My cover letter for Wired

Wesley Ryan Grace

2032 Lagrange Rd.

Beavercreek, OH 45431

937-266-8073

20 May 2012

To Whom This May Concern,

I am eager to obtain a position as a Wired Magazine Editorial Fellow. I will briefly introduce myself and urge you to consider me for this position.

I am a recent graduate from the Ohio State School of Communication with a minor in creative writing. I have worked with multiple media and communication platforms – print, online (including social media), professional writing and event planning, and collaborative communication. I have a strong desire to utilize my skills as a writer and a curious, progressive thinker.

This is why my goal is to be a part of Wired Magazine as an Editorial Fellow. It is terribly cohesive to my interests as well as my abilities. First, the Editorial Fellowship would be great experience in a modern, important magazine that I well understand. I have always been a follower of media, pop-culture, and technology. Further, the skills required – strong, modern communication skills, are very comfortable for me and exciting. My journalism experience, instinct for the niche that Wired covers, and young mind will all help me succeed in this fellowship.

Much of my passion is natural in my outgoing and curious personality. I would be proud to be a part of the Wired Magazine team. With that said, I am an exceptional match to what this position would require, thus I have no doubts that you would make the right decision to hire me.

I would love to discuss this position, and I thank you for your consideration.  

Sincerely,

Wesley Ryan Grace

Wesley Ryan Grace

My current resume

Wesley Ryan Grace

2032 La Grange Rd.                                                                                                            937-266-8073

Beavercreek, OH 45431                                                                                                      grace.723@osu.edu

Objective:                     To acquire a challenging and satisfying position with an organization that shares my values.

Education:                   The Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio 43210

                                    September 2009

                                    Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Minor in Creative Writing

Computer Skills:         Efficient in – Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Wordpress

                                               

Relevant                        Ohio Statehouse – Ohio Senate, Senate Page – Columbus, Ohio 

Experience:                 September 2011 – March 2012

·         Assisted in general coordination and organization of correspondence and time sensitive material to increase office efficiencies

UWeekly Newspaper, Contributing Writer – Columbus, Ohio

                                    November 2010 – March 2012

·         40 published clips

·         Freelance writer – sports and general news features, coverage, commentary

·         Engaged in weekly discussions on stories

·         Finished story assignments by strict deadline

·         Interviewed necessary sources, necessary research

Times Community Newspapers, Contributing Writer – Dayton, Ohio

September 2011 – December 2011

Freelance beat writer for Huber Heights Courier, a weekly publication for city of Huber Heights events, developments, and local sports

·         Reported boys football and basketball and conduct necessary interviews, and pregame and postgame research

·         Developed regular, trusted sources and relationships

The Media Group at Michael’s, Production and Public Relations Specialist – Dayton, Ohio

June 2011 – September 2011

·         Initiated and organized promotional blog project – “The Face of Dayton”

·         Met with important figures around Dayton region

·         Wrote and created weekly blog features and press releases 

·         Trained other interns on basic strategy

·         Worked in team environment

·         Worked with social media, blogs, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 88 ABW Commander’s Action Group –        Fairborn, Ohio

                                    June 2010-September 2010 (STEP)

                                     Write speeches / event cards

·         Researched for mission briefings

·         Performed short suspense tasks

·         Created official documents for reference

·         Coordinated group events and congressional visits

·         Executive support to entire command section

Additional Experience:

                       

                                    CF Endeavors, Inc., Sales Consultant – Columbus, Ohio

October 2010 – January 2011

·         Campaigned for AT&T Uverse cable & internet

·         Analyzed and provided customer needs

·         Performed in a team environment, collaborated strategies for successful sales approach

·         Managed coworkers in one-on-one meetings

Staples, Sales Associate – Huber Heights / Columbus, Ohio

                                    September 2005 – June 2010

·         Maintained store appearance while ensuring safety for customers

·         Assisted customers through entire selling process

·         Replenished stock daily

·         Motivated fellow employees to achieve daily goals

Beat/Sports Writing Sample - Wayne High School Basketball

Wayne Boys Basketball – Winton Woods – December 30, 2011

With the Warrior boys now with seven losses on the season, six of those have been by single digits. But according to Wayne head coach Travis Trice, Friday night’s loss to one of the state’s most talented teams was a testament to Wayne’s tough attitude and heart – even the night after losing by one point on the road.

“After losing a heartbreaker last night (at Reynoldsburg, 44-43) to a team that I thought we could have gotten a win against, we could have easily came in and laid it down,” Trice said. “This is a very, very good Winton Woods team. They’ve got to be a top-five team in the state,” he said.

The final score showed Cincinnati Winton Woods on top 73-66, the Warrior’s third single digit loss in a row after losing by two to Springfield and one to Reynoldsburg, both on the road.

“We came out and fought, battled from start to finish, I couldn’t be more proud of the way we worked tonight, and at least it gives us an opportunity for something to build on,” Trice said.

At different moments in the game, Wayne had lots to build on. The scoring was spread out to eight players not so much by poor shooting, but effective distributing and unselfish play. “I think we’re good enough for that to happen every night, I think we can have a different (top) scorer any night of the week,” Trice said. “We don’t have a superstar. Right now we’ve just been trying to figure out how to bound together and keep getting after it,” he added.

Both the guards and big men for the home team Warriors were able to score inside rather than relying on the three-pointer. Much of that scoring came from junior Crisshawn Clark, who led the Warriors with 15 points on various put-backs and drives. Still, three other Wayne players were in double figures including Ford (13), Wagner (11) and Pittman (10).

Wayne’s best stretches came in the first and fourth quarters where they had a slight edge in points. Ultimately, Winton Woods secured their victory in the middle quarters, winning them by a total of 10 points, which included a 6-0 run to enter halftime.

In recent games, the (Wayne) Warriors had been caught leaving open three-pointers, but this time Wayne’s improved defense was answered by a hot-shooting streak and a devastating size advantage that helped (Winton Woods) make threes and stifle Wayne’s defensive efforts. None were more crucial than when 6’9” Cheatem hit an NBA-range three as time expired in the first quarter to cut Wayne’s lead to 21-19.

During both teams’ scoring runs, fans from both camps yelled at the officiating. As Wayne was down the entire second half, coach Trice saw his team’s toughness in those trying moments.

“You know, it is part of the game and you have to adjust to it,” Trice said. “The one thing that I was extra proud of is that our guys did not let the refereeing affect them in any way. If our guys thought they got fouled, they didn’t show it, they just went and got the ball back,” he said.

As many of the Warriors’ close losses have been for different reasons, and, though still early, their record could have had a different mark by this point. With a young team, Trice opted to enforce a fresh identity of relentless play and team camaraderie. Against one of the top teams they will face all season, much of their smaller objectives were accomplished.

“We didn’t talk about a win or a loss,” Trice said. “We didn’t talk about numbers or anything like that. The only thing I cared about tonight was our effort and our attitude. This is the first time all season long that I’ve given them an ‘A’ in that,” he said.

“We kind of started over in some things we talked about,” he continued. “We wanted to be better communicators – talking on defense. The other thing was if anybody fell to the floor, all four other guys need to sprint to that guy and help him up; also building camaraderie. And they did that. That allows them to forget about themselves. The last thing was the bench enthusiasm. I told our guys - if I saw someone who wasn’t focused on the game, my coaches had the right to send them to the locker room,” he added.

All of this happened; Wayne players yelled and cheered both on the court and the bench, and ran to rescue their teammates after hard falls.

 “We’ve got a young team,” Trice added. “Hopefully the light starts to come on and tonight was a good starting point.”

Feature Writing Sample - Student Laundry Service

LaundryU, a new business coming to the laundry rescue for Ohio State students, will soon be opening to service the campus area students and residents alike. The business concept, a first of its kind for the Ohio State community, has spurred from inspiration from similar ventures at colleges nationwide, including Indiana, Wisconsin, Baylor, TCU, and thirty-five campuses in total.

The idea is to be a professional, alternative service from students either doing their own laundry or taking it back home for the parents to bail them out. Owner and brain behind the business, Ed Knezevich explained the service.  “LaundryU is a full-service laundry company,” Knezevich said. “We’re specializing in pickup and delivery laundry service. A problem that most college kids face is they just don’t find time to do it; it piles up in dorms, it’s gross, basically we’re just trying to take care of people’s dirty work.”

As the majority of students share a laundry area – whether it is a laundry room for an apartment building, dorm laundry, or community laundry for fraternities and sororities, all of them can relate to the grit and time consumption of the college laundry experience. According to Knezevich, it will relieve this stress.

“Let’s have a service that comes and picks up the laundry and does everything for you,” He added. “The average student spends 2.75 hours a week doing laundry, so we want to give you that time back.”

Knezevich is a recent OSU grad (June 2011) who has been working on this project for over a year. His idea was inspired from a friend while taking the LSAT together. The friend informed (Knezevich) of a campus laundry service at Indiana University. “I started doing research on it about a year and a half ago,” Knezevich said. “I wondered why it couldn’t be done here and realized it’s such an expensive startup, but basically I’m learning through the whole process. It’s now becoming a reality and I’m really excited about it.”

Located on Armstrong St. in the Arena District, LaundryU plans to open on (or before) October 10^th. Hours of operation will be Monday-Friday, 9-5 (tentatively). The service offers various options for delivery and pickup plans, with various prices available on their website – www.laundryu.com. Their prices go from yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly plans with a maximum 48-hour turnaround. They also fold, sort & separate, package in plastic wrap, then place the clothing back in the laundry bag. The laundry bag itself even gets washed during each service.

“We looked at a lot of the other campuses and how they did it. We also wanted to make it as affordable as possible,” Knezevich said. “A lot of these other places, their prices are pay-per-pound (of laundry), or similar to us which is by the bag (a 25- 30 lb. bag, as long as it closes), but we’re actually cheaper than any other campus that has this product,” Knezevich added.  

He also plans to add a fun touch to the business with t-shirts with witty phrases on the back such as “U soil ‘em, we boil ‘em” and “before you air your dirty laundry, let us wash it”.

The first target customers will be dorm rooms and fraternities and sororities, but will also include campus houses and apartments on the route. If all goes according to plan, LaundryU will have fun with the new-concept business and give time and freedom back to Ohio State students.