Digital content Producer, Hearst television

Content Producer

Under the brand VeryLocal, I wrote, produced, interviewed, researched, and created longform, docu-style content for nationally-focused, mostly digital projects. Along with YouTube, my content is found on Hearst Television's owned-and-operated platform, VeryLocal. In summation, my job was to tell really interesting stories for national audiences while working with incredible local journalists. How cool is that?

Examples of my producing and descriptions of each project can be found below.

Human Interest/Human stories

Pulse Nightclub Shooting, 5 Years Later | The Tragedy's Impact on the Victims & Orlando Community

On June 12, 2016, the LGBTQ and Latino communities of Orlando, Florida, were targeted in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub. It was, at the time, the deadliest mass shooting in the United States. Michelle and Stewart took us through what it was like to report on the tragedy -- not just as people in news, but as *people.* I hope our piece honors and respects the victims, their families and the survivors. Winner of 2022 Telly Award in the General: Online Category.

Widowed at 19 | A Young Couple's Story of Love and Grief

Mollie was married for less than 128 days before she became a widow at just 19 years old. Her story and her bravery to be so open is certainly a story worth telling, and I'm beyond grateful I was allowed to do so.

The Mom at 57 | A Family's Story of Love, Loss and Resilience

When Barbara Higgins gave birth to her son in March of 2021 at the age of 57, she became one of the oldest women to give birth in the U.S.. Behind Barbara and her husband's decision to have a baby is a story of love, loss and resilience. On May 7, 2016, they lost their 13-year-old daughter, Molly Banzhoff, to a ruptured, undiagnosed brain tumor. While navigating her grief, Barbara began having vivid dreams about having a baby. Those dreams set Barbara and her family on a remarkable journey that was full of immense challenges as well as miraculous moments.

Reunited: An Adoptee's Story | Adoptee Meets Birth Mom After More Than 40 Years Apart

The story of a woman who was part of Operation Baby Lift during the Vietnam War, who was able to reunite with her biological mother 40 years later thanks to DNA testing.

True Crime/Investigative

The Disappearance of Maura Murray: Hometown Tragedy

On a wintery night in February 2004, Maura Murray, a college student, crashed her car on a remote New Hampshire road. A few minutes later, a bus driver headed home after his shift asks if she needed any help, and she assures him she's already called for it. That would be the last time anyone saw Maura Murray. For decades, Murray's case continues to stump investigators. How does a person just disappear without a trace?

The Murders of Christy Mirack and Genevieve Zitricki | Hometown Tragedy: Crime Briefs

Two cold cases that were finally solved thanks to advancements in DNA technology. Co-produced by me.

The Murders of Deanna Cremin & Jacquelyn Smith| Hometown Tragedy: Crime Briefs

Deanna Cremin celebrated her 17th birthday just days before she was brutally murdered in 1995 during her walk home. Over the years, her friends and family have kept her memory alive in their search for justice.

Jacquelyn Smith was in a car in downtown Baltimore with her husband, Keith, when she reportedly noticed a woman panhandling with a sign. Jacquelyn wanted to give the woman some money when a man allegedly approached Jacquelyn and stabbed her to death. Many in Baltimore became fearful of interactions with the homeless population after this story broke. But as police began digging into what led up to Jacquelyn’s death, they made a stunning discovery.

Co-produced by me.

Life After Tiger King

In the story that keeps on giving, based on Netflix's smash hit "Tiger King," I produced and interviewed this piece. The saga took place in one of Hearst TV's markets, and this reporter was close with the subjects of the story. Our piece was able to provide a local, "on the ground" look at the story.

Forrest Fenn's Controversial Treasure Hunt

In 2010, Forrest Fenn hid a treasure chest worth millions of dollars in the Rocky Mountains with only a few vague clues from his book, "The Thrill of the Chase." In it, a poem drew a treasure map, pointing to its whereabouts. Thousands have attempted to find it, and some never returned. This deep dive into this extremely unique local story is one of VL's top performers to date. Written, researched and produced by me.

Water Park Tragedy: 10-Year-Old Boy Dies On World’s Tallest Waterslide

The tragedy of the Verrückt water slide at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City made national headlines. Years later, questions remain about the park's safety and handling of the incident. This piece, produced and written by me, gave a "local news" look at the tragedy and the aftermath.

Sarge Butters: The Police Cat Who Turned A Small Town Upside Down

Sergeant Butters became an internet sensation as part of a North Carolina town’s police department, but seemingly overnight, the Facebook page devoted to the feline on the force disappeared, and a cat-roversy ensued. What followed were volatile community hearings, board members getting harassed and many left wondering where Sgt. Butters was.

Written, researched and produced by me.

Current events

Black Lives Matter through a child's eyes

Six-year-old Jordyn Smith went to a Black Lives Matter protest with her grandmother in June 2020. There, she was interviewed by reporter Jatara McGee, and her words were felt all across the country. "The people that are saying Black Lives Matter, it made me proud and happy. It made me feel like... I was a person." I interviewed Jordyn and her mother, Tiffany Watkins, to find out more about that moment, and how they connected with an artist in North Carolina who painted a portrait to honor Jordyn's words of wisdom.

Coronavirus survivor stories

Partially interviewed and written by me, this episode features stories from four different corners of the country of people who battled the virus and lived to share their experiences.

As an example of my shorter project capabilities: Short-form Stitch videos were the bread and butter of the brand. Curated from Hearst Television's local news stations, these >2 minute-long videos were meant to drive engagement to our station websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok pages, for both the Stitch brand and our stations. The following were written and produced by me. While my focus shifted to long-form content, at their peak, I was producing 5-10 short-form videos per week.

Digital Curator

Hearst Digital Media includes such publications like Good Housekeeping, O Magazine, Delish and Women's Health among many others, and as the Digital Curator, it was my job to find the content our (Hearst Television) audience would find the most interesting. The objective was to increase HTV's overall digital presence using the plethora of content available under the overall Hearst brand. I had a deep, analytical understanding of HTV's main demographic and what they are interested in seeing on our sites and what would perform the best on social. Using the content from HDM, I would edit the content and social copy to follow HTV's standards, which are slightly different than that of the magazines. HTV follows a more strict, AP format whereas the magazines have a more conversational tone. The content is mostly utility, evergreen and general lifestyle.

As the library of content grew, our team realized it was best to start tracking the truly evergreen content to be used again in the future. I created both seasonal and general evergreen content spreadsheets and our team built evergreen content into our daily social schedule. What we found was that the true gems, with some date refreshing and the occasional copyedit, still performed well and contributed to our video and site session KPI's. As I've transitioned from daily content, there is now a vast content library our National Desk curators can use, ranging from relevant cautionary tales ("A veteran truck driver explains why you should never drive alongside a truck" ) to useful utility stories ("Here's how to make sure you're properly cleaning your Instant Pot").

Another part of being a Digital Curator was finding interesting stories around the web to produce original content for. Some of my favorite stories or videos I wrote and produced include: