Billy Okeefe Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

The Internet

Back in the old chair managing SPJ's websites (and potentially member database) until the chair gives out again.

I helped assist RTDNA migration to a new AMS/CRM platform, while also building mini-sites for its annual convention. Currently building out three small web projects devoted to advocacy, awards and training. All should ship in the first half of 2023. As a little bonus, I also designed the logo for their successful 2021 convention.

Greater Chicago Area

I built and now manage the websites (design and content) for two newspapers (My Sun Day News, Sun City; My Huntley News, Huntley) in northern Illinois. I also design ads (both print and digital) for various clients who advertise with the papers.Predominantly work in: WordPress (themes written from scratch) for the website; InDesign/Affinity Publisher and Photoshop/Affinity Designer for the ads.

Chicago, Illinois

I grew up wanting to write, draw and code, so now I do all three on a contract/freelance/consultancy basis. It’s fun for all, customers included. For web: I’ve built using HTML (obviously), CSS (of course), JS/JQ/JQUI (naturally), PHP, ASP, two forms of SQL, XLS, Wordpress (including from-scratch theme design so your site doesn’t look like just another Wordpress site) and more. I’m also wholly comfortable with Cpanels, PHPMyAdmins and various other interfaces for managing and keeping sites safe. For illustration/other design: I hand-draw (both digitally and with regular old paper) but also can illustrate using vector. I’m comfortable in Photoshop CC/Affinity, Sketchbook, Illustrator/vector, InDesign/QXP and with a blank page. For copywriting: I’ve written everything from a weekly column to children’s books to ad copy that plays in place of hold music on a customer support line. And I’m comfortable producing (and have frequently cleaned up or written from scratch) web copy that’s easy and enjoyable to read while I also build the website that contains that copy.

Chicago, Il

In an effort to diversify from solely writing code and reconnect with professionally writing words, I put out a call in summer 2019 for copywriting work. Thus far, the Chicago architectural scene has answered that call. For these clients, I conduct team interviews, peruse project worksheets, and turn both into copy that brings these projects into full focus for would-be clients, industry observers and fans of forward-thinking architectural design. Clients presently include Toolbox, Inc. and Box Studios, both located in Chicago.With that said — and I emphasize this by stating I knew next to nothing about architecture before heading down this road — I'm open to working in whatever field you're in so long as you need a writer to make your copy sing. (Metaphorically sing. I can't actually sing.) Message me if you have needs or would like copy samples (which I'm happy to provide).

Chicago, Illinois

Wrote, illustrated, designed, laid out and published:But Let Me Tell You a Story About Her Anyway (2017, Billyok): This is the story of a Sheltie named Nina, as written and illustrated by her best friend. (She did not authorize this biography. But I doubt she'd care it was made.)Wrote, illustrated:These Are My Friends on Politics (2016, Inkshares): A children's book for adults (who occasionally behave like kids).Designed cover and interior and helped publish: The Murderer Across the Hall (October 2019)Designed cover and helped publish: Media Ethics: A Guide For Professional Conduct, 5th Edition (June 2020, SPJ)

Everything I was already doing at SPJ (Frontend/Backend Web Developer (PHP Wordpress SQL HTML CSS JS JQ), Multimedia Artist, Copywriter), plus a dash of blue-sky project management and directorship of our digital plans heading into 2021.

Chicago, Il

I build (and rebuild) and solely manage all of SPJ’s web assets, including spj.org, the Excellence in Journalism conference website (excellenceinjournalism.org), the Journalist’s Toolbox (journaliststoolbox.org), Quill (quill.spjnetwork.org), the EIJ News (eijnews.org) dozens of SPJ blogs and more. Additionally, I have contributed ample amounts of copywriting and graphic design to both sites as needed (often — we’re a small staff of one-person departments) and also design, build and present the multimedia presentations for SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi Awards banquet and the annual Mark of Excellence and President’s Installation Banquet awards presentations at SPJ’s national convention. Predominantly work in: — Mixture of HTML/CSS/JS/jQ/SQL/PHP/ASP/XLST/Python for web projects— WordPress, including building themes from scratch for some sub-sites— Multiple forms of visual design, from Adobe Creative Suite to hand-drawn illustration— Keynote/Final Cut/Audacity/QuickTime for multimedia presentations— Google Analytics/Docs, Microsoft Office and more for various support work

Chicago, Illinois

I reviewed hundreds (probably thousands, but I never counted) of movies and television shows for a home video column (DVD/Blu-ray/VOD ... the formats evolved as the column went on) that ran weekly in Knight Ridder-Tribune’s campus wire before moving in 2006 to Knight Ridder-Tribune’s general newswire, which eventually morphed into McClatchy-Tribune’s general newswire. Reviews were syndicated to a variety of Tribune-owned papers, including the Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News and Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Never missed a deadline, and all my work was meticulously self-edited before I sent it over for review. Not bragging, just saying. (Not to be confused with the home video critic entry, which was similar but not identical to this job. Yes, I did both simultaneously for about 8 years. Yes, it was pretty fun ... most of the time.)An archive of these reviews lives on at billyokeefe.com.

Chicago, Illinois

I reviewed hundreds (like thousands, but I never counted) of video games and systems (from Game Boy Advance to Playstation 3 to mobile games) for a column that ran weekly in Knight Ridder-Tribune’s campus wire before moving in 2006 to Knight Ridder-Tribune’s general newswire, which eventually morphed into McClatchy-Tribune’s general newswire. Reviews were syndicated to a variety of Tribune-owned papers, including the Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News and Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Never missed a deadline, and all my work was meticulously self-edited before I sent it over for review. Not bragging, just saying. (Not to be confused with the home video critic entry, which was similar but not identical to this job. Yes, I did both simultaneously for about 8 years. Yes, it was pretty fun ... most of the time.)An archive of these reviews lives on at billyokeefe.com.

Chicago, Illinois

I managed the layout (both the overarching template design and the week-to-week look of the design within that template) for a handful of weekly syndicated print products that Tribune Media then distributed to various Tribune-owned newspapers. Occasionally, I also contributed stories and illustrations for these sections, and once used a photo of my dog for a story about pets. It was a hit. Predominantly worked in: QuarkXpress, but the skills translated over to InDesign, which I retained and utilized to publish a book, among other more recent jobs.

Chicago, Illinois

I covered breaking college-related news for Tribune Media Services’ national college newswire. (Yes, I briefly got to use my journalism degree before being laid off and rehired for a different job entirely. The good news is that, because the same company hired me back, I didn’t even have to change desks, just software.)

Bachelor'S Degree, Journalism, Graphic/Web Design/Development

Activities and Societies: Editor/columnist/illustrator/web editor at school paper I majored in journalism, studied (and, at the school.

Communications

I majored in communications before finding a better fit at Columbia (but not before starting a comic strip for the school paper, which I.