Jen Chaney

Rockville, MD USA
19 Years Experience

Professional Experience

Experienced, irreverent pop culture writer and commentator who has: covered the Academy Awards; interviewed filmmakers and actors from J.J. Abrams to George Clooney; anchored one of the most popular blogs at The Washington Post; recapped TV shows from Lost to Downton Abbey; written trend pieces, essays and criticism about film, television and books; appeared on national and regional radio and TV shows. Note/warning: will jump at any opportunity to discuss 80s pop culture.

Expertise

Content Editor (online) 12 YearsWriter 19 Years

Specialty

Books & Literature 4 YearsEntertainment 15 YearsHumor 16 Years

Industries

Newspaper - National 12 YearsOnline/new media 12 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Slate (1-2)
  • The Wall Street Journal (1-2)
  • The Washington Post (10+)
  • New York Magazine's Vulture (6-10)

Awards

2nd place in the blog category, Society for Features Journalism contest: 2010 and 2011.

Associations

Online News Association Washington Area Film Critics Association

Other Work History

Film critic for WETA's Around Town (Ongoing) Reporter and blogger for The Washington Post. (3 years) Web editor and producer for The Washington Post (10 years)

Technical Skills

Have previous experience with video and audio recording/editing in Premiere and Audacity.

Foreign Language Skills

Proficient in Spanish.

Computer Skills

Programs: Word, Google Drive, Wordpress. Comfortable with HTML Operating systems: Have used OS 10.6 and Windows XP

Equipment

Digital camera; audio recorder.

Writing Samples: Film

'Hunger Games' and the great Hollywood hype machine
(The Washington Post 3/15/2012)
As the power of social media swells, the intensity of movie marketing efforts — as well as the need to activate them increasingly early — is changing the game, allowing a film like "The Hunger Games" to kick off its publicity campaign well before production has even started.
'The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure': Yeah, I saw it
(The Washington Post's Celebritology 9/5/2012)
A play-by-play of the family-movie debacle that was "The Oogieloves."
J.J. Abrams: The Modern Master of Mainstream Sci-Fi
(The Washington Post 6/2/2011)
A profile of J.J. Abrams, the filmmaker who has helped renew our appreciation for unspoiled, pop cultural anticipation.

Writing Samples: TV

'Parks and Recreation' gets on the political see-saw
(The Washington Post 4/27/2013)
A set-visit and look at how “Parks and Recreation" manages to be both a comedy about quirky bureaucrats and a completely apolitical enterprise.
Downton Abbey recap: The Thomas Affair
(Vulture 2/11/2013)
An overview of the episode in which Thomas puts the moves on Jimmy, giving O'Brien a kiss to build a scheme on.
The Liz Lemon Effect
(Slate 1/30/2013)
As "30 Rock" comes to an end, this essay raises the question: did Tina Fey change anything for women on TV?