TAYL R SMITH
journalist & storyteller
SAY HELLO
EDUCATION
Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Bachelor of Arts, May 2022
Major: Journalism
Concentrations: News and Magazine
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Minor: Creative Writing
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Honors College
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GPA: 3.963
SKILLS
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Writing
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Copy Editing
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Fact Checking
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Adobe InDesign
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Adobe Illustrator
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Adobe Lightroom
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Adobe Premiere
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Photography
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ProCreate
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Social Media
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Canva
REFERENCES
Tyler Davidson
Meetings Today
Vice President & Chief Content Director
Christine Jackson
St. Louis Magazine
Managing Editor; Arts & Culture Editor
Dr. Natalee Seely
Ball State University
Assistant Professor of Journalism
*Please email me for contact information.
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
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National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Award Winner (2021-22, 2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19)
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National Scholastic Press Association Award Winner (2021-22, 2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19)
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College Media Association Pinnacle Award Winner and Finalist (2020-21, 2018-19)
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Don Yaeger Daily News Editor Scholarship (2021)
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Sam Smith News-Editorial Scholarship (2019)
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Ball State Daily News Most Heart Award (2022)
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Ball State Daily News Most Outstanding Staff Member Award (2021)
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Junior Editorial Ball Bearings Excellence Award (2019)
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Ball State Presidential Scholarship Recipient
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Dean's List
CAREER EXPERIENCE
MEETINGS TODAY, STAMATS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Content Developer, Destinations and Features, May 2022 - Present
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Work, collaborate and communicate with an editorial team of three to pitch, plan, gather, research, write and develop content for monthly print issues and daily digital publication
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Travel to destinations across the country to provide coverage of city- and state-wide offerings, including hotels, resorts, culture, shopping, entertainment, attractions and more
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Write, copy edit and fact check features regarding topics including food & beverage, DEI, industry profiles, destinations, sustainability and more, including a self-started column, "The Z: Planning for the Industry's Next Generation"
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Develop social media content in relation to the Meetings Today brand in an effort to actively increase engagement across platforms
UNIFIED STUDENT MEDIA, BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
Editor-in-Chief, The Ball State Daily News, August 2021 - May 2022
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Work with an editorial board of 20 student reporters and editors, guide and lead those who are learning and eager, edit stories of all levels and provide relevant, constructive and kind feedback
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Direct and organize print night activities, delegate tasks and promote learning and educational opportunities
Managing Editor, The Ball State Daily News, August 2020 - August 2021
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Conduct monthly content audits focusing on The Daily News’ performance regarding categories regarding race and gender representation, original work and types of stories reported to inform the editorial board and improve
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Thoroughly read through eligible student media work for award submissions, organized possible entries into detailed spreadsheets and discussed thoughts and opinions with section editors
Articles Editor, Ball Bearings Magazine, August 2019 - August 2020
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Worked with an editorial board of student reporters and editors to develop thoughtful, themed content for the semester’s publication and approved ideas based the content suitability in relation to the theme
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Wrote and reported some of the most meaningful stories I have published became a finalist and national award winner, and began to further understand the type of content I love to write the most
INTERNSHIP & APPRENTICESHIP EXPERIENCE
Editorial Intern, St. Louis Magazine, August 2021 - January 2021
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Wrote articles for the online website and print editions in sections including dining, art & culture, style, music, design, family, literature and shopping by familiarizing myself with a city I have never visited, but now love
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Learned to take advantage of opportunities and said yes to stories that intimidated me and quick turnarounds; developed time management skills
Editorial Assistant & Apprentice, Aubree Nichols, May - September 2021
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Assisted and learned from Aubree through editing workshops on pieces she wrote for publications including The New York Times, ELLE and The L.A. Times
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Drafted and pitched my own story ideas to publications including ELLE and Teen Vogue with guidance from Aubree, therefore networking and developing connections with editors at top publications
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Attended weekly writing workshops with Aubree and other successful female journalists from a variety of publications in which we edited one another’s pitches and articles for multiple magazines
Features Editor, Boss Babes Do Brunch, February - June 2021
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Worked with a team of three to develop an online magazine publication from scratch, including the magazine’s basic structure, content and article ideas related to monthly themes
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Wrote copy for social posts based on research I performed on successful businesswomen, entrepreneurs and women in media
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Collaborated with a team of interns to rebrand Boss Babes Do Brunch as a business on all platforms, including web and social media
Editorial Intern, Society19 Magazine, June - August 2019
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Pitched at least 10 uniquely developed story ideas in weekly team meetings, of which at least five were approved, written, edited and ready for publication by the end of the week
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Collected and provided a variety of options for multimedia elements related to every article for online use and publication
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Communicated daily with editors regarding edits and revisions, areas to improve and overall performance as an editorial intern