NEILLE-ANN GIFFUNE

Proven leader with extensive experience in change management who thrives in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. An award-winning journalist with exceptional analytical and communication skills. Outstanding networking skills with the ability to develop contacts. A creative storyteller adept at producing, editing, and shaping material for multiple platforms while developing initiatives, driving results, and staying true to a brand.

• Leadership: Responsible for overseeing newsrooms of up to 50 employees, manage all editorial decisions for more than 35 hours of news and community programming weekly, maintain ethical and journalist standards on all platforms, AP style, copy edit for newscasts and all digital platforms, responsible for hiring and training all newsroom staff, work with staff to ensure accuracy by fact checking and conducting research, maintain relationships with keys stakeholders internally and externally, ensure FCC standards are followed, Executed launch of five newscasts, a new facility, new brand, and implementation of strategic plan for newsroom
• Project Management: Oversee development of newscasts, town halls, and special projects from ideation to airing, including the designation of topics and stakeholders, content placement, assigning stories, dissemination of content, while serving as managing editor for all content
• Recruiting: Responsible for recruiting all newsroom positions for more than 10 years, adhere to FCC and EEOC regulations for hiring, review resumes, conduct phone screens, in-person interviews, and reference checks. Attend jobs fairs, oversee and develop interns, analyze needs of newsroom to better provide guidance for hiring managers regarding salary range, contract negotiation, and relocation assistance,
• Media Relations: Collaborate with local and national affiliates to share and disseminate content; develop relationships with PR Agencies, political campaigns, candidates, and local stakeholders and agencies to determine coverage opportunities
• Data Analysis: Examine data from Nielsen, Google Analytics, Crowdtangle, and Meta Business Suite to determine audience demographics, trends, and engagement opportunities for content placement, consistently met quarterly KPI's for digital engagement and ratings share increases
• Content Development: Oversee all strategic planning, approve story pitches, determine stakeholders to represent balanced coverage, identify video and interview elements, collaborate with reporters to edit and refine story scripts and video editing, determine content buckets more relevant to our audiences needs and expectations, review to ensure all editorial standards are met before air dates and publication, manage content calendars on all platforms
• Brand Development: Launched a new brand campaign for organization in November of 2019, collaborated with news promotions manager on launch elements for newscasts and promotions, rolled out new graphics package, website updates, and social media. Managed internal and external messaging for brand evolution, strategies, and delivery, ensure employees are adhering to brand standards while executing brand differentiators on all platforms
• Marketing and Promotion: Collaborate with News Promotions Manager to determine content placement, capitalizing on tentpole programming and events, analyze audience demographics to determine content placement in newscasts, identify outside media opportunities for promotion of coverage and special projects, work with sales and marketing leaders to pinpoint relevant sponsorship opportunities with local organizations to further brand recognition in market, determine quarterly and annual priorities for promotions and community involvement
• Training and Development: Oversaw the construction of a new facility in 2016, rolled out all training protocols and scheduling for new newsroom systems including video editing, content management systems, and talent development, worked with outside vendors to ensure training schedules maintained and applicable to organization, develop onboarding and training programs for anchors, reporters, photographers, and digital team members; identify quarterly training for professional development, coach staff, and evaluate employee performance, directly impacted promotions or upward mobility for more than two dozen employees
• Budgeting: Managed multi-million-dollar newsroom budget, decreased revenue deficit by almost $1M over three years, negotiated talent contracts

• 2019-present: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences -Michigan Chapter Board of Governors, incoming Vice President
• 2019-2022: Radio Television Digital News Association Member
• 2019-2022: Michigan Association of Broadcasters – Awards Committee Member
• 2012-2022, 2023-present: Michigan Association of Broadcasters Member
• 2015: One of nine managers chosen for Sinclair's inaugural corporate Emerging Leadership Program
• 2015: Dale Carnegie graduate

• 2020 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Winner- Continuing Coverage
• 2020 AP Award Winner – Best Digital Presence
• 2018 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Winner- Best Sports
• 2018 Edward R. Murrow Regional Award Winner-Breaking News
• 2017 Edward R. Murrow Regional Award Winner- Continuing Coverage
• 2017 MINATAS Emmy Award Winner- Continuing Coverage

Kathleen Reynolds

News Director, WPTV

reynoldskathy@yahoo.com

802-999-3469

Tammy Phillips

VP of Talent Acquisition, Nexstar Media Group

tphillips@nexstar.tv

901-485-7903

Philip Krapohl

Communications and Marketing Manager, Flint Institute of Arts

Media Arts Instructor, Mott Community College

pkrapohl@flintarts.org

810-569-8255