforms, can inform/engage/entertain fan bases, can capture video for all platforms, can work closely with newsroom personnel to create and develop stories, can operation a live truck and knows media law.  
 
Apply online

REPORTER -- WJW TV
Cleveland

This is a great opportunity to work at the number one station in an exciting news market covering big stories like the 2016 Republican National Convention and NBA superstar Lebron James. The Reporter will be expected to develop, write and produce news stories as well as handle breaking news.  Exceptional live reporting skills as well as the ability to break exclusive stories. We are looking for a reporter who wants to be the lead story every night.

Responsibilities:
  • Must be prepared to shoot, edit, and report daily
  • Writing stories for broadcast, web and mobile platforms.
  • Use social media to gather and promote news stories.
  • Take part in station community events.
  • Jump on breaking news
Qualifications:
Minimum 3-5 years' experience anchoring and reporting in a medium to large television market
College degree is preferred
Excellent writing and communication skills
Have the ability to multitask and work under extreme deadline pressure.
Must work individually as well as part of a team.
Strong knowledge of local, national and international events.
Strong Social Media skills including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter.
Must contribute to station websites.
Have a serious streak along with a funny bone
Be able to improvise and adlib without notes
Must have the ability to work on various platforms including broadcast, mobile and web.
Flexibility to work various schedules including nights, weekends, and holidays

To apply, visit this website 

REPORTER -- HEARST TELEVISION
Cincinnati  
 
WLWT, the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati is looking for a dynamic storyteller who wants to join our morning news team! Show us you can enterprise, research and produce stories that compel an audience to watch. Strong writing and dynamic live shots are a must. Ability to shoot and edit video is a plus.

Job Responsibilities
In addition to reporting during newscasts throughout the week you will also be responsible for regular contributions to Cincinnati's #1 television website, wlwt.com, by both writing and posting. You must be able to incorporate all available resources, such as video, natural sound and electronic graphics to enhance stories.
Required Experience
  • A minimum of 4 years reporting experience required
  • College Degree in broadcasting or related field


PART-TIME PHOTOGRAPHER -- COLUMBUS MONTHLY MAGAZINE
Columbus

Columbus Monthly magazine seeks a part-time photographer who can shoot people/places/food/nightlife using location and studio lighting and portraiture skills, attend festivals/art exhibits/performances, complete multiple daily assignments in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment, work with reporters and editors to find the best ways to illustrate stories and contribute new ideas in a collaborative and high-energy newsroom.  
      
Apply online here
 
 
GRAPHIC DESIGNER - COLUMBUS ALIVE
PART TIME

Columbus Alive, the city's top entertainment publication for young adults, is looking for a part-time Graphic Designer to join the creative team in our busy newsroom. The Graphic Designer is responsible for the print design of the weekly entertainment newspaper, including designing front covers, laying out articles, creating illustrations to accompany stories, and other special projects as needed. We're looking for someone with an eye for style and readability who can work closely with writers, editors and photographers to craft compelling layouts in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Requirements:
* Solid design and typography skills, as well as a strong understanding of photography and illustration.
* Proficiency with Mac-based Adobe CS5 tools: InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.
* Excellent communication and organizational skills, problem-solving and multi-tasking.
* Ability to handle tight deadlines while producing high-quality work.
* Bachelor's degree from a college or accredited art school.

This position works 18 hours per week, Monday through Wednesday.

Apply online here 
 
Internships & Fellowships

CLEVELAND MAGAZINE 

Cleveland Magazine is looking for editorial interns for fall 2015.
 
The internships are unpaid. (We reimburse for parking or a bus pass.) They range from 16 to 32 hours a week.
 
Duties include fact-checking, researching, writing articles and blog posts, and some clerical work for Cleveland Magazine, its sister publication Inside Business, and other publications. Our interns are highly valued and are integrated into the editorial team. They are entrusted with serious responsibilities and given plenty of opportunity for professional development.
 
We're looking for bright student journalists with experience at their college newspapers or magazines. The ideal candidates also have a flair for magazine-style feature writing and knowledge of Cleveland. Blogging experience is helpful. Candidates must live or go to college in the Cleveland area (Akron, Kent, and Oberlin included). Minority candidates are encouraged to apply.
 
To apply, send a cover letter explaining what you could bring to the job, a résumé, contact info for references, the date you would be able to start, and 4-5 published samples of your work to brill@clevelandmagazine.com or: Jason Brill; Associate Editor; Cleveland Magazine; 1422 Euclid Avenue Suite 730; Cleveland, Ohio 44115.


THE CELEBRITY CAFE

Times are a-changin' and TheCelebrityCafe.com is changing too.

In case you hadn't heard, we were purchased in December by Bigfoot Ventures, LLC. We have an amazing support system with them and are thriving.

Back in February we tried a new communications app called Slack.com. It is an amazing tool for our diversified office, and has been adopted by many major news outlets, like the Associated Press, The London Times and Slate. It's been invaluable to us, and offers us open lines of communication with staff and interns in real time, and not in our in-boxes.

February also brought us another site to manage, and TheCelebrityCafe.com team is now in charge of FashionWeek.com. Fashion Week is also partnered with our sister company Fashion One TV and provides content for broadcast television.

We've hired eight new freelancers in the past couple of months, in addition to the two full time staff positions added in February.

Fingers crossed, we will relaunch TheCelebrityCafe.com in early September, moving from Drupal to WordPress and getting a truly fresh look. Our new logo is designed by Katie Schwendiman, from Utah Valley University, as are quite a few of the logos on Fashion Week - you'll see her photo credits in the stories.

And that brings us around to fall semester.

We are looking for writing, copy editing, social media and music reviewing interns for the fall semester. The editor-in-chief, Angela Corry, is also looking for a business administration intern, who will shadow and help her for the semester in all that she does.

Students can apply at these links: TheCelebrityCafe.com
FashionWeek.com

TheCelebrityCafe.com job descriptions are here.

 FashionWeek.com job descriptions are here.
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