Jeff Crites

Current

• Online Community Manager, Army.mil at MPRI (L-3 Communications)
• Digital Strategist at Brick and Click Consulting

Past

• Director, North America & Community Manager at www.fellowforce.com
• Operations/Creative Director/News Anchor, Bill Bennett's Morning in America at Salem Communications
• Podcast Producer at Townhall.com (Salem)

• Operations Manager/Program Director at Salem Satellite Media
• Creative Director at WAVA/WABS (Salem Communications)
• News Anchor/Editor/Producer at Salem Radio Network (SRN News)

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Education

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Recommended

10 people have recommended Jeff

Connections

306 connections

Industry

Public Relations and Communications

Jeff Crites’s Summary

I am a Digital Communication, Marketing, Community and Innovation strategist with deep experience (15 years) in traditional and online media, specializing in community management, business development, social/online media, internal and external 'open innovation' (consumer, employee, community feedback & crowdsourcing). At the heart of it all: the way communication is evolving.

My full time current position, Online Community Manager at Army.mil (contractor w/ security clearance), involves managing an online community of Army public affairs professionals around the world. I help them use a web-based content management platform to share the Army story via Army.mil (4-7 million unique visits monthly). My job also entails product development, business development, social media and general online communication strategy, and interacting with a wide mix of civilians and Soldiers.

I'm passionate about Open Innovation and Collaboration 2.0. Formerly Director, North America at Fellowforce.com, an Open Innovation portal and platform: duties included online/social media marketing, community managment, sales, PR, project management, product development.

My consultancy, Brick and Click, focuses on digital communication, marketing, community and innovation strategy and solutions for SME, media (radio in particular) and government. Services include: Digital strategy, Social Media marketing (integrating online and offline efforts), full service E-mail Newsletters, Consumer & Employee feedback solutions.

I blog at BrickandClick.com and am immersed in social media: Twitter (@BrickandClick), Facebook (Facebook.com/jeffcrites) and Linkedin.

Radio career spotlight:
Operations Director/News Anchor, Bill Bennett's Morning in America
Operations Manager/Program Director (3 XM Radio Channels)
Award winning Creative Director (Commercial Writer/Producer)
Podcast Developer/Producer (TownHall.com)
Network Radio News Anchor/Editor (SRN News)

Jeff Crites’s Specialties:

digital strategy, social media, marketing, blogging, communication, community management, open innovation, business development, product development, branding, copywriting, editing, crowdsourcing, email newsletters, consumerism, broadcast media, audio production, radio operations, podcast producing.

Jeff Crites’s Experience

• Online Community Manager, Army.mil

  MPRI (L-3 Communications)

  (Online Media industry)

  January 2009 — Present (11 months)

  I work with the team at MPRI (part of L-3) that develops and manages the Army.mil website. I'm the point person for the global community of Army Public Affairs Officers, helping them use an online content management system to gather, manage and share Army-centric news and information.

• Digital Strategist

  Brick and Click Consulting

  (Marketing and Advertising industry)

  May 2008 — Present (1 year 7 months)

  I provide digital communication and marketing strategy and solutions for businesses and organizations large and small, specializing in social media and open innovation/collaboration.

• Director, North America & Community Manager

  www.fellowforce.com

  (Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Internet industry)

  July 2007 — May 2008 (11 months)

  Helped build a global platform for open innovation between consumers and businesses; responsibilities included online marketing, brand creation (I coined the tagline Open For Innovation), community managment, sales and consulting in North America for Fellowforce.com, an open innovation platform and portal connecting companies and organizations with creative consumers and problem solvers worldwide.

• Operations/Creative Director/News Anchor, Bill Bennett's Morning in America

  Salem Communications

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; SALM; Broadcast Media industry)

  April 2004 — June 2007 (3 years 3 months)

  * News Anchor, on-air contributor for nationally syndicated morning radio show. I am known by hundreds of thousands of listeners across the country and was an integral part of this show.
  * Handled Technical Producing (audio mixing, creative production, caller software, anything and everything behind the scenes that runs the show
  * Managed the website (www.bennettmornings.com) and web community (the Roundtable - a term I created); created and managed various online marketing campaigns
  * wrote and edited commercial copy for the host
  * Produced and marketed the CD Morning in America: Remembering President Ronald Reagan, a richly mixed compilation of show interviews, historic audio clips and listener thoughts from the week following Reagan's passing

• Podcast Producer

  Townhall.com (Salem)

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; SALM; Broadcast Media industry)

  2006 — 2006 (less than a year)

  Developed and produced a daily, half hour Podcast for http://www.TCSdaily.com, in partnership with http://www.TownHall.com. I created an audio 'frame' for the podcast, wrote/voiced announcer 'wraps', recorded the host and his guests, and edited/produced the raw audio into a final, high quality mix that was uploaded to Townhall.com each weekday.

• Operations Manager/Program Director

  Salem Satellite Media

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; SALM; Broadcast Media industry)

  February 2001 — November 2003 (2 years 10 months)

  * Responsible for 3 XM Satellite Radio channels, operated in partnership with Salem and XM
  * Built and programmed from the ground up, one talk and two music format channels
  * hired and directed a modest staff, including on-air talent, producers, and a webmaster
  * Voicetracked for the music channels
  * wrote and produced various creative audio pieces and promos
  * developed new programs for the talk channel
  * marketing
  * web oversight
  * programmed automation software

• Creative Director

  WAVA/WABS (Salem Communications)

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; SALM; Broadcast Media industry)

  February 2000 — April 2001 (1 year 3 months)

  Creative Director for Salem's Washington DC two-station radio cluster. Responsible for audio production, commercial writing and campaign development. Heavy interaction with sales staff and clients. Was awarded three first place awards for commercials and/or promos (two Virginia Association of Broadcaster awards, one national Tesla award).
  
  Also anchored afternoon drive time news and business updates.

• News Anchor/Editor/Producer

  Salem Radio Network (SRN News)

  (Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; SALM; Broadcast Media industry)

  June 1998 — February 2000 (1 year 9 months)

  News Anchor, Editor and Producer for SRN News, with more than 1000 radio affiliates. Typical shift would require several hours of writing and anchoring network newscasts, then producing audio feeds for affiliates, writing and voicing reports for other anchors, and writing/producing a daily Business Brief. My area of strength and special interest was Business and the Economy, especially the internet bubble, and move toward Y2K.

Additional Information

Jeff Crites’s Interests:

Social Media, Community Management, Collaboration, Social Business Design, marketing, small busness, the economy, Main Street, open innovation, consumerism, technology trends, Web 2.0, blogging, entrepreneurship, dogs, animal rescue (Chance Foundation in Catlett, VA), Outer Banks (Duck)

Jeff Crites’s Groups:

Open Coffee (Ning based tech/startup group), ExecutiveBiz Roundtable (Tysons Corner, VA)

•    Innovative Marketing, PR, Sales, Word-of-Mouth & Buzz Innovators
•    Social Media Today
•    Association of the United States Army (AUSA)
•    Tweeple
•    twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters
•    Linked Business
•    Online Community Manager
•    Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing
•    Marketing Muse

Jeff Crites’s Honors:

First Place, Virginia Association of Broadcasters: Radio Promotion, Large Market (Writer/Voice talent/Producer)
First Place, Virginia Association of Broadcasters: Radio Commercial, Large Market (Writer/Voice talent/Producer)
First Place, Tesla Awards (National contest based in Colorado Springs, CO): Radio Commecial, Large Market (Writer/Voice talent/Producer)
First Place, Tesla Awards: Radio Promo, Large Market (Writer/Voice talent/Producer)

Jeff Crites’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• consulting offers
• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch