Lara Neel Email & Phone Number

As part of the Marketing Team, I am the main contributor in creating the overall marketing strategy for the Publishing division's consumer audience. I also direct all go-to-market activities for new product releases and drive continued sales growth of backlist publishing titles through innovative, integrated marketing activities across all consumer channels and collaborate with the business-to-business team to make sure our products are maximized across all channels.

Center City, Minnesota, United States

As part of the Consumer Segment Team, I am the main contributor in creating the overall marketing strategy for the consumer audience. I also direct all go-to-market activities for new product releases and drive continued sales growth of backlist publishing titles through innovative, integrated marketing activities across all consumer channels.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Using Wordpress, planned, designed, and built https://twinsnneedles.com.- Offers educational events bringing together crafters and world-class experts in unique locations and online.- Markets and sells support materials for students on Etsy.- Teaches private sewing classes over Zoom.“Extremely knowledgeable, passionate, & helpful instructor. Lara’s the best. I felt really comfortable asking for help. She is positive and encouraging.” – M. M.“Really enjoyed my mask making class because with guidance to get my machine out and prepare my fabrics that I already owned it made me sit and stitch a home done mask. Now that opens my world to create them for family and donation purposes.We laughed a little (I almost cried because my machine disfunctioned and thought oh NO but Lara kindly said “we can trouble shoot it” and in no time, on with the class.” – M. K. H.

Greater Denver Area

Socks My Way: Heel and Toe VariationsDeveloped and taught set of 9 classes on sock knitting.Provide continuous support to students through Craftsy's online learning platform.

United States

I'm the author of Sock Architecture, a book to inspire the most awesome socks you ever knit. Use one of the 17 patterns I wrote or design some socks as unique as you. Available from Cooperative Press and anywhere great craft books are sold.I have been a contract instructor through St. Louis Park Community Education since 2015 and South Washington County Schools Community Education since 2020.Most of my classes consist of five 2-hour sessions and are designed for 4 to 10 students. Classes could include up to 15 students if all of them are at the same skill level.For details on classes and lectures I have ready to go, please check out the attached PDF or contact me!

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Develops plans for social media, blog, and content marketing strategies across multiple platforms.- Edits visual assets for maximum impact.- Manages editorial calendars and writes content marketing copy to take best advantage of key holidays and events throughout the year.- Advises on best use of social platforms to promote listening, responding, and engaging with customers.- Identifies trends and relevant topics. - Creates, implements, and monitors print, digital, and social advertising campaigns.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Managed social media, blog, and content marketing strategies across multiple platforms with emphasis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to create one brand voice with consistent messaging.- Recruited, managed, and mentored interns.- Planned quarterly editorial calendars and wrote on-schedule content marketing copy.- Provided customer insight to internal teams based on social listening activities and feedback.- Wrote and edited copy for print ads, digital ads, and email marketing campaigns.- Enhanced company profile on Amazon.com and monitored sales to provide support and recommendations.- Created advertising plans, directed stakeholders to enact plans, and reported on their success.- Oversaw budget for advertising and marketing initiatives.- Worked with distributed clients to ensure their marketing and publicity goals were being met.- Provided quality control checks and wrote copy for book covers, ARC covers, e-commerce, and catalogs.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Used content strategy and development tactics to write and edit copy for a variety of communications, including press releases, publicity materials, advertising, website updates and internal memorandums.- Pitched story ideas to and developed relationships with all levels of media, from local to national.- Provided direction and support to members of the internship program.- Coordinated interviews with authors, coached authors for interviews, and ensured publicity requests were completed in a satisfactory manner.- Presented details on publicity and media projects to stakeholders in multiple departments.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Through aggressive and thorough community-building strategies, I increased Quarto Publishing Group’s reach on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I also started, from scratch, accounts on Instagram and Google Plus. In the first quarter of 2014, Whole Home News’ Facebook likes grew by 122%, Cool Springs Press’s Twitter followers grew by 454% and Whole Home News’ Pinterest followers grew by 694%.I built Motorbooks’ and Whole Home News’ Instagram accounts to over 2,300 followers in their first 30 days. The absolute number of followers for our blogs on Google Plus is still modest, but in six months, the audience grew by over 17 times for Motorbooks, 11 times for Zenith Press and Motorbooks and nearly 14 times for Whole Home News.Rebranding efforts taken in 2015 rolled these accounts into new properties, all under the QuartoKnows banner.Other Duties:- Provided direction and support for blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.- Managed and mentored freelance bloggers, social media personnel, and interns.- Through aggressive and thorough community-building strategies and use of SEO, increased my company’s reach on over two dozen accounts across all five major social media platforms.- Trained other members of my team on social media strategies and SEO.- Coordinated and managed contracts with vendors and freelancers.

Fort Wayne, Indiana Area

Developed coursework and taught Journalism 210 (Visual Communication): Introduced students to photography, writing, and video.Contributed to second and third editions of the textbook Visual Communication in a Digital Age.

- Planned multimedia story ideas, daily visual coverage, and longer-term projects, both online and in print.- Located, hired, and managed photographers, freelance photographers, and interns.- Effectively managed department’s budget.- Trained, edited, and assisted Visual Journalists, reporters, and editors in social media best practices and the production of multimedia and print projects.- In partnership with two other departments, produced and edited a weekly podcast, craft blog, and print-product column. Produced the most-viewed single story on the website in 2010.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

- Managed photography department schedule and budget while producing video, multimedia slideshows and photography for http://www.argusleader.com and print.- Designed workflow and guidelines for photographers.- Located, hired and managed freelance photographers and interns.- Trained reporters and photographers in multimedia and video techniques.

- Wrote and photographed monthly profile stories, including multimedia slideshow components, on local people.- Produced photographs for the newspaper and photo galleries for http://www.argusleader.com/.

Staff Photographer, Traverse City Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich., February, 2004 to July, 2005 - Created self-generated photo packages and short stories.- Proofed and edited captions for self and other photographers.

Graphic design and office management. Oversaw 2 interns.

Bachelor Of Arts, Physics

Masters, Visual Communication

Education record