Cara Nissman

West Palm Beach, FL USA
Contact

Professional Experience

I'm a quick-change artist all wrapped up in the written word, swiftly juggling serious reports, fun features, personal essays, and objective reviews for newspapers, magazines and websites with persistence, clarity, and accuracy. I also edit columns and books when I am not writing for them. And I am schooled in social media, having conceived, developed, and marketed a Facebook Page for a regional dance troupe. My topics run the gamut -- family, education, religion, travel, health, beauty, books -- and I am particularly familiar with autism, psychology, young adult issues, divorce, female empowerment, and Latin and South Florida cultures. And I always "give good lede." Please see www.caranissman.com for more information about me. I look forward to working with you!

Expertise

Book Author
11 Years
Editor
15 Years
Writer
24 Years

Specialty

Education
22 Years
Family, Children & Teenagers
22 Years
Lifestyle
22 Years

Industries


Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
13 Years
Newspaper - Local/Regional
7 Years
Online/new media
22 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

24 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

LRP Publications, Inc. (10+), Autism After 16 (3-5), InterfaithFamily.com (1-2), Indulge — Miami Herald (1-2)

Other Work History

Please see www.caranissman.com for my freelance work history, clips and more.

Technical Skills

I have taken photos for several of my articles and edited them using Photoshop. I built my website, www.caranissman.com, using Dreamweaver. I have edited and laid out publications in InDesign. Just ask me!

Foreign Language Skills

I am not a native speaker, but I speak, write, and read Spanish proficiently, having studied Spanish literature at Boston University and lived in South Florida for nearly 20 years. I am immersed in the immigrant culture here.

Unions

N/A.

Computer Skills

I can handle most of what you throw at me on my Macbook Pro, including the Microsoft Suite, InDesign, InCopy, and other applications. Just ask me!

Equipment

I have a laptop, digital camera, a digital voice recorder, and a smart phone.

Work Permits & Visas

N/A.

References

Available upon request.

Awards

Please see www.caranissman.com.

Showcase

General

I had a telling conversation with the down-to-earth co-creator of Burt's Bees. I am as comfortable chatting with millionaires as I am with unknown characters. Everyone seems to be comfortable talking with me, too. I always aim to be myself with whomever I interview regardless of his background.
I shed light on an issue many people are reluctant to talk about: A lot of people with autism also have some form of mental illness that can go inadvertently untreated if believed to be just another characteristic of autism.
This article shows off my ability to take on a foreign subject, in this case polo, research it on a deadline, and write a colorful, detailed article as if I had always been a part of that community. This story profiles several female polo players in Palm Beach who are taking on male players.
This article explores whether lowering the drinking age to 18 could help curb binge drinking, drunk driving, and alcohol poisoning. This older clip shows I excel at interviewing sources of all ages, adjusting my writing style according to the reader, and "giving good lede."
I interviewed people active in interfaith organizations nationwide about how the poor economy had affected their outreach efforts. I am proud that I got some very candid quotes from people depending on donations to keep their organizations running.