Michael Burns Email & Phone Number

I strategize and develop internal and external communications and content while leading media relations and social media management at the 115-year-old independent, not-for-profit health system that serves Upstate South Carolina and northeast Georgia.

Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Area

• Flourished in a tumultuous time for local journalism. Provided leadership and guidance to staff throughout South Carolina to maximize reach and impact. Developed and executed successful internal and external.
• Led conception, development and execution of content publication and management across websites, print products and social media platforms at The Greenville News, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and the Anderson.
• Provided comprehensive strategic guidance, expertise and support in a competitive, fast-paced digital environment to increase subscriptions by more than 30% from 2021 to 2022.
• Led successful projects on national, regional and local scales that required internal and external communications planning, multichannel execution, and coordination and direction of team members in reporting.
• Coached staff through the adoption of new processes and the integration of new platforms to engage audiences with messages that landed, language that resonated and formats that penetrated.
• Gathered content analytics to inform decisions and improve reach. Produced content in a variety of formats to maximize impact. Increased digital traffic by more than 100% over prior weeks.

Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, South Carolina Area

• Maximized digital impact in a highly competitive environment without sacrificing efficiency or production for daily and weekly print products in South Carolina and North Carolina.
• Identified key topics of high interest to targeted audiences and helped reporters develop content to build audiences for The Greenville News, the Anderson Independent Mail, the Asheville Citizen-Times, and the Orange.
• Led team members through content and communications planning, then the reporting and writing processes for enterprise articles about issues and trends in the world of sports, data-driven articles about statistics.
• Coached team members through the establishment and effective use of social media to increase exposure, develop audiences and build personal brands.

Greenville, South Carolina, United States

• Produced award-winning, exclusive, clear and compelling content for The Greenville News. Served as an interview subject and informational expert as well as an interviewer during special reports on video.
• Published thorough, fair and accurate articles before lesser coverage was produced by competitors.
• Incorporated first-rate photography, video and social media in content production.
• Secured cooperation with sources who were sometimes hesitant, occasionally belligerent.

Greer, South Carolina, United States

Served as a public-service watchdog for greater Greer, producing exclusive journalism for The Greenville News. Served as interview subject and informational expert as well as interviewer during special reports on video.

Clemson, South Carolina, United States

Established a new beat and provided The Greenville News new highs in digital traffic while covering recruiting at Clemson University. Served as interview subject and informational expert as well as interviewer during special reports.

Greenville, South Carolina, United States

Planned and produced paid marketing content as well as independent journalism for Upstate Parent, Palmetto Parent and Lowcountry Parent magazines in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, respectively. Partnered with chambers of commerce to produce annual guides and newcomer resources.

Greenville County, South Carolina, United States

Planned and produced award-winning sports content. Recruited freelancers, coordinated coverage and edited materials. Led projects, special events and representation in local festivals.

Greer, South Carolina, United States

Planned and produced award-winning sports content. Recruited freelancers, coordinated coverage and edited materials. Led projects, special events and representation in local festivals.

Clemson University, South Carolina, United States

Managed all operations for the award-winning student newspaper at Clemson University, linking editorial and advertising staff while overseeing a budget of more than $100,000. Produced style guides to improve impact and consistency among sections and publications.