Lisa Ann Thomson

Salt Lake City, UT USA
12 Years Experience

Professional Experience

For more than a decade I have dealt with words -- as an editor, a writer, and an online content manager. As a writer and editor, the subject matter I have covered is diverse. Most recently I have written about business and entrepreneurship, home design and construction, people, and places. Recent assignments include pieces for Renovation Style (Meredith), MyHouse (McGraw-Hill), and VIA (AAA). As a web content manager I have served in a variety of capacities, including product manager, content manager, information architect, and Web page producer. Currently I am a full-time freelancer and web consultant. Recent writing assignments include a story about the historic districts in Salt Lake City, the story of a lost Mendelssohn manuscript, a history of construction equipment, and a guide to traveling Utah's Alpine Loop. As a web consultant, I help define online goals, organize information, and manage content -- to create the best online experience for users and sponsors.

Expertise

Content Editor (online) 12 YearsEditor 12 YearsWriter 12 Years

Specialty

Business (general) 4 YearsHome & Garden 4 YearsOther, Specify 12 Years

Industries

Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines 3 YearsMagazine - Local/Regional magazines 12 YearsOnline/new media 12 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • BYU Magazine (10+)
  • Permanent Buildings and Foundations Magazine (10+)
  • Connect Magazine (10+)
  • Renovation Style (1-2)
  • MyHouse (1-2)
  • VIA (1-2)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • Permanent Buildings and Foundations (1-2)
  • Golden West Builders (1-2)

Other Work History

* Ziff Davis Smart Business Magazine-- Senior Editor, Online * LDS.org-- Internet Content Manager * DiabetesWebSite.com-- Web Editor * Ensign Magazine and Liahona Magazine-- International News Editor * BYU Magazine-- Associate Editor * BYU's Kennedy Center Publications-- Associate Editor

Computer Skills

Mac and PC, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, Photoshop

Equipment

The standard: PC, digital recorder, digital camera, DSL

Business

Ogden Rising (cover story)
(Connect Magazine 5/1/2006)
Ogden was the place to see and be seen. With a bustling downtown, a busy train station and indomitable hometown pride, Ogden was a destination. It was the second largest city in the state. People came from Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to shop Washington Boulevard. But that was 50 years ago.
Shiny, Happy People (cover story)
(Connect Magazine 9/1/2003)
Consider Rick and Chuck. Rick is in his mid 20s. He's early career. He has a young family. He goes to school full-time, and he works full-time for one of Utah's largest utilities. He works the phones as a sales and service consultant and could be considered low on the totem pole.
Sailing on the Trade Winds
(BYU Magazine 4/1/2003)
Paul B. Allen speaks in hyperbole, but somehow you believe every word he says. When he started Infobases in 1990, his goal was to identify the most important books in every field of human knowledge, digitize them, and distribute them to as many people as possible.

Profiles

A Mission to Wales
(BYU Magazine 10/1/2002)
It all started typically enough. Ronald D. Dennis, '64, was rummaging around in his family history more than 30 years ago when he happened upon the story of William Howells. In 1847 Howells was a lay Baptist preacher in Aberdare, Wales, who had heard quite a lot about a pesky sect called the Mormons. Several of his colleagues had a great deal to say about the Mormons, and there was a Mormon who had a great deal to say in return.
In the Mayan Jungle
(BYU Magazine 10/1/2001)
It was minus 56 degrees Celsius at 25,000 feet on the morning of Jan. 4, 1944. The B-17 bomber came equipped with bombs, guns, sophisticated navigation equipment, and a crew of 10 men. But no heater. The crew had only heated flight suits and adrenaline to stave off the chill.
Leslie Norris: The Man from Merthyr Tydfil
(BYU Magazine 4/1/1999)
Leslie Norris has a Welsh accent. Not a strong one, but just enough to make you perk your ears to listen for the lilting rhythm and the flick of his rs. The accent makes a reading of his poetry especially endearing. Somehow the Welsh tongue wraps around the language with more character, more life.

Travel

Old Mountain View
(San Jose Mercury News 8/1/2001)
Drive down any of the busy bordering streets—El Camino Real, Highway 85, Shoreline Blvd.—and you actually might miss it. There aren’t any flashing signs or pompous gates to draw your curiosity to this little hamlet on the peninsula they call Old Mountain View.
Utah's Alpine Scenic Loop Backway
(VIA Magazine 9/1/2006)
A crisp autumn day. Hills ablaze with bright gold quaking aspens. Where are you? On the Alpine Scenic Loop Backway, a 34-mile ramble along Utah's Wasatch Back. It takes just an hour, but allow most of a day to savor the sights.
Salt Lake City's 15th & 15th
(VIA Magazine 1/1/2007)
If you stick to Salt Lake City’s main boulevards, you’ll miss this sweet spot. Three miles southeast of downtown, the enclave is tucked away on a narrow street lined with maple trees and craftsman bungalows. It’s a one-block stretch packed with boutiques, restaurants, and an independent bookstore.

Misc. Topics

The Future of Custom Concrete Homes (cover story)
(Permanent Buildings & Foundations Magazine 8/1/2005)
The housing market is strong. Concrete market share is up. Consumers are smarter. Building codes are tougher. Materials costs are volatile. We build in interesting times. With the summer building season in full swing, it’s a good time to take the pulse of the custom concrete home market.
From the Crossroads of the West
(Ensign Magazine 7/1/2004)
It’s 6:30 on a Sunday morning. The midsummer sky turns pink with the rising sun. Mountain shadows stretch long across the valley. The Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square is quiet and empty as bleary-eyed camera operators arrive to set up for the weekly live broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word.