VINCENT ALONZO
EXPERIENCED EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, CONTENT STRATEGIST, AND JOURNALIST
New York,NY
Summary
Ambitious and dynamic Chief Editor with 20 years of experience leading successful publications. Motivates multidisciplinary writer and editorial teams to create stellar print and interactive content to enhance company image and reputation. Skilled in proofreading and copyediting and collaborating with creative leaders to provide editorial vision and tactical direction.
Overview
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPECIALIST
NEW YORK CITY TEST & TRACE CORP
New York, NY
2021 - Current
- Set up events to schedule COVID-19 appointments for individuals in underserved communities.
- Gathered data for future outreach to individuals.
Census Enumerator
ENUMERATOR
New York, NY
2020 - 2020
- Obtained updated contact information from all subjects and verified data for accuracy.
- Executed grass roots canvassing to gather data from individuals for the Census. Achieved the highest percentage of completed census forms for the Upper East Side area of Manhattan.
Editor-in-Chief
Northstar Travel Media
Secaucus, NJ
2010 - 2018
- Oversaw, trained and developed writers and associates, assistants and junior editors to optimize production and quality of work for two brands, Successful Meetings and Incentive.
- Oversaw a team that ranged in size of six to up to 21 reporters, editors and and art staff when creating content for Successful Meetings and Incentive from 1997 to 2018.
- Liaised with Managing Editor to supervise daily operations and set production and performance goals.
- Represented and promoted publication at publisher events, trade shows and conferences.
- Established editorial direction and publication policies and procedures and monitored and maintained functional consistency.
- Collaborated with Digital Media Producer to develop publication website, blogs and social media presence. Created a social media strategy for Success Meetings that grew twitter followers 600 percent between December 2010 and January 2012.
- From 1999 to 2018 I created numerous print and online editorial custom products which generated an average of $150,000 in incremental revenue for the Successful Meetings and Incentive brands annually.
- From 1999 to 2018 I created educational content and recruited speakers for eight live events and six to 10 webcasts annually. Regularly performed public speaking and roundtable-moderating duties at these events as well as other industry-related conferences and trade shows.
- Pitched content strategies and managed asset acquisition.
- Created the content strategy for the redesign of the Successful Meetings and Incentive websites in 2002, 2010 and 2017.
- Oversaw the redesign of the look and content of the print versions of Successful Meetings in 2004, 2008, and 2012 and Incentive in 1999 and 2008.
- Successfully managed annual budgets ranging from the mid to high six figures depending on the year. Over the course of 20 years I always came in under budget.
- I maintained a stable of freelance writers, editors, proofreaders and other contributors.
- Consulted with marketing and audience development departments on the tone and content of brand messaging of media kits, email promotions, social media initiatives and attendee recruitment for live events.
Editor-in-Chief
VNU Business Media/Nielsen Company US
New York, NY
1999 - 2010
- See section for Northstar Travel Media 2010 to 2018. I was the editor-in-chief of Successful Meetings and Incentive from 1999 to 2018 under the ownership of two separate companies and retained those positions while I was editorial director of four other brands from 2005 to 2006.
Editorial Director
The Nielsen Company US
New York, NY
2005 - 2006
- Managed resources and staffs for four brands, Meeting News, Potentials, Presentations and Training while the search for permanent editors was conducted.
- Kept competing deadlines and kept multiple project teams on-track to meet challenging targets.
- Managed the vetting process to hire permanent editors for the magazines.
- Maintained a stable of freelance writers, editors, proofreaders and other contributors.
- Strategized creative content plans to deliver value to target audiences in alignment with company goals.
- Recruited and supervised writers producing high-volume digital and print content and worked effectively with both in-house and freelance professionals.
- Collaborated with social and marketing teams to develop and execute consistent editorial voice across all platforms.
- Planned events to generate awareness of publications.
Executive Editor
VNU Business Media
New York, NY
1997 - 1999
- Guided and motivated staff to achieve demanding targets under tight deadlines.
- Determined readiness of written pieces, made changes and approved final versions for publication.
- Established measurable goals to support content and conversion.
- Developed and oversaw continued evolution of digital content strategy.
- Collaborated with editor-in-chief and art director to develop new content strategies to increase user engagement.
- Partnered with stakeholders to engage audience and create meaningful sponsorship opportunities.
- Fostered collaborative and inclusive work culture encouraging suggestions and ideas from team members.
- Devised attention-grabbing headlines and summaries for each article.
- Prepared page budgets, set layouts and selected photos for stories to boost readership.
- Worked with graphic artists, post-production team members and other specialists to produce captivating and successful content.
- Provided concise and constructive editorial feedback to writers.
- Prepared, rewrote and edited 10 pieces per week to improve readability and impact.
- Planned budgets worth over $80,000 and negotiated contracts with 20 freelance writers.
- Assigned stories, led content development meetings and reviewed completed stories to guide execution of concepts and tone.
Senior Editor
VNU Business Media
New York, NY
1993 - 1997
- Determined readiness of written pieces, made changes and approved final versions for publication.
- Oversaw day-to-day activities, including story pitches, assignments, final revisions, layouts and office functions.
- Wrote 2,000-word editorials for Incentive on various subject matters, including business strategy, marketing, consumer products and travel.
- Scheduled and attended meetings with advertisers, publishers and production team.
- Prepared, rewrote and edited 12 pieces per week to improve readability and impact.
- Reviewed each piece for grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, accuracy and compliance with quality standards.
- Interviewed sources and developed relationships with informants to obtain vital information for stories.
Senior Editor
Reed Exhibitions
Secaucus, NJ
1991 - 1993
- See Senior Editor section for VNU.
Associate Editor
Edgell Communications
New York, NY
1989 - 1991
- Worked with graphic artists, post-production team members and other specialists to produce captivating and successful content.
- Monitored breaking news for information on incidents, events and topics of interest to quickly assign coverage to staff.
- Determined readiness of written pieces, made changes and approved final versions for publication.
- Prepared, rewrote and edited 15 pieces per week to improve readability and impact.
- Checked reference sources to verify names, titles, dates, facts and statistics.
- Interviewed sources and developed relationships with informants to obtain vital information for stories.
- Edited the annual directory of industry suppliers.
Staff Writer
Stern School Of Business
New York, NY
1987 - 1989
- Conducted live and taped interviews to obtain information.
- Interviewed guests on specific topics.
- Wrote and submitted accurate, engaging and fact-checked stories.
- Composed original written material for various types of publications and submitted for approval by supervisor, editor or publisher.
- Wrote copy for recruitment and fund-raising brochures.
- Fielded press inquiries and helped plan events.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Media And Communications
Queens College of The City University of New York
Flushing, NY 09.1982 - 06.1986
Skills
Strategic content planning
Managing media
Troubleshooting
Editing articles
Headline writing
Delegating assignments
Mastery of English grammar
Writing features
Travel Budget Management
Event coverage
Copy Editing
Source interviewing
Story pitching
Creating page layouts
Ability to check facts
Online copy materials
Covering events
Policy drafting
Timeline
Bachelor of Arts - Media And Communications
Queens College of The City University of New York
09.1982 - 06.1986
Staff Writer
Stern School Of Business
1987 - 1989
Associate Editor
Edgell Communications
1989 - 1991
Senior Editor
Reed Exhibitions
1991 - 1993
Senior Editor
VNU Business Media
1993 - 1997
Executive Editor
VNU Business Media
1997 - 1999
Editorial Director
The Nielsen Company US
2005 - 2006
Editor-in-Chief
VNU Business Media/Nielsen Company US
1999 - 2010
Editor-in-Chief
Northstar Travel Media
2010 - 2018
Census Enumerator
ENUMERATOR
2020 - 2020
COMMUNITY OUTREACH SPECIALIST
NEW YORK CITY TEST & TRACE CORP
2021 - Current