Dan Watson Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles

⦁ As a lead digital editor of our "Hub," help manage a team of around 15 producers. Lead our breaking news report.⦁ Deliver a daily morning coverage plan to masthead and key editors by 6:30 a.m.⦁ Run the daily 7 a.m. newsroom meeting, which includes editors from each of our 12 major departments. Lead off discussions at the daily 9:30 a.m. meeting (A1).⦁ Helped lead breaking news coverage of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, which earned us the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news in 2016.⦁ Monitor breaking news, helping notify sections. Write and send breaking email alerts, push notifications, tweets, etc. Post to Times’ social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Evangelize social media to rest of newsroom.⦁ Currently assisting in redesign of LATimes.com, using Arc technology from Washington Post. ⦁ Determine which stories to showcase on LATimes.com and the mobile app. Rewrite headlines, select art, design daily special sections highlighting big news events. Build photo, video and story galleries. Provide technical assistance to newsroom. ⦁ Monitor real-time analytics (Chartbeat) to determine story placement, story page builds, site design tweaks. Also study long-term Omniture metrics.⦁ Previously, worked overnight shifts, assigning, editing and posting stories from foreign and national correspondents. Occasionally write local posts.

West Hollywood, Ca

Having learned how to build and run a digital news site at the University of Southern California, I was hired by a publisher to build and edit a community news site covering the city of West Hollywood in California (WEHOville.com). For nearly a year, I was the only full-time employee. In one month (September 2012), the publisher and I studied the city's demographics, conceived a name, voice and mission for the publication, designed a news site wireframe, instructed a graphic designer to build the site, screened potential freelancers, assigned, edited and published stories and launched the site.West Hollywood has two other "hyperlocal" news sites. Both have operated for years, one for more than a decade. At their height, they averaged around 30,000 monthly pageviews.In November 2012, the first month analytics were available, we achieved 35,000 pageviews.In 2013, the monthly pageviews consistently climbed from 45,000 to 53,000 to 65,000 to 80,000.The site achieved 92,000 pageviews in October 2013.- As editor, managed a number of freelancers, including an editor-at-large, two part-time photographers, political reporter, food critic, architect critic, music critic, calendar editor and a number of others.- Aggressively built Facebook "likes" to more than 3,300 through story promotion, contests, social media button placement and instruction of "marketing director."- Using similar tactics, built Twitter feed to more than 1,000 followers.- Created "DailyFix" email newsletter and built subscribers to nearly 1,000.- Created "gTV" directory, which has since become the web's definitive guide for gay web series and is the No. 1 Google search result for "gay web series."

Los Angeles

Worked on an augmented reality app for the Olympics that allowed you to view photo slideshows and videos when you held your mobile device over any photo in the Olympics section.Read more about it at Editor & Publisher: http://bit.ly/R2H51f

Greater Los Angeles Area

Covered the 2012 presidential campaign in Arizona for the world's third biggest newspaper website.

Greater Los Angeles Area

• Was in charge of the nation’s most widely trafficked online college news site.• Oversaw an editorial board of more than 40 editors, and an entire staff of more than 100.• Instituted first daily budget system in publication history, including daily budget meetings using Google Hangout.Built the publication’s first graphics and photo department; created first policy handbook.• Set all-time traffic records: more than 1 million pageviews in the first semester, spanning 120 countries.• Led surge in Facebook “likes” and Twitter followers to nearly 4,000 apiece; directed four Tumblr sites.• Effectively built staff of 20 executive producers for near-24/7 web aggregation.• Promoted content across the Internet, getting linked by Huffington Post, LA Times, Drudge Report, AOL, Reddit,Mediabistro, Village Voice, Truthdig, LA Observed, LAist, and many others.

As the assistant sports editor, lead a team of seven, overseeing production for five sports sections:- Santa Maria Times (daily - circulation 18,823)- Lompoc Record (daily - circ. 5,331)- Santa Ynez Valley News (twice weekly - circ. 13,300)- Times Press Recorder (once weeky - circ. 10,700)- Adobe Press (once weekly - circ. 8,575)Responsibilities:- Ran daily budget system (assigning stories, photos, videos) for five newspapers- laid-out multiple sections on daily basis- Wrote game stories, features, commentaries- Lead announcer on high school football/basketball webcasts. Budgeted 1/2-hour pregame show, create video graphics/slides, halftime show, post-game show. For highlights, please see: http://santamariatimes.com/app/live/football/- Scripted, filmed and narrated weekly online summer sports show (Sports Times)- Chief editor of quarterly special editions, plus yearly Tour of Calif. pro cycling race- Have helped co-host local sports talk radio show- Assisted implementation of newspapers' first blogs, score tickers, live video broadcast of high school games

Supervised only completely student-run college newspaper in the nation. Managed a staff of 14 editors and 19 reporters. Launched newspaper Web site and increased daily hits from 850 to 30,000 in two quarters - two years later it was named the nation's No. 1 college newspaper Web site. Implemented first podcast, broadcasting on nightly basis. Directed the content and design of the largest special edition in university history.

Proud to be a part of initial team that got the site off the ground. Pitched the Web site vision to dozens of coaches, controlled administration and queried schools for participation. It is now known as one of the most comprehensive sports sites in the world, charting statistics for every high school sports program in the nation.

Covered local-interest stories part-time for 12 high schools, two colleges (Cuesta, Cal Poly) and community for a national award-winning sports section.

Wrote articles for El Dorado County schools while attending high school.

Masters, Online Journalism

Bachelor Of Science, Journalism

Activities and Societies: Society of Professional Journalists; Chairman of the Student Fee Committee.