Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel

Current

• Joe Freelancer at Fritzify
• Editor in Chief at Who2.com

Past

• Senior Editor at Google
• Writer (Freelance) at Intuit
• Senior Editor at Lycos, Inc.

see less...

Education

• Willamette University

Connections

88 connections

Industry

Internet

Websites

• Who2.com
• The Who2 Blog

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Summary

I won an Emmy Award in 1992 for television scriptwriting, but since 1995 I have written almost exclusively on the Web, working with facts rather than fiction.

My specialty is making dry information fun in the service of education, marketing and other typical online aims.

Clients have included Intuit, Wine.com, Universal Studios, Lycos, and Broderbund Software. Since 2004 I have been a senior editor at Google. Who2.com, the online biographical encyclopedia, was created by Paul Hehn and me in 1998.

Trivia: I won the 1995 Tournament of Champions on the TV game show "Jeopardy."

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Specialties:

I enjoy life at the intersection of reference and entertainment. I'm especially skilled at writing and editing for the Web, which I've been doing since 1995.

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Experience

• Joe Freelancer

  Fritzify

  (Writing and Editing industry)

  2009 — Present (less than a year)

  I've returned to freelancing after 4.73 years as a senior editor at Google. So many people have asked me over the years to "fritzify" their text that I'm adopting the name for my new freelance business.
  
  Fritzify.com isn't up and running yet, but I expect to have it up in July after loafing for the next few weeks. I'll be handling all types of copy, with a special emphasis on speedy rewriting first drafts provided by clients.

• Editor in Chief

  Who2.com

  (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Online Media industry)

  January 1998 — Present (11 years 7 months)

  I'm the creator and editor of Who2.com, the web's leading biographical encylopedia. (Now more traffic and reach even than Biography.com, according to Alexa.) We've been online since 1998 and continue to grow as a part-time project for three writers and two techies.

• Senior Editor

  Google

  (Public Company; GOOG; Internet industry)

  August 2004 — May 2009 (4 years 10 months)

  As a senior editor for this terrific company, I wrote FAQs, emails, and other customer support content that helped "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." I left in May of 2009 to return to freelancing.

• Writer (Freelance)

  Intuit

  (Internet industry)

  2003 — 2004 (1 year)

• Senior Editor

  Lycos, Inc.

  (Public Company; 501-1000 employees; Internet industry)

  August 1998 — December 2000 (2 years 5 months)

  My original role at Lycos was producing the Entertainment section of the site. But my later and greater role (and pride) was the creation of the Lycos 50, a weekly ranking of the Web's most-searched terms. The Lycos 50 was the first ranking of its kind, predating Yahoo's Buzz List and Google's Zeitgeist pages. The product remains one the bright spots (http://50.lycos.com/) for a company that has otherwise had some rocky days. For a trip down memory lane, here's my one-year anniversary column from 1999: http://50.lycos.com/083000.html

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Education

• Willamette University

  Bachelors , History , 1979 — 1983

  Activities and Societies:

  Phi Beta Kappa

Additional Information

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Websites:

• Who2.com
• The Who2 Blog

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Honors:

Emmy Award, 1992, for scripting the CBS TV special "A Claymation Easter Celebration"

Phi Beta Kappa

Ryan "Fritz" Holznagel’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

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