alejandro a. leal

Experience

I am a new media professional; my goal is to bridge the worlds of technology and communication. I specialize in facilitating the creation of interactive communication tools, web production, xhtml and css coding, photography, audio editing and production, web video post-production, content management system deployment and implementation, content hierarchy distribution and architecture and overall web awesomeness.

Download a PDF version of my resume »

See list of select projects »

 

Web Designer & Publisher, The Home Depot

June 2012 – Present

Web Design and Production

• Design web graphics and creative for top-level pages within homedepot.com.
• Consult with Creative Directors on new pages and projects.
• Prepare graphics for web publishing.
• Construct pages using Endeca Page Builder.
• Produce and maintain business pages using EMC Documentum CMS.
• Maintain commerce-driven pages with creative and promotional copy.

Online Producer, Emory University

January 2011 – June 2012

Daily web production for Emory Report and Emory News

• Prepare stories for CMS.
• Prepare images, graphics and multimedia.
• Measure web traffic statistics for content and advertising.
• Write web summariess
• Manage digital distribution of content via social media, iTunes, blogs, etc.

Weekly email newsletter production

• Create HTML template.
• Produce newsletter using Adobe Dreamweaver.
• Insert ad and content tracking links.
• Troubleshoot/improve accessibility

Other tasks and responsibilities

• Maintain subscription lists (print + email)
• Provide support and research for special projects
• Oversee campus rack distribution
• Maintain updated campus rack list

 

Web Content Manager, Creative Loafing Atlanta

March 2008 – January 2011

Managed CMS upgrade and redesign of Creative Loafing Atlanta website (June 2010)

• Coordinated with design team, providing multiple wire-frames with extensive documentation.
• Coordinated development of site with contracted developers.
• Developed templates and CSS stylesheets for new site.
• Managed integration of social networking elements (Facebook widgets, Twitter widgets, etc.)
• Managed newsletter development and deployment .

Served on 4-person Editorial Leadership team, which helped Creative Loafing Atlanta emerge from chapter 11 bankruptcy (October 2009)

• Participate in budget planning meetings with publisher, sales director, marketing director, and distribution director.
• Propose digital, mobile and interactive strategies for CL Atlanta’s 2010 strategic plan
• Direct CL Atlanta’s online initiatives and manage CL Atlanta’s online staff

Direct the transformation of CL Atlanta’s website from a weekly publishing cycle to a daily publishing cycle (April 2009)

• Code proposed design in HTML/CSS.
• Build modules to accommodate special packages of content.
• Rebuild section portals to accommodate daily publishing by incorporating custom database queries as well as blog feed integration.
• Manage content publishing schedule in coordination with section editors.
• Coordinate creation of new blogs for editorial.

Overall Tasks and Responsibilities

Manage content publishing and deployment

• Coordinate with online media assistant in production of content.
• Deploy special sections and packages with customized layouts and configurations.
• Coordinate with section editors, managing editors, and editor-in-chief in production of special issues.
• Manage daily production of stories, blog posts, audio podcasts, and videos.

Enforce implementation of web standards and protocols

• Educate staff on issues pertaining to web publishing (etiquette, copyright, W3 standards).

Develop library of modules for content presentation on the various content portals on CL’s website

• Code widgets and components using EV HTML language, XHTML and CSS.

Manage web analytics reports

• Examine weekly and monthly audience reports from various sources (Google Analytics, Quantcast, Facebook analytics, YouTube Analytics, Clicky Analytics).

Manage implementation of social networking strategies

• Increase participation of Creative Loafing Atlanta in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Vimeo.
• Research emerging social networks where CL’s content might have an audience (Tumbler, StumbleUpon, Gowalla, FourSquare).

Produce original content for Creative Loafing Atlanta website

• Write original articles, blog posts and reviews.
• Produce and edit audio for audio-slideshow presentations
• Produce, direct, and edit web videos

Coordinate online marketing efforts

• Launch segmented newsletter campaigns.
• Design and code newsletter templates.
• Coordinate and strategize newsletter programs

 

 

Online Producer, Creative Loafing Media

January 2006-March 2008

• Prepare and execute production of the family of websites in the CL Media network.
• Brainstorm ways to present special content ( BMF: Hip Hop’s shadowy empire, by Mara Shalhoup; this story won first place in the 2007 AltWeekly Awards for Website Content Feature, category 60k+ circulation).
• Produce multimedia audio slide shows, podcasts, and image galleries as online added bonus editorial content.
• Prepare promotional and editorial pages using search engine optimization techniques.
• Managed production, implementation, and publication of the editorial blogs using the WordPress MU Content Management System.
• Created original content, such as articles, lists, graphics and photographs.
• Contributed writing and reporting for News/Music departments as well as contributing photographer.

More clips here.

 

Editorial / News Intern, Creative Loafing Newspaper, Atlanta, GA

2005

atlanta.creativeloafing.com

Researched potential stories, reported on news happening in the Metro Atlanta area and Georgia.

• Legal but exploited? (July 2005).

Investigated the impact of Latinos in Atlanta.

• The Invisible Man (November 2005).

Contributed reporting to major cover stories.

• Losing Hanna parts part I & part II (July and August 2005).

Recipient of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Diversity Internship Grant for the Summer of 2005.

About Creative Loafing:

Creative Loafing Atlanta is the city’s authoritative lifestyle weekly. At the time of my employment, it was part of a chain of alternative weekly newspapers under the same name in Charlotte, Sarasota, and Tampa, as well as the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper.

 

 

Co-Founder / publisher Umpbump.com

2006-current

Co-Founded an established baseball blog, featuring commentary and opinion from a handful of fans.

The site has generated attention in some media circles, being mentioned and linked to by The New York Times and nytimes.com, about.com, Sports Illustrated online, Startribune.com and other popular sports sites such as deadspin.com.

Designed and developed the site’s design and template using the WordPress CMS. Adapted open source plugins.

Currently, UmpBump.com has been visited over 1.8 million times since its launch in the spring of 2006, and it generates around 32,000 pageviews a month.

 

 

Editor in chief, Revista Elite Magazine, Atlanta, GA

2002-2009

Directed the editorial focus of a Spanish-language community magazine.

Directed, designed, developed and implemented the graphical layout designs of the print edition and published and developed the online edition of the magazine (www.revistaelite.com) using both Joomla! and WordPress.

Managed the editorial and design teams. Executed editorial layout of the magazine using QuarkExpress and InDesign.

Designed the cover of the magazine for every issue.

Wrote features on a monthly basis.

Wrote a series of columns on my decision to become an American citizen (in Spanish):

- Un proceso natural
- La democracia llama
- Mi aspiración presidencial
- El privilegio cívico
- Distritos Congresionales en Georgia
- Author page.

 

 

Contributing writer at MLBTradeRumors.com

2008

Monitor major newspaper’s websites, blogs, and discussion boards for trade rumors, adhering to Editor and Publisher Tim Dierke’s standards for posting. MLBTR has quickly become one of the most popular independent baseball websites out there, being featured in the Chicago Sun Times, USA Today and publicly lauded by baseball legend Peter Gammons.

MLBTradeRumors recieved close to a million visits last July 31st, 2008, during Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline.

 

Reporter, Georgia State University Signal, Atlanta, GA

2005 (gsusignal.com)

Feature story writer for the student newspaper at Georgia State University.

Contributing photographer.

Columnist, rampway.org, Atlanta, GA

2005

Wrote a column on current events for rampway.org, the Georgia State University student online magazine.

 

Staff writer, Tiempo Libre Newspaper

2004

Wrote on travel, culture, current affairs, fashion, music, or local events.
Spanish-language bi-weekly alternative paper (out of print).