Melanie Warner Spencer Resume

Melanie WARNER Spencer Journalist ● Editor ● Photographer ● Social Media Pro ● Blogger ● Mentor ● Speaker

Experience2014 to present Editor New Orleans Bride and New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles magazines; managing editor Acadiana Profile and Louisiana Life magazines; and books editor at Renaissance Publishing.

Create editorial vision, build editorial schedule, recruit and work with a roster of more than 50 freelancers from all over the country, work with art director, coordinate photography, style photo shoots and assign and edit four magazines, as well as two blogs and work with marketing to build and promote the brand.

Generate concepts for books and husband from idea to completion. Editor of “The Essential Louisiana Seafood Cookbook,” released

October 2016. Co-author of “Essential New Orleans: 15 Places We Love.” WWLTV, Channel 4 guest expert for monthly weddings segment. Editor and co-writer daily “Let Them Eat Cake” blog. Editor of award-winning Full Sport Press blog. Write monthly Biz Etiquette column and Great Offices design feature for

Biz New Orleans Magazine at Renaissance Publishing. Maintain various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram

Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn. Monitor web traffic via Google Analytics and work with web editor to

push growth. Vice president and board member of Press Club of New Orleans. Frequent guest speaker, workshop leader and teacher at a variety of

organizations and schools and universities.

2014 to 2015 Editor New Orleans Bride magazine and custom publications at Renaissance Publishing and freelance, New Orleans, Louisiana and the South.

Build editorial schedule, recruit and work with freelancers, work with art director, coordinate photography, style photo shoots and assign and edit New Orleans Bride Magazine at Renaissance Publishing, as well as work with marketing to build and promote the brand.

WWLTV, Channel 4 guest expert for monthly weddings segment. Founder and writer of Bon Vivant blog, third most popular blog at

myneworleans.com (experience with Wordpress and various other CMS platforms).

Founder, co-writer (writing weekly wedding etiquette post) and editor of the daily “Let Them Eat Cake” wedding blog at myneworleans.com.

Build editorial schedule, recruit and work with freelancers and clients, work with art director and assign and edit more than 42 custom publications at Renaissance Publishing.

Editor of company’s first book, “The Essential Louisiana Cookbook,” by Stanley Dry (now in its second printing).

Write monthly Biz Etiquette column and Great Offices design feature for Biz New Orleans Magazine at Renaissance Publishing.

Contributing writer and associate editor Acadiana Profile Magazine, Louisiana Life Magazine, New Orleans Magazine and New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Magazine at Renaissance Publishing.

Melanie Warner Spencer, 512-567-2732, [email protected], www.melaniewarnerspencer.com

Contributor and Easy Southern Escapes columnist and photographer for ShermansTravel.

Exhibiting fine art photographer and editorial photographer for various outlets.

Maintain various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn.

Monitor web traffic via Google Analytics and work with web editor to push growth.

Board member for Press Club of New Orleans, head of social and professional development teams, creator and producer of the quarterly newsletter disseminated via ConstantContact.

2012 to 2014 Freelance lifestyle and news reporter, editor-in-chief of Houston Brides Magazine and photographer, Southeast Texas and the South.

Write about design, style, arts and entertainment for various print and online daily newspapers.

Work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post, the Houston Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman, as well as magazines including Houston Magazine, Modern Luxury Houston Brides, Austin Monthly and Austin Monthly Home and online publications around the globe, such as Reuters in Australia, the United Kingdom and India.

Ghost edit for bloggers and columnists. Blog on multiple platforms. Engage in various social media platforms, including Facebook,

Instagram and Twitter. Photograph images to accompany pieces for print and online

publications. Coordinate and style photo shoots. Write and deliver speeches and presentations on topics including design,

style, trends, journalism and social media.

2011-2012 Senior features reporter covering interior design and style for the Houston Chronicle, contributing writer for Gloss magazine and photographer, Houston, Texas

Generate story ideas, write, research and conduct interviews for features, blurbs, bi-monthly column, daily Design Houston blog.

Engage in social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn.

Photograph products and interiors for articles and online products, as well as schedule photo shoots, scout locations, gather goods for product spreads and photo shoots, style photo shoots and gather images.

Represent the newspaper at various public and private functions, trade shows and press events and speak and deliver presentations to various groups in the community and on local TV news stations.

Assist when needed with duties pertaining to social media.

2009-2011 Managing editor of the Texas Catholic Herald, Houston, Texas Set the editorial schedule, manage production (and coordinate with print

house) and oversee and assist with design (using InDesign) and layout, as well as assign and edit all stories, photography and design assignments to staff and freelancers.


http://blog.shermanstravel.com/author/mwarnerspencer/

Oversee redesign of the publication and website (launching February 2011) and develop, execute and manage blogging, multi-media and social media strategy and operations (launching Spring 2011).

Train and manage reporters, designers, copy editors, freelancers and interns.

Report and write features and blurbs and take and source photographs, as well as edit imagery and prepare it for production.

Create and implement intern program and oversee interns. Represent the newspaper at various public and private functions, trade

shows and press events and speak and deliver presentations to various groups in the community.

Maintain photo archive.

2008-2009 Press Secretary to Texas First Lady Anita Perry Coordinate and promote interviews, as well as video, imagery and all

other media related to the First Lady and her projects via traditional and social media, including Facebook, Twitter, blogging and other Web-based and multi-media.

Organize and promote press conferences and major announcements. Promote the First Lady’s projects Write speeches, press materials, blog, scripts and Web copy. Work closely with Governor’s press shop to coordinate events and keep

them abreast of the First Lady’s projects. Work closely with the multi-media team. Photograph events for in-house and online archives, data basis and other

multi-media projects. Create and supervise all written materials generated by the Office of the

First Lady or outside entities using the name or likeness of the First Lady.

Supervise interns. Create and implement yearly media strategy. Maintain photo archive.

2005-2008 Features reporter and columnist, contributing writer for Glossy magazine and co-assigning editor for the Glossy Homes section of Glossy, Austin American-Statesman, Austin, Texas

Generate story ideas, write, research and conduct interviews for features, blurbs, bi-monthly column, daily Design Notebook blog and weekly Style Minute video.

Editor of Season for Caring, the paper’s charity campaign. Duties were to determine editorial schedule, assign and edit

Report as needed for other newsroom departments and sections, including A1, Metro and Real Estate sections.

Develop editorial schedule, generate story ideas, write and assign for the Glossy Homes section of Glossy magazine (an exclusive, glossy, full-color broadsheet publication).

Coordinate and record audio and video for multimedia products related to features, column and blog.

Photograph products and interiors for articles and online products, as well as schedule photo shoots, scout locations, gather goods for product spreads and photo shoots, style photo shoots and gather images.


Represent the newspaper at various public and private functions, trade shows and press events and speak and deliver presentations to various groups in the community.

Assist when needed with duties pertaining to mentoring committee and training committee.

2004-2005 Assistant editor, Pflugerville Pflag (community newspaper affiliate of the Statesman), Pflugerville, Texas.

Cover city politics and write, research and conduct interviews for additional features and blurbs.

Line editing, copy editing, layout (in Quark) and photography. Interview, assign to, supervise and manage payment invoices and

contracts for freelancers. Develop and maintain the editorial calendar. Coordinate, oversee and edit special sections. Co-chair editorial design committee for Austin Community Newspapers

group. Develop, coordinate and supervise internship program. Assist in major redesign of newspaper.

2003-2004 Monthly contributing writer and editorial assistant, Austin Monthly Magazine, Austin Texas.

Write, conduct interviews and research features and department pieces. Gather images. Copy edit. Coordinate product spreads, gather products and style photos.

1999-2003 Freelance writer and photographer, Kentucky and Texas.

Education Northern Kentucky University B.A., Art (Photography)/Area of Concentration English (Writing).

Continuing educationPoynter Institute (newspaper reporting, writing and editing)University of Texas (Newswriting, magazine writing and headline writing continuing education classes)

Awards and AssociationsInternational Regional Magazine Association Award winner; Press Club of New Orleans award winner and vice president; Texas Press Association award winner for editorial photography; Winner of various juried art exhibitions for showing of fine art photography.


Melanie Warner Spencer Resume

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