Van Sias

New York, NY USA
Contact

Professional Experience

The rebuilding of libraries in Haiti? Check. Talking with one of the legends of pro tennis about Americans' chances at the U.S. Open? Did that. In the past year alone, I've racked up more than 40 bylines covering a range of subjects for leading magazines and websites. Sports, entertainment, home furnishings and family are my specialties, but I feel comfortable tackling whatever assignment is set before me, with a focus on detail and adherence to the tightest deadline structures.

Expertise

Editor
14 Years
Reporter
3 Years

Specialty

Entertainment
2 Years
Home & Garden
10 Years
Sports & Recreation
2 Years

Industries


Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
2 Years
Magazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B)
10 Years
Newspaper - Local/Regional
10 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

14 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

America Online (10+), The L magazine (6-10), Tennis View magazine (3-5), Time Out New York Kids (3-5), The Library Journal (1-2), amNewYork (1-2), SLAM magazine (1-2)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Tommy's VIP Tours (10+)

Other Work History

HFN magazine: 1999-2009; copy editor, senior copy editor, assistant managing editor, managing editor The Journal News: 1997-1999 (full time), 1999-present (part time); copy editor

Technical Skills

Writing, copy editing, Web content management

Computer Skills

InDesign, InCopy, Quark XPress, Quark CopyDesk, Microsoft Word, Mac Operating Systems up to OS 10, Typo3 Web administration tool

Equipment

MacBook, AP Stylebook, dictionary, Chicago Manual, Dell Inspiron laptop

Work Permits & Visas

Able to work in U.S.

References

Warren Shoulberg Editorial Director, Sandow Media wshoulberg@yahoo.com Teresa Thompson Publisher, Tennis View magazine teresa@tennisviewmag.com

Awards

Mighty Pen award (best headline for The Journal News) in 2003

Associations

United States Tennis Writers Association

Showcase

Writing Samples

A Year After Quake, Haitian Libraries Rebuild
(The Library Journal 1/26/2011)
This is a story for the Library Journal on the efforts to rebuild the librairis damaged in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
American Home Turf
(Tennis View magazine 6/1/2010)
This story looks at the prospects of the top American pro tennis players heading into their home Slam, the U.S. Open, in 2010. I spoke with one of the sport's biggest names, Nick Bollettieri, as well as former U.S. standouts Justin Gimelstob and Katrina Adams.
TV Stars We Know: Remy Auberjonois
(America Online/TV Squad 12/5/2010)
An interview with actor (and neighbor) Remy Auberjonois for the TV Squad site. I pitched the concept for the site, which was accepted for a series feature.
Playoff Guide for the Haters
(SLAM 4/13/2010)
A tongue-in-cheek look at what fans of NBA teams that didn't make the playoffs could do during their too-soon offseason.
So Happy Gardening Together
(America Online/ShelterPop 7/13/2010)
In my quest to join a community garden, I decided to do the research on what that entails. This story brings in experts on the matter as well as people who do it for a variety of reasons.
Family Style
(Time Out New York Kids 1/1/2011)
This is a story on two Italian restaurants in my neighborhood. The eateries are located a block from each other and both are named after the owners' youngest sons!
I Love My Wife, But She Has Too Much Stuff
(America Online/ShelterPop 2/10/2011)
My wife and I have extremely different tastes when it comes to home decor. In this story, we talk to both a leading interior designer and a therapist for advice.