Writing and Editing
Have a lot to say but can't get an audience? It might have something to do with how you're saying it. All it takes is a few typos or an awkward turn of phrase to distract your readers from your message. Whether you're a student whose thesis needs some tuning up, an academic submitting to a journal, or a writer preparing a book for publication, I can polish your writing until it shines. (Or perhaps you have the idea but need someone else to do the writing. You're in luck: I do that too!) I'm comfortable working across a variety of disciplines, formats, and functions, and am particularly experienced in working with non-native speakers of English. Whatever your project, I'd love to help you get it out of your head and into the world.
Research
I love accumulating (and boring my friends with) weird trivia -- whether it's fungi that turn ants into zombies or the actual name of The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy (and yes, I'm that annoying friend who is always saying, "Let's look it up!"). This natural curiosity and broad knowledge base (enhanced by academic training and professional experience) makes me a crackerjack researcher. While I currently freelance as an Analyst for the research concierge service Ask Wonder, I also welcome opportunities to work with potential clients directly. Whether you need a dossier on an interviewee, a competitive landscape, a spreadsheet of stats, or a deep-dive on a particular topic: if it's findable, I'll find it.
Rights Management and Licensing
If your eyes are already glazing over this heading, simply put: I can help you get permission to put something you didn't create into something that you did. For example, maybe you want to quote a few song lyrics in a book you're writing, or use someone else's photo on the cover. This requires permission from the original publisher and/or creator, but because of the intricacies of US and international copyright laws, as well as our rapidly evolving methods of creating and consuming media, it can be difficult to even know where to start.
Having worked in this field for most of my career, I have experience solving problems at all levels of the rights process: from ground-level work like clearing the rights to individual assets, drafting contracts, and assessing work for copyright concerns, to implementing broad-based rights strategies for teams and companies (including risk assessment and crisis management), and beyond.
Miscellaneous
Need something related to media, communications, or publishing that doesn't quite fit into the other categories? Try me! Other skills in my toolbelt include vocal and archival document transcription, captioning, modifying content for accessibility, business proposal compilation, and audio editing, to name a few. I've built up a broad network of talented colleagues all over the world, so in the event I don't provide a service you need, I'd be happy to refer you to people who can.
