Resume
Joshua Heller / joshuaheller@gmail.com / @joshuaheller
EDUCATION
University of California, Davis, CA; Bachelor of Arts, June 2005. Major: American Studies, emphasis in Humor Studies.
Universidad de Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain; Study Abroad, academic year 2003-2004.
SKILLS
Bilingual: English & Spanish Technical Skills: Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, WordPress, Content Mgmt. Systems, Entourage, Ableton Live Certificates: Final Cut Pro certified
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Contributing Editor, Matador Network: I write narrative non-fiction travel stories on assignment, and edit pieces for the Nights section of the website.
January 2012– Present
Founder, Summer Commune: I created a diverse temporary intentional arts community in Moscow, Idaho. Using the tools of the Internet, and the prospect of cheap rent, we convinced a group of young urban creatives to spend their summer in a small town in North America. The summer was a success, which found support in government, business, and the local tourism board.
May 2012– September 2012
Freelance writer: I’ve written about Internet Culture for AOL blogs’ Urlesque and My Damn Channel’s Slacktory. I wrote about travel and trends for The Awl, and was their correspondent for SXSW in 2011.
July 2010 – Present
Online Editor, Current TV: Programmed the Current.com homepage, created promotional images with Photoshop, writes promotional copy. Selects topical news stories to feature on website. Tracks internet trends and reports to programming and department for online content. Applies personal strategy for generating website traffic, produces analytic reports on site traffic and performance.
Los Angeles, CA. March 2010 – November 2010
Producer, Current Virals, Current TV: Selected viral videos to be featured in the show, in television promotional, and on Current Tonight. Licensed viral videos for use on television.
Los Angeles, CA. March 2008 – December 2010
Instructor, “Blogging Shmogging,” American Jewish University Extension: Co-taught the basics of web 2.0 and social media (including Facebook, blogging, and Twitter) to seniors.
Los Angeles, CA. November 2009
Online Comedy Producer, Current TV: Wrote original content on comedy, internet memes, and internet trends for Current Comedy Blog. As the web liaison to Infomania and SuperNews, communicated internet trends to producers and talent,contributed original segments, researched programming materials, performed minor on-screen appearances. Developed business relationships with websites such as College Humor, Buzzfeed, and AOL. Promoted Current programming on Current.com and other websites.
Los Angeles, CA. March 2009 – March 2010
Online News Editor, Current TV: Curated Current.com with topical news stories, reported breaking news, verified credibility of user-contributed news, developed Current news “pods” (web-to-television productions).
New York, NY. March 2008 – March 2009
Online Content Editor, Current TV: Determined trending items (viral videos and news stories) to feature on Current.com alongside original content, wrote humorous summaries of topical news articles, curated the home page with best possible content.
Los Angeles, CA. Oct 2007 – March 2008
Maestro, Liceo Anglo Frances: I was a teacher at a high school outside of Mexico City. I taught courses in English grammar, Geography, and Hip Hop studies.
Pachuca, Hgo. August 2006 – May 2007
VIRAL SUCCESS
“Bros Icing Bros” – Summer 2010 - I contributed to the viral trend of “bros icing bros” by promoting existing content while creating original new content. A video I uploaded to YouTube now has +100 thousand views. The video’s success is in its timeliness and SEO titling. My video was also the first piece of “smart content” on this trend, which led to an interview withThe New York Times.
“Mini Daddy” – Spring 2010 – This video had appeared in Spanish language blogs before I became the first person to write about it in English. When I found the video in January it had several thousand views. After 3 days on Current Blogs it was viewed more than 1.5 million times. As the video became more successful, I created original content around it. I traveled to Monterrey, Mexico and got an exclusive interview with Mini Daddy. This video, in turn, was viewed 10k times on Current.com, and 22k times on YouTube.
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