Kat Downs

Current

• Information Designer at The Washington Post

Past

• Web Producer at baltimoresun.com
• Rich Media Intern at USATODAY.COM
• Editorial Intern at Carolina Woman

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Education

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Lunds universitet
• National University of Singapore

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Recommended

1 person has recommended Kat

Connections

104 connections

Industry

Media Production

Websites

• My Website

Kat Downs’s Summary

At The Washington Post, I've focused on creating data-driven graphics and multimedia pieces that feature powerful storytelling and strong interaction design. I really enjoy working in collaborative environment, coming up with creative solutions, and incorporating new technologies into projects. I'm interested in all types of media, including writing, video, audio, photography and design.

Kat Downs’s Specialties:

Flash (Actionscript 3.0 and 2.0), CSS/HTML, JavaScript, Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, Omniture, data visualization, user interface design, Canon photo and video equipment, some ProTools and Final Cut Pro

Kat Downs’s Experience

• Information Designer

  The Washington Post

  (Public Company; Newspapers industry)

  March 2008 — Present (1 year 9 months)

  I create data-driven information graphics and customized multimedia experiences for the Washington Post's Web site, washingtonpost.com. I work on the interface design and front-end programming of both long-term and daily projects that come from all over the newsroom: investigations, foreign, metro, business and sports.

• Web Producer

  baltimoresun.com

  (Privately Held; Newspapers industry)

  November 2006 — March 2008 (1 year 5 months)

  At baltimoresun.com, I focused on designing and coding flash graphics, special coverage pages, sidebars, teasers and logos for special packages and sections throughout the site. I did research and photography for graphics and shot video occasionally. On a daily basis, I edited photos and wrote captions for photo galleries, as well as organizing stories from newsroom feeds and producing photos and graphics from the paper for the site. I frequently worked with newsroom and online staff to create online exclusives to compliment print coverage. I also produced newsletters, compiled metrics data, maintained databases and responded to reader feedback.

• Rich Media Intern

  USATODAY.COM

  (Public Company; GCI; Newspapers industry)

  June 2006 — September 2006 (4 months)

  • Researched, designed and wrote copy for breaking news graphics.
  • Produced interactive modules incorporating audio, photo and graphic elements for money, life and sports.

• Editorial Intern

  Carolina Woman

  (Publishing industry)

  January 2006 — May 2006 (5 months)

  • Edited copy for business, fashion and cooking articles and compiled Update and Events sections each month.
  • Designed promotional materials to increase reader diversity and advertiser interest in special issues.

Kat Downs’s Education

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  BA , Journalism & Mass Communication , 2002 — 2006

  At UNC, I majored in journalism with a focus on visual communication, completing the sequences for both photojournalism and multimedia. In spring 2006, I participated in the Carolina Photojournalism Workshop (http://www.carolinaphotojournalism.org/cpjw/) and that summer I was a photographer on the Atacama Stories documentary team (http://www.atacamastories.org) in the Atacama Desert in Chile. During college, I built web sites for Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and the UNC Dance Marathon ('05). My senior year, I was the photo editor for Blue & White Magazine.

  Activities and Societies:

  Alpha Phi Omega, UNC Dance Marathon, Blue & White Magazine

• Lunds universitet

  Study Abroad , 2005 — 2005

  Studied abroad in Lund, Sweden during the spring of my junior year. I studied Swedish literature and European culture and history.

• National University of Singapore

  Study Abroad , 2003 — 2003

  I spent almost two months in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia studying the history and culture of Southeast Asia through the Singapore Summer Immersion program at UNC-CH.

Additional Information

Kat Downs’s Websites:

• My Website

Kat Downs’s Interests:

Technology, photography, design, interactivity, news, journalism, tennis, reading, cooking

Kat Downs’s Groups:

•    UNC Alumni
•    The Baltimore Sun

Kat Downs’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

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