Tilting at windmills, armed with a pen!
Hello! I'm Phillip
At heart, I'm a storyteller, whether it's for my job or writing screenplays. After 21 years working as an award-winning reporter and copy editor in the newspaper industry, I moved into public relations in the field of education. I am a skilled interviewer and researcher, and I can meet deadlines consistently.
EXPERIENCE
Present
Freelance Writer
FREELANCE
I have more than a quarter-century of work as a freelance writer for print and online publications. I have written for The Associated Press, Baseball America, IBM, Baseball Digest and various daily newspapers across the country.
2018
Director of Communications
TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION
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Serve as primary point of contact for the media and charter networks in Texas.
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Write news releases, feature stories and op-eds.
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Write, edit and publish bi-weekly newsletter for more than 4,000 recipients.
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Create information data and fact sheets.
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Monitor traditional and social media for items relevant to the organization.
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Maintain and update social media sites, and monitor organization’s blogs.
2015-2017
Communications Specialist
The University of North Carolina System
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Produce feature stories highlighting the accomplishments of the faculty, students and staff across the 17-campus UNC system, which includes the UNC Health System and UNC TV.
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Created social media posts, shot photos, shot videos.
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Served as point of contact for media relations. Wrote press releases on behalf of UNC General Administration, the University President, and the UNC Board of Governors.
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Fact-checked articles and presidential speeches.
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Coordinated with communications staffs across 17 campuses to curate feature stories, news, photos and video.
1997-2015
Journalist
EXPERIENCE
The Macon Telegraph
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Served as reporter covering politics, government, education, crime/courts, science/medicine, the arts, features and sports. Wrote stories for website and print editions. Updated social media.
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Served as blogger, covering television.
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Shot photos and videos.
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Served as professional mentor and guest lecturer for the Center for Collaborative Journalism, a partnership between The Telegraph and Mercer University.
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Served as copy editor and page designer
EDUCATION
1990-1993
Bachelor's Degree, Journalism
UNIVERSITY
Accepted into UGA Honors Program; Graduated in 2.5 years; Awarded Paul A. Simon Scholarship for Journalism; Awarded UGA Alumni Scholarship; National semifinalist, Elie Wiesel Prize for Ethics.
1987-1990
High School Diploma
HIGH SCHOOL
Savannah (Ga.) Country Day School
WRITING SAMPLES
SCREENWRITING
I've been writing screenplays and teleplays for the past 17 years. I've listed my scripts, along with their loglines. If you work in the industry and would like to request a copy of a script, please send me a message. I'm also available for consultation for screenplays, teleplays and novels. Please contact me for rates.
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I've optioned two screenplays, and I was the 2016 Winner of the WriteMovies UK competition. I was also a finalist for the Disney/ABC Screenwriting Fellowship, a quarterfinalist for the Nicholl Fellowship Competition, and reached the second round of the Austin Film Festival four times. I also served as a reader for the Austin Film Festival competition and a student judge for the Peabody Awards.
Lifecoach: (Sitcom pilot) A therapist tries to help a group of supernatural beings adjust to life in Los Angeles.
1.
Madame Cavell: (Historical Drama) During WWI, British nurse Edith Cavell helped smuggle 200 English and French soldiers out of German-occupied Belgium before she is arrested.
2.
1066: (Historical Drama) In 1066, William of Normandy battled Harold Godwinson for the English throne.
3.
Putts: (Comedy) A washed-up golfer seeks revenge against the fan who cost him the Masters, but inadvertently keeps helping him instead.
4.
The Adventures of Kevin, a Brave Dragon: (Animated) An alien dragon bands together with medieval humans to save the Earth from invasion.
5.
Somers: (Historical Drama) In 1840, three sailors aboard the USS Somers are tried and executed for plotting a mutiny.
6.
Nightstrike: (Action-thriller) Is Simon Blake a murderer or a superhero with amnesia?
7.