Jimmy LaRoue

Freelance reporter with more than a decade of experience specializing in sports, tourism, education and storytelling features. My writing features the best of old-school and modern multimedia reporting abilities. Adept at anything from tweets to longform, as well as social media, photos and videos (shooting and editing), AP style and more.

Have been a staff writer for:
* The Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, VA
* The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC
* The Central Virginian in Louisa, VA
* The News Virginian in Waynesboro, VA
* The Shenandoah Valley-Herald in Woodstock, VA

Have had stories appear in the following publications:
* The Daily Press in Newport News, VA
* The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA
* The Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, VA
* The Charlotte Observer in Charlotte, NC
* The Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City, UT
* The San Diego Union-Tribune in San Diego, CA

Other experience:
* Produced email newsletters, social media posts and update of organization websites for United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, based in Virginia Beach, VA. Experienced in Adobe Creative Suite, MailChimp, Drupal, Wordpress, Get Response, Active Carrot and more.
* Ran the day-to-day operations for the Virginia Beach Education Association in Virginia Beach, VA, managing the office, budget, logistics and all communications to include speech writing, press releases, articles, website social media management and more.

More specifically:
* Owned tourism and cops/courts beats for The Virginia Gazette, while filling in as needed with sports, government, education, business and magazine coverage.
* Award-winning, multi platform, multimedia sports writer for The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC, covering high school sports in northeastern North Carolina with interactive presence on social mediums, including Twitter, Vine, Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, Soundcloud and more. Co-hosted weekly NENC Sports Radio Show on WRVS-89.9 FM.

Resume:
Jimmy LaRoue
3904 Huntley Way, Apt. 106
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Ph. (540) 273-1027
Email: jlaroue@gmail.com
Web: http://muckrack.com/jlaroue

Objective: Full time position which showcases my multimedia and traditional journalistic skills while providing the opportunity to learn new skills.

• United Jewish Federation of Tidewater - June 2018 - October 2018 - Digital Marketing Coordinator responsible for updating social media accounts, producing email newsletters and updating websites for non-profit.

• The Virginia Gazette - February 2017 - June 2018 - Reporter covering cops/courts beat, as well as tourism, business, sports, education and governement as needed. Shared first place VPA award for breaking news coverage of 2017 Ebby's shooting.

• Virginia Beach Education Association — August 2015 — Present
Office and Communications Manager responsible for the day-to-day operations of an association with more than 2,000 members, cultivates and crafts messaging through press releases, brochures, newsletters, daily communication with members, website and social media management. Manage budget and logistics for organization working closely with organization president and UniServ director.

• The Daily Advance — May 2013 — July 2015
Sports Writer responsible for covering six high school athletic programs and three colleges, including Division II Elizabeth City State, as well as regional sporting events in northeastern North Carolina. Coverage includes stories, photos, video, social media presence.

• The Sports Xchange – Oct. 2012 – May 2013
Freelance sports reporter covering Hampton University men’s college basketball, along with Hampton and Norfolk State University college football.

• Soccerwire.com – Dec. 2011 – May 2013
Freelance reporter and photographer covering the Mid-Atlantic’s elite youth soccer scene, as well as the Richmond Kickers.

• The Central Virginian (Louisa, Va.) – Sept. 2009 – Aug. 2011
Sports/education reporter responsible for reporting, writing, photography, layout of weekly sports section. Established Fall Sports Preview section in 2010 and continued it for 2011, heightened interest in paper’s sports coverage. Put together special magazine-style sections on Goochland and Louisa football.

• The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) – Nov. 2007 – Sept. 2009
While primarily responsible for covering the city government beat, wrote impactful stories on condition of Waynesboro High School athletic facilities, possibility of acquiring minor league franchise, contributed other sports stories as needed.

• The Shenandoah Valley-Herald (Woodstock, Va.) – Nov. 2006 – Nov. 2007
Displayed award-winning versatility in covering education, government and environmental issues along with impactful photography.

• Awards/Other experience
Won multiple Virginia Press Association awards for reporting and photography from 2007-2010. Earned North Carolina Press Association awards in 2015. Experienced freelance sports reporter, maritime reporter.

• Skills
Photography, Videography, Social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, iMovie

• Education
University of Massachusetts-Amherst – B.A. University Without Walls, Concentration: Journalism in the Digital Age

• References
Available upon request