Cynthia Levens

Experience

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  American Cancer Society

  Mar 2009 - Jun 2009

  Event Planning Intern

  • Researched and recruited prospective donors and participants • Met with clients to encourage donations• Represented the American Cancer Society at local venues• Volunteered at local Relay for Life events• Organized information resources

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  Chicken Soup for the Soul

  Sept 2009 - Dec 2009

  Publishing Intern

  • Corresponded daily to consumers via mail, phone, email and networking sites• Created consumer response templates• Maintained and updated company databases• Processed product orders

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  Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

  Mar 2010 - Sept 2010

  Blogging Intern

  • Invented promotional events and spa specials, and advertised them through creative blog posts and social media• Wrote educational health and beauty articles, and published them on the Spa Del Mar website

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  Stampington & Company

  Sept 2010 - Jun 2015

  • Managed the production of four magazine titles: Altered Couture, Belle Armoire, Belle Armoire Jewelry, and our company’s best-selling magazine, Where Women Create • Managed the top-selling issue of Art Quilting Studio and the second top-selling issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry • Spearheaded the redesign of The Stampers’ Sampler; prepared the content and oversaw the production for its top-selling issue• Took the initiative to redesign Belle Armoire, Belle Armoire Jewelry, and Altered Couture in layout, style, and artwork; consequently “really raised the bar” — Founder and President, Kellene Giloff• Continually researched industry trends to keep magazines current and fresh• Created each publication's content from scratch: recruited artwork, artists, and writers; and ideated all articles, features, and departments • Created and maintained production schedules; ensured all deadlines were met• Developed and organized editorial content; assigned articles • Copyedited, proofread, and checked for consistency throughout 30-plus magazines using AP style• Wrote feature articles, editor's letters, and winning cover lines• Interviewed and ghostwrote articles for freelance artists and high-profile clients • Wrote, edited, and produced promotional and creative content for social media including the website, blog, Instagram, Facebook, and other marketing materials; worked closely with the marketing department to increase sales and readership• Creative photo styling; selected images for print, covers, the web, and other marketing materials • Worked with the director of photography to evaluate and improve images • Implemented significant changes to the editorial style guide; trained assistant editors• Built and maintained strong relationships with contributors, advertisers, and clients• Computed editorial compensation and brainstormed creative ways to reduce production costs Show less

  • Managing Editor

    Apr 2011 - Jun 2015

  • Assistant Editor

    Sept 2010 - Apr 2011
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  INTO THE AM®

  Aug 2011 - Sept 2012

  Music Writer/Editor

  • Composed weekly blog posts including music releases, concert reviews, breaking news, and interviews via WordPress, and promoted them through social media• Helped boost the company’s social media audience from quadruple digits to over 100,000 through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram• Edited and troubleshot other writers’ posts • Represented the company and networked at music events and venues

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  Freelance

  Jan 2013 - now

  Book Editor

  • “Paper Marbling Basics” (Mud Puddle Inc., 2018) – Editor• “A Short Timeline History of Western Art” (Mud Puddle Inc., 2017) – Editor• “Balloon Animals” (Mud Puddle Inc., 2017) – Copy Editor• “Moonshine Mixology” (Sterling Epicure, 2017) – Coauthor and Editor• “Crochet Projects for Everyone” (Mud Puddle Inc., 2016) – Copy Editor• “Ugly Sweater Party: Christmas Crafts, Recipes, Activities” (Lark Crafts, 2016) – Editor• “Make it a Party with Sizzix: Techniques and ideas for Using Die-Cutting and Embossing Machines” (Creative Publishing International, 2016) – Copy Editor• “Cards that Wow with Sizzix: Techniques and Ideas for Using Die-Cutting and Embossing Machines” (Creative Publishing International, 2015) – Copy Editor• “Upcycle with Sizzix: Techniques and Ideas for Using Die-Cutting and Embossing Machines” (Creative Publishing International, 2015) – Copy Editor• “Everything Goes with Ice Cream” (Quarry Books, 2013) – Copy Editor• “Where Women Create Quilters” (Quarry Books, 2013) – Copy Editor Show less

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  Wpromote

  Jul 2015 - Sept 2021

  • Business Unit Leader for the Content Development Department: leading a team of 45-plus internal and remote directors, editors, and writers; guiding all high-level decisions that pertain to content development projects, planning, budgeting, and resourcing • Transformed Content Development into a revenue-generating department by spearheading the creation of a brand new style guide deliverable set• Two-time recipient of Wpromote’s annual Respect Core Value Award: an inspiring leader who thinks of other people first, includes everyone, and is a role model employee• Promoted four times within five years for continuing to improve Wpromote’s content quality and streamline processes Show less • Led a team of 40-plus freelance writers and editors and one in-house content coordinator• Managed my team’s workload: assigned writers to SEO and Content Marketing accounts based on their strengths, experience, writing style, workload, and rate. To date, I have successfully matched over 300 clients with a designated writer• Evaluated writers’ work and provided in-depth feedback to help create on-brand, exciting, and SEO-friendly content• Trained new Wpromote managers on content ordering and writer management • Developed the first content coordinator position at Wpromote Show less • Recipient of Wpromote’s 2018 Respect Core Value Award: an inspiring leader who thinks of other people first, includes everyone, and is a role model employee • Recruited, interviewed, and hired 23 writers, growing Wpromote’s freelance outreach by 110% and across more than 100 new specialties including cybersecurity, banking, cryptocurrency, health, and beauty • Reviewed and approved writers’ monthly invoices, monitored all SEO and Content Marketing clients’ budgets, and created expense reports that explained any cost fluctuations Show less • Invented an expense tracking system that helped me lower my department’s monthly content expenses by 62.7% after three months• Built a credit-based content ordering system adopted by both the SEO and Content Marketing departments, resulting in even lower expenses, increased satisfaction from Wpromote managers, and more flexibility for clients • Developed new procedures and learning materials for the Wpromote managers and writers including a writer and client communication protocol, SEO best practices guide, writer style guide, and an abbreviated guide to AP style that subsequently increased consistency and reduced errors across accounts Show less • Promoted after 5 months for salvaging two of our largest accounts — I uncovered both clients’ pain points through qualitative analyses then addressed them by creating style guides, evaluating/re-training the writers, and ultimately improving content quality • Directed content production for large-scale orders and big-name clients; I delivered 1,000 Hibbett Sports local landing pages in 3 months, over 550 Verizon Wireless local landing pages in 4 months, and 50 category pages for Home Depot in under 1 month • Assigned, edited, and provided quality assurance for landing pages, infographics, and press releases; some clients included Verizon, Marriot, Toyota, Z Gallerie, Shutterstock, Dickies, SunGard, and Papyrus. “Since Cynthia has taken over editing of the infographics, they’ve come back [from our clients] with no errors or typos” — Creative Operations Manager, Crystal Morales Show less

  • Director of Content Development

    Jan 2020 - Sept 2021

  • Associate Content Director

    Aug 2019 - Jan 2020

  • Senior Copy Manager

    Jan 2018 - Aug 2019

  • Copy Manager

    Jan 2016 - Dec 2017

  • Copy Editor

    Jul 2015 - Dec 2015
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  Spectrum Brands, Inc

  Nov 2022 - now

  Digital Copywriter