Mary Ann McGann

Warren, NJ USA
Website: http://www.tagintheback.org

Professional Experience

In my nearly 30 years as a journalist, I've covered political campaigns, terrorism attacks and trials, congressional hearings, airlines disasters and more. While at CNN, I produced and reported on such major news events as the crash of TWA 800, the first World Trade Center bombing, the trial of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, Middle East peace talks, the Reagan/Gorbachev summits and gubernatorial and senatorial campaigns. I also produced live and videotaped interviews with such world leaders as Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa, Gerald Ford and others. As a well-published freelancer, I have reported on topics important to families, including childhood obesity, risky teen behaviors, toddler pulpotomies and pediatric hernias. I've profiled Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, Grandma the Clown's Barry Lubin and other personalities. And I continue to focus on the well-crafted feature story, with a special interest in family/health and home/garden.

Total Media Industry Experience

29 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Inside Jersey, the Star-Ledger Magazine (10+), New Jersey Family (10+), New Jersey Monthly (10+), Daily Record (10+), WarrenPatch.com (10+), ODYSSEY Magazine (6-10), Courier News (3-5), Real Morris (3-5), FACES Magazine (1-2), Raising Teens (1-2)

Other Work History

I worked for nearly 18 years at CNN in Washington, D.C. and New York in a variety of editorial roles, including Executive Producer, On-Air Reporter, Field and Package Producer, Writer and Copy Editor. In subsequent years, I freelance-produced and wrote several long-form pieces for National Geographic Today. Now, through my company - Tag in the Back, LLC - I enjoy freelance writing/researching projects of all kinds.

Technical Skills

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9

Computer Skills

Word, Excel, Microsoft Publisher, Windows 7, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010

Equipment

Laptop, Digital Camera (My photographs have been published by a national magazine and two mid-size daily newspapers.)

Awards

Gold, Award, News Feature, Parenting Publications of America, 2011; Silver Award, Family Fun Column, Parenting Publications of America, 2008

General

Concierge Medicine
(Inside Jersey, the Star-Ledger Magazine 10/1/2012)
More doctors are charging annual fees for personalized care. But does it widen the economic divid between patients?
Christmas at Drumthwacket
(Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger Magazine 12/1/2012)
It's the time of year to show off the governor's home, as local garden clubs turn the mansion into 'a magical place.'
Jersey's Westminster
(Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger Magazine 2/1/2012)
The Westminster dog show may be more famous, but the Morris and Essex Kennel Club meeting was a grand affair back in the day.
Tougher Than Mud
(New Jersey Monthly 11/1/2011)
Tough Mudder is not your average marathon. "We call ourselves Iron Man meets Burning Man," says Will Dean, CEO and cofounder of the over-the-top endurance challenge, which returns this month to Raceway Park in Englishtown.
Keepers of the Castle
(Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger Magazine 10/1/2011)
Cinder and John LeDell have spent the last 28 years restoring their 10,200 square feet Basking Ridge home to its former glory days.
Treasure Hunt
(Inside Jersey - The Star-Ledger Magazine 11/1/2010)
A war, a young private and a country stashed with looted art.
That Chemical Reaction Called Love
(ODYSSEY 11/1/2006)
Scientific research puts a damper on romantic love as we know it.
Oh, Deer!
(Inside Jersey 7/1/2009)
The writer's desperate attempt to keep Bambi at bay.
Risky Business
(Raising Teens 1/1/2008)
A look at the scary stuff with which teens experiment. It's not just about underage drinking and illegal drug use anymore.
Hatching a Dream House
(Daily Record 12/31/2009)
A former chicken coop is transformed from a smelly outbuilding that once teemed with clucking poultry into a charming and stylish residence fit for ... well, humans.
Life Changing Leaves
(Daily Record 11/1/2009)
An NYU grad student discovers how a simple banana tree leaf could be used to better the lives of the women of a Tanzanian village.
What's For Dinner? Food and Faith
(FACES Magazine 11/1/2012)
You may have heard the old saying, "You are what you eat," which basically means that to be mentally and physically healthy, you need to eat food that is nutritionally good for you. Among many of the world's religions, the kind of food you eat and how you prepare and cook it is important to your spiritual health as well.
Living with Ike and Mamie
(Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger Magazine 11/1/2012)
Retooling a grand historic home means catering to the ghosts of rank and privilege.
Send in the Clowns
(New Jersey Monthly 11/1/2010)
Clown 'doctors' visit pediatric hospital units, bringing laughter to critically ill youngsters who have little reason to laugh.
The Santa House
(Inside Jersey - The Star-Ledger Magazine 12/1/2010)
John Hadamuscin fancies himself somewhat of a Santa Claus look-alike. So it may not come as a surprise to know that he has a collection of 2,500 Santa Claus figurines and other Santa memorabilia in his 1852 little red farmhouse.
Horse Sense
(New Jersey Monthly 11/1/2012)
For people with neurological disorders, therapy on horseback can provide the stimulation needed to improve motor skills, speech and more.