Sam Hurwitt

FREELANCE JOURNALIST ▷ Writing ▷ Storytelling ▷ Journalism ▷ Relationship Building at Various online & print publications
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Contact Information
us****@****om
(386) 825-5501
Location
Alameda, California, United States, US

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Experience

    • Writing and Editing
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • FREELANCE JOURNALIST ▷ Writing ▷ Storytelling ▷ Journalism ▷ Relationship Building
      • 1993 - Present

      As a freelance journalist, I write comprehensive and insightful reviews and feature-length pieces for newspapers, magazines, and online publications, with a specialty in lifestyle and culture subject matter, including live theater, music, books, movies, and travel. In my 20-year writing career, I have contributed to national publications, including American Theatre, Variety, and Salon, as well as publications in Budapest, Hungary. As such I have conducted research and interviews online, by phone, and in-person, and developed a strong network of trusted contacts. 📰 SELECTED PUBLICATION PARTNERS: Oakland Magazine, The Mercury News, East Bay Times, Marin Independent Journal, American Theatre, Theatre Bay Area, East Bay Monthly, KQED Arts, East Bay Express, San Francisco Chronicle, Kitchen Sink, Austin Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Examiner Magazine, Salon.com, Budapest Sun Show less

    • United States
    • Non-profit Organizations
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & ASSOCIATE EDITOR ▷ Business Operations ▷ Public Relations ▷ Social Media
      • Jul 2007 - May 2015

      I was hired and soon promoted to Editor-in-chief due to my successful journalistic strategy, strong industry acumen, and in-depth knowledge of and passion for theater throughout the Bay Area. I was challenged to breathe new life into the publication while maintaining the organization’s reputation for in-depth, locally focused content. In this role I held full accountability for the scope of editorial operations for the magazine, online content, member e-newsletters, and other publications such as annual reports, conference brochures, and fundraising letters. Additionally, I recruited and mentored new writers and maximized magazine and online editorial budgets.📌 SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS:⇨ Steered the strategic and creative direction of the magazine’s journalism, incorporating topics such as the exploration of diversity and inclusion practices in local companies to the existing mix of coverage of Bay Area artists. ⇨ Spearheaded the transition from a primarily printed publication to web-based delivery to accommodate budgetary changes, better align with reader preferences, and improve publications’ engagement performance. Nearly doubled journalistic output and significantly increased the timeliness of coverage.⇨ Established and maintained lean business practices in response to budgetary cutbacks while continuing to deliver exemplary end product and creative journalism. ⇨ Partnered with cross-functional teams, department leadership, and executive director on developing marketing and fundraising communications. ⇨ Directed social media manager in efforts to maintain a robust social media presence and stay on-trend with content and current events. ⇨ Represented organization during interviews (with publications such as American Theatre and the San Francisco Chronicle) and at industry events, including participating in panel discussions on theater journalism. Show less

    • Associate Editor
      • Jul 2007 - Oct 2010

    • Theater critic
      • Feb 2007 - Feb 2009

    • United States
    • Newspaper Publishing
    • 300 - 400 Employee
    • Freelance theater writer
      • Jun 2004 - Sep 2007

  • Kitchen Sink
    • Oakland, California, United States
    • FILM EDITOR ▷ Strategy ▷ Management ▷ Publishing ▷ People Management
      • 2005 - 2007

      With Kitchen Sink Magazine, I served as 1 of 4 section editors and inherited the film and TV division of the magazine and worked with contributors nationwide. I organized, supervised, and edited all film and TV essays, ensuring the quality of content and subject matter, as well as maintaining project deadlines and industry best practices. As such I published in-depth features on pervasive tropes in cinema and thorny questions about intriguing new movies. 📌 SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS: ⇨ Served as a key driving force in managing the issue-to-issue operations of curating strong, branded content for the magazine that impacted the publication’s growth and reader engagement. ⇨ Maintained editorial calendar and coordinated content projects across a diverse base of contributors. ⇨ Regularly contributed creative content, both long-form essays and a regular “Bottom Shelf” column. Show less

  • G & S Editors
    • Austin, Texas, United States
    • PROJECT EDITOR ▷ Performance Metrics ▷ Research ▷ Analytical Skills
      • 2002 - 2003

      In 2002, I was hired to the G & S Typesetters’ editing department which handled the editing and indexing of a wide range of books pertaining to law, art, and science for a variety of publishers. During this time, I managed a results-oriented team of 10, including copy editors, proofreaders, and indexers. In 2002, I was hired to the G & S Typesetters’ editing department which handled the editing and indexing of a wide range of books pertaining to law, art, and science for a variety of publishers. During this time, I managed a results-oriented team of 10, including copy editors, proofreaders, and indexers.

  • XenoMusic.com
    • Budapest, Hungary
    • ASSOCIATE EDITOR ▷ Digital Strategy ▷ Content Development ▷ Web Content Writing
      • 2001 - 2002

      As an integral member of a 3-person in-house editorial team, I copy edited articles from contributors and wrote engaging web content, including reviews of downloadable albums within the company’s online catalog. 📌 SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS: ⇨ Cultivated sales and customer engagement through brief but lively reviews of available music for purchase, which was the chief revenue source for the company. As an integral member of a 3-person in-house editorial team, I copy edited articles from contributors and wrote engaging web content, including reviews of downloadable albums within the company’s online catalog. 📌 SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS: ⇨ Cultivated sales and customer engagement through brief but lively reviews of available music for purchase, which was the chief revenue source for the company.

    • ARTS EDITOR, ASSOCIATE EDITOR & ASSISTANT EDITOR ▷ Brand Management ▷ Leadership
      • May 1994 - Aug 2001

      During my time with East Bay Express I received successive promotions with increased responsibility to ultimately hold dual roles as Copy Chief and Arts Editor. I led a talented team comprised of 3 proofreaders, a copy editor, and 50+ in-house and freelance writers. In these leadership roles I directed workflows and edited assignments, including art reviews, essays, short features, and music columns. Additionally, I created an in-house editorial stylebook and maintained an editorial archive database. 📌 SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS:⇨ Expanded the arts review section by up to 4x by recruiting new, fresh writers, resulting in an increase in content diversity and further engagement with the East Bay arts scene.⇨ Directly contributed to the reshaping the publication’s coverage, newly robust arts coverage, and its capturing of a new generation of readers. ⇨ Connected readers to lesser-known events, artists, and communities and developed new weekly rock, hip-hop, and pop culture columns. Show less

    • Associate Editor
      • 1998 - 1999

      Acted as Arts Editor and Copy ChiefAssigned and edited all arts reviewsCopyedited most other editorial copyHired and supervised the proofreaders and copy editorsWrote the in-house editorial style book

    • Assistant Editor
      • 1994 - 1998

      Copyedited and proofread all editorial copyMaintained the editorial archive databaseFielded comic strip submissions

Education

  • San Francisco State University
    Bachelor of Arts - BA, Philosophy and Religion
    1988 - 1993
  • Berkeley High School
    1984 - 1988

Community

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