May 2014 - Present
Food & Fitness multimedia Journalist
Amy Sowder
- Interview experts for long listicles well-sourced from credible medical sources; write in SEO format using strategic keywords, hyperlinks, phrasing, and metatitles.
- Articles: What Happens to Your Body When You Lose 10 Pounds and The 12 Worst Foods for Hypothyroidism
September 2018 - Present
- Assist Deb Perelman with her hit cooking blog, smittenkitchen.com, by doing website editing, ingredient sourcing and reference work. Perelman is the site's author, cook and photographer, the same roles she took to create the hardcover, glossy-paged "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook," published by Knopf. It's a national bestseller and winner of the IACP Julia Child First Book Award, also named one of Cooking Light magazine’s "Top 100 Cookbooks of the Last 25 Years."
- Help with reader engagement and interactions, answering recipe questions and organizing materials as she works on her second cookbook now.
- Research, interview, visit restaurants, and write three feature cover stories on dining: The 19 Best Italian Restaurants in Westchester, Great Steaks, and The Comfort Zone.
- Generate food-trend story ideas, research, interview, and write the articles, including Buzz-Free Beverages Get Crafty, Food with a Function, and The Savory Side of Jam.
- Generate ideas and write for the Eat. Drink. Post. food blog, such as Hot Honey Is Our New Favorite Condiment, and These Winter Dishes May Relieve Your S.A.D.-ness.
Westchester Magazine, New York
Feature Food & Health Writer
March 2015 - Present
February 2005 - February 2007
- Write 1A front-page human interest and service features, including Mount Kisco restaurant provides free Thanksgiving meal.
- Interview and write Dining Scene articles and @smallbites blog posts on the latest hot restaurants, new chefs, eatery changes and relocations.
- Find, interview, write, shoot photos, and video for the Health section. I do several kinds of articles: Features such Five local pros help you avoid holiday weight gain; features on cool new workout trends, such as Koga fuses kickboxing and yoga; a regular Workout of the Week with step-by-step instructions and photos; a How I changed my life column profiling people's transformations with before-and-after photos; a Five to Try column on health topics such as juice bars and fitness clothing; and wellness stories, such as a profile of this Sadhana Wellness Center.
- Write timely food section features, such as my article on holiday mocktails.
January 2014 - May 2014
Women's Health & Men's Health, New York, NY
Freelance Writer, Photographer, Videographer
EAt this, Not That!, New York, NY
Freelance Writer
- Write articles on a freelance basis for USAToday.com, including a dance fitness article pegged to La La Land, a James Beard House event story, and a big coffee trend feature package with a sidebar, my photos, and my video.
- Pitch, interview, write, and edit diet, weight-loss, and food experiment articles; shoot video; and source or shoot and edit photos.
- Articles, Videos, Photos: Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois of NYC's Blue Smoke Restaurants on his 100-Pound Weight Loss; I Tried the Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss - Here's What Happened (ranked in the top 5 most-viewed articles and videos on the website for the first two months); 'I Doubled My Protein Intake—Here's What Happened'; I Tried the Atkins Diet for Two Weeks—Here's What Happened.
- Research, interview and write food content, including my piece, Buzz in a Bottle: Harmless Harvest's Coconut Coffee Water.
Brooklyn Magazine, brooklyn, NY
Food Journalist
- Covered hurricanes, crime, environment and Bella magazine features.
- Posted breaking news online, created podcasts.
Americasfarmstand.com, New York, NY
Freelance Video Producer, Copywriter
- Edit, rewrite and proofread recipes, feature articles and short stories on nutrition, integrative medicine, holistic health solutions, cooking and food shopping.
- Work with editor in chief to organize and refine content for a cookbook.
- Help write food pieces for Glamour, Clean Eating and Simply Gluten-Free.
- Edit recipes, copy, and photos; generate content ideas; write articles and recipe intros; select photos and create galleries; produce and schedule website; and improve SEO with all the tricks. You know, food media.
- Articles: How to Build a Bloody Mary Bar; The Truth About Detox Waters; Fall Herbs and Spices That Double as Decor; Your Guide to Entertaining with Cheese; Cauliflower is King: Here's Why It Rules, and Best Post-Workout Snacks and Meals.
Chowhound.com, New York, NY
Assistant Editor
October 2015 - July 2017
- Generate ideas, write branded/sponsored/partnered content, source/shoot photos, work with clients.
- Articles: Running doesn't have to be about winning races. Just ask this eclectic group of runners; From school to Mardi Gras, these kids are keeping the unique spirit of their city alive.
August 2014 - Present
Smitten kitchen, New York, NY
Editorial Assistant
The News Journal, pnj.com, Florida
Gannett Staff Writer
February 2007 - April 2014
The News-Press, news-Press.com, Florida
Gannett Multimedia Food, Lifestyles, Social Journalist
September 2013 - December 2013
My Skills
- Writing and Editing
- Layout and Production
- Photography and Photoshop
- Video Shooting and Editing
- Social Media
- SEO
July 2017 - Present
October 2017 - Present
Upworthy, New York, NY
Freelance Writer
USAToday.com, New York
Food, Fitness, and Wellness Writer
- Pitch Healthyish story ideas, research, write and edit pieces for projects, series, essays, and articles.
- Articles: Moving in with my boyfriend completely derailed my health goals and How to be a night owl in a morning person's world.
- USA Today published my A1 feature story, video, poll results and photo galleries on coffee trends, work culled from research, calls and visit to Coffee Fest NY.
- Staff writer covering food primarily for the Taste section, including: A weekly Hot Dish story, video and photo gallery spotlighting a restaurant’s signature dish; a weekly Farm to Fork piece on seasonal ingredients and recipes; a weekly Inspector Gadget column on kitchen tools; and features on food news, dining trends, nutrition and restaurant stories that also appeared on A1, Business and Living Well sections as well as the glossy monthly Grandeur magazine.
- Shot, edited and posted 1-2 feature videos and 1-2 photo galleries a week.
- Actively engaged online audience with SEO tactical posts, including social media, to contribute to news-press.com’s 1 million unique visitors and 13 million monthly page views; also used live chats, crowd sourcing and polls.
- Managed budget for Coastal Life, writing the weekly cover story, as well as weekly stories on wellness, restaurants, arts, events, business and charity.
- Pitched ideas, interviewed and wrote arts and entertainment articles, interviewing celebrities such as Dolly Parton, Kevin Nealon and Tommy Chong. Also covered three Naples Winter Wine Festivals, one of the nation’s largest charity wine fests, interviewing Spago and Gramercy Tavern chefs.
- Wrote customer-oriented, timely, snappy copy promoting farmer food gifts.
- Arranged and shot interviews, B-roll and photos; edited with voice-overs and music; produced and posted a video of a longtime family-owned citrus farm.
My Experience
October 2017 - Present
January 2015 - January 2016
Thehealthyapple.com, New York, NY
Freelance Editorial Assistant
Bon appétit, New York, NY
Freelance Writer
March 2014 - Present
The Journal News, Lohud.com, New York
Freelance Food & Fitness Journalist
Amy Sowder, Multimedia Food Journalist, Writer, Editor © All rights reserved.