About Jen
I produce conservation narratives across omni-channel environments----helping non-profit brands drive exposure, build loyalty, and catapult revenue by capturing the hearts and minds of target audiences.
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Loves:
+ plott hounds
+ mountain trails
+ the enneagram (3w4)
+ pablo neruda, barbara kingsolver, and weratedogs
+ lime-soaked gin & tonics
+ npr's "how I built this"
+ unzipping a rainfly to a backcountry view
+ frosting a sharp edge on a four-layer cake
+ bright white sneakers
+ hiking by headlamp
+ the oxford comma
+ country music
+ topo chico
My Projects
WRITING: THE LAST BISON [Feature]
How now brown cow? When it comes to one of America's most iconic species--the buffalo--all is not as it seems.
For this Nature Conservancy magazine feature story, I traveled to Texas A&M's genetics lab to interview Veterinary Patholobiologist Dr. James Derr about his research into bison DNA. I also visited Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, where some of the last genetically pure bison roam over 40,000 acres of grass and sky. I wrote the feature story, hed, dek, and captions.
WRITING: FACING CHANGE [News Story]
Centuries of commercial hunting have decimated whale numbers worldwide. Today, some populations are on the rebound but new threats jeopardize their tenuous recovery.
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For this Nature Conservancy magazine news story for the front-of-the-book umbrella department called "Worldview," I reported and wrote an article on new threats to rebounding populations of whales and the work the Conservancy is doing to help mitigate them.
WRITING: CONSERVATION REBOOT [Short Feature]
Technology is changing how we protect the planet and scientists are on the cutting-edge.
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I conceptualized, reported, and wrote this feature story for World Wildlife magazine, exploring the ways in which WWF experts are adapting existing technologies and pioneering new ones to advance conservation.
EDITING: THE VANISHING FOREST [Cover Story]
Unchecked populations of purple sea urchins are devouring California's iconic kelp forests, but pioneering scientists are working to put the ecosystem back in balance.
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I ideated, commissioned, and edited this feature story for Nature Conservancy magazine, including writing the hed, dek, captions, coverlines, and a sidebar graphic novella.
EDITING: Bloom & Bust [Feature Story]
In Wyoming, warmer springs and earlier snowmelt could spell trouble for flowering plants and the wildlife that depend on the precise timing of their blossoms and berries.
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To illustrate this story, I sourced a botanical paper sculpture artist from the U.K. and commissioned 65 paper flowers in all stages of bud, bloom and decay.
DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT: WORLDVIEW
For each issue of Nature Conservancy I serve as lead depts. editor for the magazine's front-of-the-book Worldview section.
I research leads, draft a slate of 12 stories and assign them to a suite of freelance writers. I concept original visual approaches articles (including illustrations, graphics, infographics and maps) and collaborat with Design and third-party vendors to execute those deliverables. I edit the12 stories and steward them through the magazine's production process including fact-checking, copyediting, proofreading and staff review.
EDITING & DIGITAL PRODUCTION: WATER COLORS
Discover which Atlantic Game Fish is nearly twice the size of a 6 ft. human. Finger paint a Nassau Grouper. Listen to artist James Prosek explain how he captures the living colors of his scaly subjects. [Interactive functionality only available on iPad.]
I was responsible for the UI ideation and art direction of all interactive features for this story on Nature Conservancy magazine's digital edition app for iPad. For the print magazine, I also served as lead editor on the project, commissioning and editing the story, as well as writing all heds, deks, captions, and coverlines.
VIDEO: ON ASSIGNMENT IN PATAGONIA
Travel to the southern tip of South America with photographer Nick Hall in a behind-the-scenes video about his assignment on The Nature Conservancy's conservation work with sustainable sheep ranchers at the bottom of the Earth.
I worked with Nick and a video assistant to develop a series of eight one-to-three minute videos lifting the veil on his artistic process, the rigors of shooting on a windswept landscape, the challenges of wildlife photography, and more. These videos were embedded throughout the digital edition feature story.
VIDEO: MAINE'S MOOSE RIVER BOW TRIP
Join photographer Bridget Besaw for a morning on Maine's Moose River Bow Trip as she explains the wild spirit and recreational heritage of Maine's North Woods.
I worked with Bridget to commission a series of four video vignettes on Maine's North Woods. These videos were featured in the digital edition of Nature Conservancy magazine and launched from an interactive map (see above) that I produced with an external map vendor and our in-house designer.
STUDIO GALLERY: THE BAR METHOD
The Bar Method is a boutique fitness franchise headquartered in San Francisco, with more than 120 locations across the country. The workout is low-impact, high-intensity interval training using a ballet-barre under the guidance of instructors rigorously trained in anatomy and physiology.
In 2014, I opened my own 3,000 sqft. studio and grew it to profitability within the first year, based on the success of my cross-channel marketing communications initiatives. Four years later, I sold the business for 60% ROI.
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