Information Designer, Technical Communicator, Webmaster
Montreal, Canada Area
- Current
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- Information Architect at Twist Image
- Past
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- Owner at Digital Wind
- QA Lead - Autodesk Cleaner at Autodesk
- President at STC Montreal
- Web Developer at eNGENUITY Technologies
- Education Tools Developer at Softimage
- Senior Technical Writer at Eicon Technology
- Education
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- Concordia University
- Vanier College
- Recommended
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1 person has recommended Jim - Connections
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64
connections
- Industry
- Computer Software
- Websites
Jim Royal’s Summary
My life's work is about communication.
I'm a information architect, technical writer, designer, webmaster, and photographer. I'm a former journalist. I was president of the Montreal chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.
Learning and variety and creating things excite me, and I look for work that allows me to flex as many different kinds of creative muscles as possible.
Jim Royal’s Specialties:
Writing complex material for a lay audience; Confident and engaging public speaking; Elegant web design; Technical illustration; Video encoding; An uncanny knack to remember dialogue from Babylon 5.
Jim Royal’s Experience
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Information Architect
Twist Image
(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)
June 2007 — Present (1 year 2 months)
My job is to make sure that web sites work. I look at the organization of information, usability, and functionality; I touch upon everything that affects how people interact with and use information.
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Owner
Digital Wind
(Privately Held; Myself Only; Graphic Design industry)
January 2003 — June 2007 (4 years 6 months)
Digital Wind is my own company, specializing in elegant web and print design, technical writing and editing, and corporate photography. The company is on hiatus.
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QA Lead - Autodesk Cleaner
Autodesk
(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; ADSK; Computer Software industry)
June 2005 — March 2007 (1 year 10 months)
(Recurring contract) I was lead tester for Autodesk Cleaner, a Windows and Macintosh application for processing video for CD, DVD, and the web. I traveled to India to work with the development team in Bangalore.
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President
STC Montreal
(Non-Profit; Computer Software industry)
2004 — 2005 (1 year)
The Society for Technical Communication is a worldwide organization for the professional development of technical writers. I served as vice-president, then as president, and as a frequent workshop and lecture speaker.
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Web Developer
eNGENUITY Technologies
(Public Company; 51-200 employees; EGY; Computer Software industry)
April 2001 — August 2002 (1 year 5 months)
Although hired as a technical writer, I quickly grew into a broader role, creating five corporate web sites and a truckload of corporate communication material. I won an award for the design of the company's 2001 annual report.
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Education Tools Developer
Softimage
(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Computer Software industry)
September 1999 — April 2001 (1 year 8 months)
I designed and produced innovative video-based training modules for Softimage products. I designed PDF-based tutorials and created numerous technical illustrations for several product manuals. In addition, I wrote three training course workbooks for Softimage products.
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Senior Technical Writer
Eicon Technology
(Public Company; 201-500 employees; EIC; Computer Networking industry)
September 1993 — September 1999 (6 years 1 month)
I started at Eicon as a junior technical writer and left as a senior writer and group leader. I wrote, designed, and illustrated over three dozen complex technical manuals and online help systems on tight deadlines.
Jim Royal’s Education
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Concordia University
B.A., Specialization in Journalism and Communications, 1989 — 1991
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Vanier College
D.E.C., Pure and Applied Science, 1985 — 1988
- Activities and Societies:
- Student journalism; news editor for Alternative, and founder of Phoenix.
Additional Information
Jim Royal’s Websites:
Jim Royal’s Interests:
Photography, new technologies, Macintosh, 3D modeling, public speaking.
Jim Royal’s Groups:
Society for Technical Communication, Montreal chapter (President, 2004-2005)
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Canada member -
Information Architecture Institute (IAI) member -
Ex-Eicon Technology Alumni member
Jim Royal’s Honors:
Received Platinum Award from the League of American Communications Professionals in their competition of the Top 100 Annual Reports for 2001 (annual report designed for eNGENUITY Technologies).
Jim Royal’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- expertise requests
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
