Owen Poindexter

Berkeley, CA USA
4 Years Experience

Professional Experience

I am a lifelong writer with an M.F.A. in Creative Non-Fiction and two years professional blogging experience. I have a proven ability to produce publication-ready research and copy. I can write on a broad range of topics, including politics, science, sports, film, theater and profiles. My specialties are bright, unexpected descriptions and pulling stories from data. I am currently working with an editor to polish my novel.

Expertise

Editor 1 YearResearcher 2 YearsWriter 2 Years

Specialty

Sports & Recreation 1 YearPolitics 3 YearsScience 1 Year

Industries

Online/new media 3 YearsNonprofit 2 YearsAcademia Teaching 4 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • MapLight (10+)
  • Carbonated.tv (10+)

Awards

Finalist for the Ardella Mills Prize for excellence in writing.

Other Work History

I have written product descriptions for artists, taught writing to high schoolers and English as a second language. I worked at MapLight for two years (ending Nov 2011) as a blogger and researcher.

Technical Skills

Template-based web design

Foreign Language Skills

Some Spanish

Computer Skills

Proficient with Mac and PC, Word, Excel

Equipment

Laptop, camera, iPad, audio recorder

References

Jeffrey Friedman, Research Director at MapLight: jeff@maplight.org. Sarah Pollock, English and Journalism Professor at Mills College, former Senior Editor of Mother Jones: pollock@mills.edu. Paul Nowak, Founder and CEO of Iris Reading: pnowak@irisreading.com

Carbonated.tv

Email to Gingrich Supporters Has Bizarre Twist
(Carbonated.tv 11/2/2012)
An email to Newt Gingrich's supporters days before the 2012 election made headlines for saying that Obama will win. But when I investigated further, the email, who wrote it, and why turned out to be much stranger.
Florida Governor Rick Scott Intentionally Makes It Hard To Vote
(Carbonated.tv 11/5/2012)
Taking Florida Gov. Rick Scott to task for reducing early voting hours, despite voters waiting in line for hours, because suppressing turnout is good for the Republican Party.
Romney To Campaign In Pennsylvania, Because Hey, Why Not?
(Carbonated.tv 11/2/2012)
A blog post analyzing Mitt Romney's perplexing move to make a late campaign push in Pennsylvania. I explain why he has no shot, and speculate on why he is trying anyway.
The Seven Books The Next President Should Read
(Carbonated.tv 11/6/2012)
My seven choices for books I would like the next president to read, written on election day, 2012.
Akin Makes Final Appeal To Rape Victims
(Carbonated.tv 11/1/2012)
A humorous critique of Missouri Senate candidate's Todd Akin's final attempt to prove that he sympathizes with rape victims after some quotes to the contrary.
Romney Gleefully Takes Obama's "Revenge" Line Out Of Context
(Carbonated.tv 11/5/2012)
A critique of Mitt Romney's final attack on Barack Obama, days before the 2012 election. Romney was responding to Obama's line: "Voting is the best revenge."

MapLight

Congress' Legislative Response the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
(MapLight 6/28/2010)
A thorough exploration of the bills legislators offered in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, with an eye toward how much each received from oil companies in campaign finances.
Shale Gas Contributions Favor Lawmakers Voting to Exempt Extract Process In Safe Water Drinking Act
(MapLight 11/15/2010)
A look at current and past efforts of the oil and gas industry to avoid regulations and restriction around hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") and other environmentally questionable extraction methods.
Intelligence Companies Contribute Heavily to Lawmakers Extending War Funding
(MapLight 7/29/2010)
A report building off of a major project of the Washington Post on firms receiving intelligence-related contracts. I examined campaign contributions from the firms receiving the most contracts, and found that they have supported legislators who voted to continue the war in Afghanistan.
Republicans Voting to Continue Federal Funding for Planned Parenthood Do Well With Pro-Choice Groups
(MapLight 3/4/2011)
An examination of campaign contributions from pro-choice groups to Republicans who voted to continue funding Planned Parenthood. They were among the top recipients of pro-choice money in the House of Representatives, and especially among Republicans.
Budget Proposals Follow Energy Influence: Obama Goes After Producers, Sen. Paul Goes For Regulators
(Maplight 1/31/2011)
A contrast of the energy-related budget proposals of President Obama and Senator Rand Paul, alongside a comparison of how much money energy-related industries donated in the most recent election cycle to Democrats and Republicans.
Legislators Protecting Energy-Intensive Industries Received Significantly More Money From Them
(MapLight 3/17/2010)
An analysis of the effect campaign contributions from the energy industry has had on the California State legislature. I showed that the energy industry is careful to reward its friends.
The Storm Before the CFPB Nomination
(MapLight 7/26/2010)
A comparison of legislators advocating for and against the nomination of Elizabeth Warren to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and how much each received from the banking industry.
Oil and Alcoholic Beverage Companies Among Top Industries Supporting Prop 26
(MapLight 10/4/2010)
An examination of the top contributors to 2010's Prop 26 in California, which aimed to make certain fees harder to pass in the legislature. I found (and illustrated) that 86% of the funding came from four aggregating sources.
Regardless of Party, Big Fundraisers are Big Winners in Senate Races
(MapLight 11/3/2010)
A recap of the 2010 senate races through the lens of how often the better-funded candidate won the race. Short answer: they won 29-6.
Moratorium Battle Teeters on Oil Dollars
(MapLight 7/23/2010)
An analysis of the bills offered in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, with campaign contributions from oil companies serving as the critical variable. Scroll down for the all-too-illuminating charts.
Big Banks Lobby on Still-To-Be-Written Rules of Financial Regulation
(MapLight 9/13/2010)
An article on how, after the headlines had subsided on the passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, most of the actual writing of the law was still to be done, and lobbyists were getting in on the action. A chart below the text shows a spike in lobbying efforts by major banks.
Undecided or Choosing Both? Individuals & Entities Making Major Contributions to Brown & Whitman
(MapLight 2/9/2011)
A report on individuals and entities who made major contributions to the opposing gubernatorial campaigns of Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman in their 2010 race.
Lobbyists and Corporations Foot the Bill for California Lawmaker's Hawaiian Trip
(MapLight 3/17/2010)
A follow-up on a report by the Sacramento Bee about California legislators taking a lobbyist-funded trip to Hawaii. I showed how much money legislators on the trip got from industries known to be involved.

Creative Non-fiction

Vipassana Meditation: Quieting the Mind
(The Campanil 10/20/2011)
A personal account of my experience at a ten day meditation retreat. Spending 100 hours meditating in ten days, after