MATTHEW GRAY

416 500 3242 mdhgray@me.com See my work at matthewgray.ca

OBJECTIVE
To leverage my experience in strategic messaging, creative development, and project management to obtain a position in the field of marketing communications.

SUMMARY OF STRENGTHS
Communications & Content Management
Staff Writer at The Varsity newspaper, writing feature articles on topics such as community development in Fort McMurray and the history of architecture at the University of Toronto, 2011 to 2012 Edited three print editions of The Toronto Globalist, a volunteer-run international affairs magazine: developed new online presence, increasing web readership by over 30%; raised over $10,000 through grants, partnerships, and Kickstarter crowdsource funding, 2010 to 2011 Developed social media and web outreach strategy in a Toronto mayoral campaign, 2010 Media outreach strategy secured regional and national coverage of student initatives on BlogTO, The Globe and Mail, Macleans, The Agenda with Steve Paikin on TVO, U of T Magazine among others, 2009-2012

Creative & Technical Expertise

Consulted on award-winning redesign of The Varsity website (>30k unique visitors p.a.), 2012 Configured and customized WordPress-based websites for two campus organizations, 2009 to 2010 Provided web design, event photography, video production and on-site technical troubleshooting to small businesses and through sole proprietership, 2006 to present

Leadership & Project Management

Counselled and oriented new students as Student Life Ambassador at the University of Toronto: participated in panel discussions on leadership, used social media to serve as a point of contact for community support, and promoted university initiatives, 2011 to 2012 Elected to board of student society to represent over 30,000 undergraduate members; oversaw annual budget of $320,000, resolved employee disputes and wrote grievance policies, 2010 to 2011 Coordinated three-day North American journalism conference at Yale University with 40+ attendees, 2010 Organized fashion shows, raising between $3,000 $5,000 each through ticket sales and sponsorships to benefit non-profit organization, 2010

EDUCATION
University of Toronto
Honours Bachelor of Arts, Class of 2012. Majors in Political Science and History. Coursework in international development, political theory and European history.

AWARDS
Cover Design, 3rd place for The Varsity Overall Design, Honourable Mention for The Varsity Outstanding Newspaper, 2nd place for The Varsity Top 100 Canadian Student Leaders Web Commerce, 2nd place Honours Bilingual Certificate SSND at Missouri School of Journalism, 2012 SSND at Missouri School of Journalism, 2012 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, 2012 CampusPerks, 2011 DECA Ontario Business Case Study Competition, 2008 Richview Collegiate Institute, 2008

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
The Varsity Varsity Publications, Inc.
Design Editor / Staff Writer 10/2011 04/2012 Lead designer for The Varsity, a community newspaper with print distribution of 20,000. Coordinated weekly production on 12-18 hour shifts, spearheaded new design initiatives, managed team of six paginators. Designed print advertisements for local businesses Set overall aesthetic, developed cover concepts, oversaw execution, managed relationship with printers Collaborated with editorial staff on content-driven redesign of section front pages Recruited and trained new student design team to replace full-time professional staff

Intern 06/2011 09/2011 Helped launch a national bi-weekly magazine, which subsequently won two National Magazine Awards. Assembled design and imagery packages for Creative Director and Art Directors Supported editorial and creative team meetings Conducted research and fact-checking for editorial content Organized and scheduled event coverage

Rogers Consumer Publishing, Inc.

The Mark News Editorial Assistant 10/2010 4/2011 Conceptualized and curated content for a daily online publication written by prominent Canadians. Developed and maintained relationships with contributors Conducted daily media and readership analyses to inform content planning Interviewed thought leaders and academics Input and formatted articles in CMS with CSS/HTML styling, and designed infographics and graphical elements for featured content DAS Canada Legal Protection Insurance, Ltd. Marketing Assistant 06/2009 11/2009 Assisted the Marketing & Sales Support Manager by executing creative briefs, providing administrative and technical support. Helped author marketing communications strategy Conceptualized and designed print marketing collateral for broker sales channels Created branded templates for internal communications Produced two 5 minute high definition internal promo spots

RECOMMENDATIONS
Matthew accepted the job of intern during the start up of Canadas first sports magazine: Sportsnet Magazine. He took the job and really ran with it. He took notes, made binders, made trips to the library and made contact with media around the world. His researches harvested dusty old copies of Sports Illustrated, augmented reality, obscure Portuguese newspapers, German footballer graphics and type foundries. He was optimistic, curious, entrepreneurial and flexible. Recommended. Jason Logan, Creative Director, Special Projects, Rogers Communications There was rarely, if ever, a task that Matthew couldnt handle. He is really savvy with all web and computer tasks, and requires very little direction. He worked late hours many times to see to it that projects got done properly and that our web pages looked fantastic. Emily Burke, Managing Editor, The Mark News Matthew is extremely creative and proficient at many computer marketing tools. He often came up with new approaches and excellent recommendations - always executed in a skillful manner. Andrea Muzzi, Executive Assistant, DAS Canada Recommendations are from LinkedIn. References available on request.