Nykia D. Spradley 463 Halsey Street • Brooklyn, New York 11233 • (917) 287-4398 • Nykiac@gmail.com • www.nykiaspradley.com
EDUCATION Master of Science in Journalism May 2011 Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York, N.Y. Digital media concentration with coursework in audio/video editing, neighborhood beat reporting, feature writing, HTML and website building. Bachelor of Arts degree in Print Journalism Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. .
May 2002
EXPERIENCE Associate Beauty Editor April 2011 - Present Ladies’ Home Journal Magazine, New York, N.Y. Conceptualize, report and write beauty stories for the magazine and LHJ.com. Research and write daily blog posts for the department’s beauty blog, GlossDaily.com. Manage the blog's roster of contributors, social media interactions, traffic and engagement. Report and create online exclusive content and videos. Attend product launches and industry events. Manage department interns year-round. Fact-check all beauty stories before publication. Manage the reader product-testing panel. Oversee the annual “This Stuff Works” beauty awards. Co-founder and Blogger Gloss Daily, glossdaily.com April 2010 - Present Launched as a personal blog. Developed blog’s layout, tone and social media strategy. Blog was later acquired by Ladies' Home Journal. Research and write beauty blog posts and manage the Twitter feed, Instagram and Tumblr accounts. Oversee roster of contributing bloggers. Blogger & Editorial Assistant Real Simple Magazine/Realsimple.com, New York, N.Y. September 2006 – April 2011 Wrote home décor related blog posts for the “Simply Stated” section of Realsimple.com. Curate, wrote, and edited the “Real Simple to go” page each month. Wrote stories for the Beauty, Fashion, and Moneywise sections of the magazine, as well as wrote fashion “Daily Finds” for Realsimple.com. Negotiated, and processed freelance writer contracts and invoices. Assistant Beauty Editor Life & Style Weekly Magazine, New York, N.Y. August 2004 – April 2006 Conceptualized and wrote celebrity-focused beauty stories weekly, which included making photo and product selections, and conducting interviews with experts. Built solid contacts with celebrity publicists and beauty brands. Researched and tracked beauty news and trends. Styled props for photo shoots. Attended product launches and events. Created an organized beauty closet and database of contacts. Freelance Beauty Assistant Real Simple Magazine, New York, N.Y. February 2004 – April 2004 Assisted the beauty director with scheduling market appointments, calling in products, and organizing the beauty closet. Attended product launch events. Researched health studies and beauty news for potential stories and conducted interviews with industry experts. Online Editor & Editorial Assistant Heart & Soul Magazine, New York, N.Y. February 2003 – November 2003 Wrote a travel feature story after only two months with the magazine. Revamped the heartandsoul.com website by solely conceiving and writing original content. Assisted the Editor-in-Chief and entire editorial staff with all administrative needs. FREELANCE WRITING WORK Essence Magazine/Essence.com: Health and fitness related articles appear in the May 2008, December 2008, June 2009, September 2009, October 2009, and December 2011 issues. Produced fashion stories several times per week for the website.
SKILLS A working knowledge of multimedia editing software: Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Bridge, In Copy, In Design, and iPhoto; website building using HTML and Dreamweaver; advanced experience with blogging platforms (Typepad, Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr), Microsoft Office software, and social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram); an understanding of SEO best practices and web analytics.
REFERENCES Jacklyn Monk, Deputy Managing Editor, Real Simple Magazine, 212.522.1390, jacklyn_monk@realsimple.com Corynne Corbett, former Beauty Director, Essence Magazine, 718.809.0942, middlecee2@yahoo.com Samuel Freedman, Professor of Journalism, Columbia University, 212.854.1829, sgf1@columbia.edu