Getting to Know Cara

Cara is a writer and communications strategist with a love for telling stories. She has a passion for her field and a natural ability to engage with words.

kristin-boyer_hutt_9517.jpgCara specializes in identifying and creating compelling content. She’s had the privilege to write and lead for an amazing collection of sites and organizations, including CNN, CNN’s Headline News, The White House and Cox Media Group.

She prides herself on her versatility and skill as a communicator. She’s worked in a variety of industries, including PR, public affairs and news.

In her news career, she’s held roles across platforms, including in digital, social and broadcast.

Cara works in communications because she loves to lead others, write, learn and spark conversations.

MY FULL RESUME

My Skills Include:
• Extensive experience building communications and coverage plans for internal and external audiences
• Writing, research and cutting through the clutter to create clear and easily digestible copy
• Strong ability to turn complex ideas into stories and visual concepts easily understood by a broad audience
• Broad writing experience, including in executive communications, ghostwriting, copywriting and news writing
• Strong creative, visual and editorial point of view
• Creating scripts and copy in a variety of voices and for an array of audiences
• Well-organized, flexible and creative with a copy editor’s eye for detail and a reporter’s passion for information
• Extensive experience managing an editorial calendar
• Project management and prioritization on needs ranging from creative to technical
• Relationship building across organizations and leadership levels
• Managing teams of all levels of experience
• Building new roles, initiatives and teams from the ground up
• Comfort in change, evolution and the addition of new responsibilities
• Identifying engaging topics and angles
• Broad understanding of how various media and channels engage audiences
• Diverse communications knowledge (from video production to newsletters to press releases)
• Comfort operating in fast-paced breaking news environment and on tight deadlines
• Comfort and experience monitoring, pulling and analyzing key data and metrics

 

More Details On My Experience:

  • Experienced manager: Currently, I lead more than 10 employees and oversee three teams I launched from the ground up. We started with one producer and grew to generate more than 80 million video views last year.
  • Extensive writing and editing experience: I have a master’s degree in mass communications with a specialization in print/digital journalism. I’ve written for CNN.com, HLNtv.com and as a ghostwriter and copywriter (White House, Public Relations roles). I continue to edit scripts and help my producers shape the editorial focus of their packages and segments.
  • Communications planning experience: My roles in PR and my current role require editorial and communication planning ahead of major events and initiatives.
  • Editorial calendar experience: I direct my team to closely follow an editorial news calendar, and I have built a strategy for developing high-performing video content, coordinating with the news writers and effectively communicating with CMG’s news properties.
  • Understanding of how various media and channels engage audiences: This is and has been an integral part of my experience. Each day I identify pre-viral and editorial calendar content that will win on social and digital, and my suggestions set the editorial slate for the day.
  • Social and digital leadership: Much of my career has been focused on identifying social and digital opportunities and producing associated content.
  • Project management skills: In addition to my day-to-day as a manager, I lead projects on everything from launching a new millennial news product to working with the technology team to develop the most effective video sharing strategies. At HLN, I was a planning producer, leading efforts to pre-plan event coverage on multiple platforms. I set up shoots, planned digital coverage, recruited participants and communicated with production crews.
  • Well-organized, flexible and creative with a copy editor’s eye for detail and a reporter’s passion for information: Given the variety of tasks I’ve taken on and the type of work I do, these skills are essential. I ensure my team follows the highest editorial standards and have worked closely with our legal team to develop specific usage guidance. I love the news and have a passion for analyzing what type of coverage works and why.
  • Strong creative, visual, and editorial point of view: I have been complimented on my ability to understand what content will work or resonate. Much of my career has been focused on identifying content that will perform well on social, search and digital platforms.
  • Leadership and interpersonal skills: I was voted most friendly in high school, and while that was some time ago, I’m still known for my ability to build strong, lasting relationships. I excel at resolving difficult situations and building bridges under challenging circumstances.

**Learn more about Cara’s experience through her LinkedIn Profile.