Internet Aficionado
Fargo, North Dakota Area
- Current
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- Lead Producer at Forum Communications Company
- Past
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- Production Assistant at KVLY / KXJB
- Contributing Writer at High Plains Reader
- Field Canvasser at North Dakota Dem-NPL Party
- Shift Manager at M & H gas station
- Education
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- Minnesota State University, Moorhead
- Recommended
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3 people have recommended Zac - Connections
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94
connections
- Industry
- Online Media
- Websites
Zac Echola’s Summary
As a web strategist, I have a solid understanding of how to convert Web technologies into increased, more engaged readership. SEO, analytics, training, networking and planning all play a part, but I'm mostly concerned with making connections and building relationships. I'm keen on all sides of the media business: technology, editorial, business and audience.
Ultimately, I'm best at getting people to do things in better or at least more interesting ways. Every day I try to convince the people around me to try new things.
I work on a few side projects, including a media industry blog. I am a founding member of Wiredjournalists.com, a social network designed for preparing journalists for new media. It's Randomonium! is an almost daily, tumblr staff-picked blog that culls weird and interesting stuff from around the Web.
Zac Echola’s Specialties:
Quark, Adobe Suite, Final Cut, Thinking about stuff, HTML, CSS, XML, Analytics, Associated Press style, audio/video production, copy/pasting, coffee drinking.
I'm also a fine researcher.
Oh and I come Mac, Windows and Linux ready right out of the box.
Zac Echola’s Experience
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Lead Producer
Forum Communications Company
(Privately Held; Newspapers industry)
December 2005 — Present (3 years 8 months)
Plan and execute content and advertising strategies for Forum Communications products as well as train newspaper, television and radio employees for Web production. I work closely with editors, publishers and GMs to help them grow their Web sites in many areas, especially in multimedia, video and search optimization.
Act as advocate for community publishing, pushing blogs and community involvement in media and civics.
I spend a good portion of my week on research and development, working directly with publishers and programmers.
I juggle a lot of projects. It's great.
Previously:
Produced news packages for Forum Communication's flagship Web site (www.inforum.com) as well as supported and managed online content strategies and content development for about 50 other newspaper, television, commercial and pure play online properties. -
Production Assistant
KVLY / KXJB
(Broadcast Media industry)
November 2002 — December 2005 (3 years 2 months)
Made daily news graphics, operated master control board, mixed live audio, operated studio cameras and handled uplink/downlink feeds. I was totally awesome at this job, I loved it and sometimes miss live TV, but it's TV, so the pay really sucked. So it goes.
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Contributing Writer
High Plains Reader
(Writing and Editing industry)
January 2002 — November 2005 (3 years 11 months)
Occasionally wrote feature stories for the area's only alternative weekly paper as well as regularly edited the Best Bets section of the paper and produced the Web site.
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Field Canvasser
North Dakota Dem-NPL Party
(Political Organization industry)
June 2002 — November 2002 (6 months)
Gathered and analyzed voter data for North Dakota Dem-NPL party, particularly Rep. Earl Pomeroy's campaign. He won.
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Shift Manager
M & H gas station
(Food & Beverages industry)
March 2000 — April 2002 (2 years 2 months)
High school job: Managed kitchen at a gas station during the evening shift. Not much more you can say about that. I smelled like chicken.
Zac Echola’s Education
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Minnesota State University, Moorhead
American Studies, Mass Communications 2002 — 2006
I dropped out to take a great opportunity at Forum Communications. I plan to finish someday, though it probably won't be as a double major.
MSUM wrongly gave up on the American Studies program, and to be honest I found the Mass Comm department lacking, which is why I spent so much time in the Poli Sci and Music departments. So when I do finish, it'll be as a Universities Studies student.
Additional Information
Zac Echola’s Websites:
Zac Echola’s Interests:
media, technology, management, ice cream and baseball.
Zac Echola’s Groups:
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ThoseinMedia -
Wired Journalists
Zac Echola’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
