HATS
Seasoned, award-winning newspaperman. Investigative journalist. Unpublished novelist. Veteran copy editor. Author of film web site. Skilled computer paginator. Successful freelance entrepreneur. Entertainment columnist. Journalism lecturer. Mentor and manager of young writers. Wordsmith extraordinaire.

VALUES
Get it first, get it right. Take the reader by the hand. Good writing is re-writing. Make no assumptions. Check the spelling. Deadlines are sacred. Update the Rolodex. Pamper your sources. Legwork has no substitute. Make the extra phone call. Beat the competition. Find new outlets. Make the product indispensable. Find a way to make it happen. The team comes first. Professional conduct and appearance always. Treasure the young reader. Accept responsibility. Think outside the nine dots.

SKILLS
MS Windows, MS Word, WordPerfect, Macintosh, Harris Pagination System, Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press Style Book, Strunk & White, Netscape, Yahoo, Lycos, Altavista, Google.

EXPERIENCE: Various (Prague, Czech Republic, 1996 - 1999)

Freelance Travel Writer

• Initiated successful feature writing business with stories published in 'Washington Post,' 'San Francisco Examiner,' 'Toronto Sun,' 'Toronto Globe & Mail,' 'Travel & Leisure' magazine and Prague media. [See clips at http://www.sturms.net/travel]
Editor

• Managed special sections for English language newspaper 'The Prague Post.' Recruited and managed freelancers, assigned stories and edited weekly sections on banking, human resources, education, etc.
• Copy editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Edited English translations of broadcasts in Albanian and Serbo-Croatian for RFE's South Slavic Service during Kosovo war.
Author

• Wrote two crime novels, including one set in Prague. Currently seeking an agent.

EXPERIENCE: Daily Lancaster (PA) Intelligencer Journal (1976-96)

Editor

• As desk copy editor coached young reporters, rewrote stories, wrote headlines, selected and sized photos, did page layout on daily deadline.
• Expertise with Harris pagination system and AP Leaf desk.
• Guest speaker for journalism classes at university and high schools.
Reporter

• Top reporter on development issues in state's fastest growing county.
• Won Keystone award, state's highest journalism honor, for series on landfill that threatened dairy farms.
• Investigative reporter on issues such as development impact fees, savings and loan bankruptcies, shady real estate practices, solid waste management and mobile home scams.
• Covered criminal courts, including numerous murder trials, and occasionally handled police beat.
• Wrote general assignment stories of all stripes, including political campaigns, elections, fires, accidents.
Columnist

• Weekly columnist on film and pop music.
• Wrote web site 'The Indispensable Movies' [See site at http://www.sturms.net/movies/index-w.html] reviewing and rating the 600 greatest movies ever made.

EXPERIENCE: Salamanca (NY) Republican Press (1974-76)

• City editor responsible for daily's news coverage.
  
• Beat reporter for Seneca Nation of Indians.
  
• Stringer for 'Buffalo Evening News.'
  

EXPERIENCE: Dundalk (MD) Eagle (1973-74)

• News editor for popular suburban weekly.
  

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree, Towson University, 1973. English major. Editor of weekly 'Towerlight.'
  
• Journalism student, University of Maryland, 1969-71. News editor of daily 'Diamondback.'
  

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mail	Phone	Email	Web Site
12205 Redchurch Court Potomac MD 20854	Home: 301.309.1596 Work: 301.621.5232 x1223	dns@patuxent.com d_sturm@hotmail.com	www.sturms.net