I am currently pursuing a master’s in cultural journalism and criticism at USC in Los Angeles. For the most up-to-date look at what I’m working on check my Twitter or my writing samples page.
But if you’d like to know what I’ve been up to professionally through the years, here is a rough summary:
I work as a senior editor with Bright Wall/Dark Room, helping shape the online magazine from backend to front. I am responsible for reviewing submissions for each monthly issue, editing accepted pieces for publication, managing our Instagram account, and participating and editing our monthly podcast.
I am also the sole copy editor, meaning I ensure that the final copy of BW/DR is error free by copy- and line-editing all pieces before they go to print. I fix typos, fact check, and ensure that all copy is ready to go (and clean) on deadline.
Some highlights on: The Terror, The Americans, Mother!, as well as interviews with Lulu Wang and Bo Burnham and Elsie Fisher.
As a producer at SeattlePI.com I managed SeattlePI’s home page and social media accounts (and the firehose of content that comes with it), and reported on Seattle news and culture for the site.
I helped design and develop our social media strategies, and pioneered how we cover film at a local level. During my tenure at the P-I, I covered the Seattle International Film Festival three times.
Some highlights include: White Center’s growing LGBTQ population, ScreenX and the history of film gimmicks, the big bike share ruling, SCOTUS’s LGBTQ cake decision on a local level, the Leschi Trump Counter, baby’s first hotdog (for $18) and interviews with Hannah Gadsby; Lynn Shelton; and Ameila Bonow of #ShoutYourAbortion.
I oversaw the operation of LXBN, LexBlog’s magazine site curating the best content from the LexBlog Network. Using meticulous organization, I maintained the site, as well as LXBN’s social media platforms. I was responsible for all posts that come through the LexBlog Network, and saw that all content is curated, categorized, and tagged on the site, in addition to producing original content each day. Additionally, I supported LexBlog’s business development team and CEO with guidance on how we could leverage LXBN to help our clients blog better, always pushing LXBN and its members forward.
Highlights include: Marshawn Lynch’s worker’s comp, Sony data breach, sovereign rights and tort law.
During my time at The Daily I wore a lot of hats: Arts & Leisure editor, Assistant Development Editor, Science Editor, and Staff Writer. I ensured sections were put together, approved layouts, took photos, and provided content for the UW’s all student-run newspaper, which served more than 40,000 students and staff. I penned the “Campus Pulse” column for the science section for quarter, reporting on the not-quite breaking but still important research and healthcare news from UW’s premiere med center. And from smooth opinions in special sections to hard front page news from the administrative beat (which I covered my very first quarter with The Daily) I honed my writing and expanded my horizons.
I was honored to be The Seattle Times’ Features intern for winter quarter in 2014. During my time there I reviewed concerts and exhibits, wrote on summer hotspots and Peep photography, and—of course—helped the Features section capitalize on the excitement before the Super Bowl. I produced articles of various lengths, from short pieces to longer features, and worked independently, managing my time effectively to constantly meet deadlines.
During my time at Seattle Metropolitan magazine (for the record, magazine isn’t part of the title, and per my Ariana’s instruction, is not to be capitalized) I worked closely with a team of 13 editors at an award-winning monthly city magazine and website (updated daily, 800,000-plus page views monthly). I launched the One-Sentence Stories series in the magazine’s front-of-book section; contributed to the arts and entertainment blog; and transcribed weekly interviews. I fact-checked feature and department manuscripts which taught me more about how to construct stories, be they long-form or dream dinners. I proofread galleys and blogs for house style and fit copy in layouts and proofread the digital edition of the magazine each month. And of course, ensured published magazine content made it to the website using web-based content management system, following SEO standards to elevate articles in search engines.
As the editorial intern at Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Backdoor, I edited and proofread manuscripts of the 2014 guidebooks. No, that doesn’t mean I got to fly off to Prague or Berlin or London (sadly). Instead I worked from their offices in Edmonds, reading books and fact-checking with sources across the pond. Which means that if your guidebook is from 2014 I can promise you it is correct. During my time there I also assisted with the ghost writing of Rick’s Chicago Tribune travel column. I helped out with many a sidebar, and hopefully prevented some tourists from getting their pockets picked.
My first experience with a real newsroom, Seattle Weekly was quite a thrill. My job was to come in and crank out stories, while also maintaining the social media accounts of The Daily Weekly, the online news site. Shout out to TweetDeck and HootSuite, which made my job a whole lot easier. I researched larger feature stories for the weekly paper, circulated throughout Seattle, and even contributed a couple of my own. I became the primary copy editor for The Daily Weekly, which I also contributed articles to.
Erica took a chance on a journalism student looking for her first internship, even though she was pretty upfront about not having backpacked in years—and I think it worked out marvelously for both of us. My primary duty was to edit and prepare articles as they came in, and schedule them out so that we would have a new one each morning. Working remotely, I edited, tagged, and prepared both photos and articles for publication using WordPress. Additionally I was trained in search engine optimization to help boost the fledgling site, which had just started building steam after two years.
Zosha Millman 