Dan Bennett

San Diego, CA USA

Professional Experience

Storytelling training, teaching companies, agencies and organizations nationwide how to tell their stories to the world, through dynamic presentation and hands-on practice in an interactive workshop. Media spokesperson training, teaching companies, agencies and organizations nationwide how to develop best practices for media coverage, including interview techniques, message development and media outreach. 25 years experience as a journalist. I've written for the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly and National Lampoon. I've conducted media spokesperson and storytelling training for the California Dept. of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Expertise

Copywriter
25 Years
Reporter
25 Years
Other, Specify
10 Years

Specialty

Arts & Humanities
25 Years
Other, Specify
10 Years
Health
15 Years

Industries


Broadcasting - News - TV (Local)
10 Years
Newspaper - Local/Regional
22 Years
PR (in-house) - Small to mid-sized corp. clients
10 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

25 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Entertainment Weekly (10+), Los Angeles Times (10+)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

University of California (10+), California Dept. of Public Health (3-5), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (6-10)

Other Work History

Film, music, theater, dining, arts, travel, health, business reporter and critic, North County Times, San Diego, 20 years. Storytelling and media spokesperson training 10 years. Humor columnist, news, homes, real estate, health, education, legal reporter for daily newspapers, 20 years Home-entertainment reporter and critic, Home Media Retailing, 6 years I write marketing materials for small and large corporate clients, including press releases, Web copy, brochures, direct mail, speeches, etc. Clients include everything from major universities to small businesses. My freelance work has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Movieline, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, National Lampoon, MTV.com, Military.com, PRWeek, USAE News.

Equipment

Audio recorder, digital camera

Showcase

General

Author profile
(Pages 10/1/2001)
Profile of the novelist T. Coraghessan Boyle
Kevin Spacey profile
(North County Times 6/24/2025)
Profile of actor Kevin Spacey
Film Review
(North County Times 12/23/2004)
Not-so-pretty film review of "The Phantom of the Opera"
Copywriting/PR
(University of California 6/24/2025)
Copywriting/PR feature on the thriving arts programs at the University of California, Riverside
Business feature
(Home Media Retailing 6/24/2025)
Business story on direct-to-video home entertainment industry
Health/Medical writing
(IG Living 6/24/2025)
Health feature on the increasing use of subcutaneous infusion for immune globulin patients, and how it has changed their lives
Humor column
(North County Times 6/24/2025)
Humor column on the logic of exhuming Napoleon's body to determine cause of death.
Business feature
(PRWeek 6/24/2025)
Business story on the rise in public relations surrounding the extreme-sports industry.
Film review
(North County Times 6/24/2025)
Review of the film "Batman Begins"
Travel story
(North County Times 7/1/2001)
Destination piece on Foxploration in Mexico, a low-key theme park where "Titanic" and other ocean-based films were produced.
Artist profile
(In-house college mag 6/24/2025)
Profile of furniture designer
LA Times Travel
(Los Angeles Times 6/24/2025)
Destination piece on The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA
Profile writing
(Los Angeles Times 3/25/2001)
Profile of Carl Djerassi, inventor of the contraceptive pill, who recently wrote an original stage play.
Entertainment/Family/Business story
(Video Store Magazine 6/24/2025)
Business feature on the rise in popularity of family-oriented DVDs after 9/11.
LA Times family/travel story
(Los Angeles Times 6/24/2025)