Alan Berks Email & Phone Number

Minneapolis, Mn, Us

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Wonderlust Productions illuminates a community’s story through live performance, mixing community members with professional artists.• facilitate story gathering in communities whose experiences are often ignored or misunderstood.• collaborate with the community and other artists to transform those stories into powerful new live events.• Write and direct plays created in collaboration with professional artists and community members.• Oversee all aspects of Wonderlust Productions administration including grant writing, budgeting, marketing, and strategic planning.

Various genres, projects, and industries including:• HIGHER EDUCATIONresearch and write articles for The Lawlor Review, wrote website content for Augustana College, visited and analyzed St. Norbert College communication strategies, etc. (for Lawlor Group, MN, 2007-2009). Created data collection protocols — including surveys and large and small interview questions — for four month project evaluating two new Chicago Public School programs designed to implement large-scale change related to Reading Iniative and teacher retention. (for SUCCEED Consulting, Illinois)• SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATIONEdited articles, dissertations, and public relations materials for individuals including MBA students from Stanford, Columbia, and Wharton.Created business plans for organizations ranging from social service to arts to small businesses in the Twin Cities, New York, and Chicago.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Led Written Communications Labs for full-time MBA students.Designed curriculum based on interviews with communications leaders at Cargill, General Mills, Padilla, and others.

[nonfiction samples available at http://minnesotaplaylist.com/magazine/author/alan-m-berks]• responsible for editorial vision and voice for entire publication• assign articles, work with writers on multiple drafts, and format articles with basic html.• write 2-5 articles per month including in-depth features, clever how-to guides, commentary, and analysis • create audio and video interviews with theater leaders in the Twin Cities• invent and apply new ways to use technology to deliver content about Twin Cities theater• market content using social media, email, and live events

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Led design-thinking process for agency-wide strategies to improve brand recognition and increased program participation .• Advanced stories for external and internal consumption via newsletters, print materials, press releases, videos, radio, television, and other media outlets• Maintained website, social media, and other online marketing venues• Directed graphic design and other visual communications strategies• Managed external relations, marketing, and press relations for agency, professional theatre, service programs, and other business ventures

• Arts administration and communication consulting, including: marketing and PR, strategic planning, systems design, hiring, organizational development.• Clients include: History Theatre, Burning House Group, Upstream Arts, Terme di Fontecchio skin creams, Great River Shakespeare Festival

• taught courses in research, narrative, creative, and business writing• guided analysis, research and invention in all types of writing, including analytical business reports, business plans and press releases • wrote professional development plans and reports and participated in general administration of English department through committee assignments and departmental meetings.

Ba, English

Mfa, Creative Writing