Statement
I have over fifteen years of experience working as an independent reporter/producer in Washington, DC with a specific focus on presidential campaigns. Under my Democracy in Action label, I worked on CD-ROMs on the 1992 and 1996 campaigns. In May 1998 I launched the Democracy in Action website which ran through the 2000, 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns. I managed all aspects of the P2000, P2004 and P2008 sites including design, research, and covering and photographing hundreds of events. These sites sought to provide a framework for people to follow and understand the campaigns, eschewing partisan or ideological commentary in favor of a more academic and documentary approach. The sites were widely used by reporters and campaign operatives; for example P2008 ranked among the top ten in Google searches for the key words “2008 presidential campaign” throughout most of the 2008 cycle.
A central
focus of my work has been the visual presentation of information.
I have sought to understand what works and what does not in terms of
visuals
and effective communications. I wrote my
senior paper on “Visual Aspects of Political Communication.” A
cornerstone of the Democracy in Action websites
has been the photos I took on the campaign trail (“Photodog”). My
work on Democracy in Action was not limited to websites. An
interest in how political figures are
portrayed has inspired the work on political cartoons, magazine covers
and
campaign brochures. In 2008, working with the Association of
American Editorial Cartoonists, I edited two books of editorial
cartoons on the
nominating campaigns (Pelican Publishing, July 2008). At The
George
Washington University, I organized a couple of exhibits on magazine
cover
portrayal of presidential campaigns (in 2001 at the Brady Gallery and
in 2005
at the Gelman Library). I maintain an extensive archive of
campaign
materials, including, for example, candidate brochures from almost
every U.S.
Senate and gubernatorial campaign since 1989. Having produced projects on the past five presidential cycles, I have determined it is time for a change of focus. I am looking for a position that plays to my strengths, and hopefully is interesting and will make the world a better place. I’m willing to start at the bottom and learn. I will bring extensive knowledge of Washington, DC, strong research skills, attention to detail, organizational ability, a good visual sense, and a commitment to excellence to your project or job.
The
Democracy
in Action projects
These were content-oriented, and had
no bells and whistles; I did all the design and graphic elements.
There are also some more artistic works on the sites (caution no exit): 2008, 2004, Christmas
Cards.
