With relevant education and experience, as well as a demonstrated passion for Chinese culture and language, I believe I can excel as a blogger for Mashable on the China 2.0 trip.
I graduated last year from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Chinese and a BS in Advertising with a French minor. I have a diverse set of skills, but I am first and foremost a creative, critical, and independent thinker. I specialize in compelling communication across multiple mediums: I am an excellent writer, an energetic and engaging speaker, as well as an experienced photographer.
In addition, I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and lived in China for a full year during 2005-2006.
VisualCV URL: http://www.visualcv.com/msconyers
Contact Information
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Melissa Sconyers
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Summary
Work History
Beijing, China
Aug 2005 - Present
Co-Author
- Created new approach to learning Chinese characters
- Co-authored set of 800 progressively-ordered flashcards being sold by leading Chinese academic press
- Published in October 2007 and now being sold in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, and the US
New York, NY, United States
Apr 2008 - Aug 2008
Digital Strategist
- Clients include Nokia, Honda, Nike, Jordan, Disney, and Pixar
- Conducting research on international markets and making recommendations
- Mastering and evangelizing emerging media and technology
- Writing strategic recommendations for search engine optimization
- Developing content alternatives to Flash-based websites using HTML and CSS
New York, NY
Aug 2007 - Apr 2008
Researcher, Ogilvy Experts Group
- Contributing to the knowledge base of the agency by doing research and staying abreast of developing trends in User-Generated Content, Social Media, and Web 2.0
New York, NY, United States
Jan 2008 - Apr 2008
Global Team Leader
- Heading up an internal initiative for international collaboration between offices, with special emphasis on Asia, specifically the headquarters in Beijing, China.
New York, NY, United States
Aug 2007 - Jan 2008
Digital Development Program
- Trained across each of the six disciplines in digital marketing, including Media Planning, Search Planning, Research & Analytics, 360 Communications Planning, and Ad Serving
- Gained experience on multiple accounts including The Economist, Kodak, Cisco, Allstate, IBM, Clear Pass, and Six Flags
'That's Beijing!' Magazine
Beijing, China
Jan 2006 - May 2006
Photojournalist
- Documented events, restaurants, entertainment venues, and special interest stories for the most highly regarded local publication in Beijing for foreigners and expatriates.
Beijing, China
Aug 2005 - Feb 2006
Consultant
- Specially selected by the Chinese government to advise on preparing the official Beijing website to be an online portal for the upcoming 2008 Olympics.
Education
Aug 2002 - Aug 2007
Austin, TX, United States
BA , Mandarin Chinese, French
Skills
International
(Rockstar)10+ Years Experience, ( Last Used <1 year ago )
- Fluent Mandarin Chinese
- Conversational French
- Extensive experience living, working, and traveling abroad
Technology
(Rockstar)10+ Years Experience, ( Last Used <1 year ago )
- 10+ years of freelance web and graphic design experience
- Highly talented at interfacing between creatives and programmers
- Expert with Adobe Photoshop and HTML
Communication
(Rockstar)10+ Years Experience, ( Last Used <1 year ago )
- Exceptional verbal and written communications skills
- Gifted writer with a captivating voice
- Creative, critical, and independent thinker
- Highly self-motivated and driven individual
Selected Honors & Accomplishments
- University Honors (2007)
- Dean’s Honor List (2006-2007)
- Winner, Advertising Media Plan Competition (2006)
- Ambassador, Institute for the International Education of Students (2006-Present)
- Honored as one of the “Top 20 Leading Longhorns” by Orange Magazine (2005)
- Keynote Speaker, ‘Leadership Through Entrepreneurship’ event at UT (2004)
- Member, Texas Entrepreneurs (2003-2007)
Online Presence
[Blog] Geeky
Melissa has been blogging since blogging existed, and remains a prolific blogger to this day.
[Twitter] @girk
As a dedicated Twitterer, Melissa believes her participation on Twitter brings great value to her personal and professional life.
[Blog] MiddleFusion
From 2005-2006, Melissa lived and worked in Beijing while studying Mandarin Chinese. MiddleFusion is the blog she kept during her time in China.
[Reviews] Yelp
Melissa was nominated to be part of the Yelp Elite Team in 2007, after writing 100 outstanding reviews in less than 24 hours. Since then, she has become an active and valued member of the community.
[Photography] Flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/melser/set
Melissa has been a photographer for many years, and is an original member of Flickr. With a camera always on hand, Melissa has photos from all over the world. See a few of her favorites from China below.
Photography Portfolio
References
(Other)
Author / Blogger
Managing Humans / RandsInRepose.com
This VisualCV is available as a printable .pdf file