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Tom Gillispie

  •    336-969-9755 (h), 336-692-1063
  •     Email: tgilli@copydesk.org
  •     Editing blog: http://tg-editor-proofreader.blogspot.com/

SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

  •    At three newspapers, was in charge of putting out the sports sections several days a week. Read the wire, decided what would go on each page, laid out the sports front and one or two inside pages, handled color photos, and did the final read on all sports copy.
  •    Am comfortable with deadlines and pagination.
  •    Have strong editorial skills, particularly writing and improving copy.
  •    Type more than 50 words a minute.
  •    Have worked on PC and Macintosh computers, and have used the Atex, Harris, SII, Crossfield, Good News, and OpenPages systems at various newspapers.
  •    Have used QuarkXPress, InDesign, Photoshop, and Microsoft Word for pagination.
  •    Have done extensive telecommuting for magazines and newspapers.

NEWSPAPER JOBS

The Surry Messenger: September 2008 to early January 2009.
Job description: Started out doing whatever writing, editing, page layout and photography that was needed. Was the sports editor for nine weeks, doing most of the writing, photography, page layout and editing.

The Racing Journal (published by the Winston-Salem Journal): Editor. February 2008 to late May 2008.
Job description: The Racing Journal was a production of the Journal's Niche Publications department, and it covered short tracks in southern Virginia and in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Developed story ideas, wrote copy, took pictures and helped with page layout.

Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal: Part-time copy editor/writer. Feb. 2000 to July 2005.
Job description: Worked the sports rim two nights a week, editing copy, writing headlines and cutlines; also wrote sports game stories and features for Sports and occasional freelance stories for the Metro, Zones, Features and Niche Publications departments. This job isn't totally past tense, since I occasionally work on the Journal sports copy desk or write stories on a freelance basis.
Accomplishments: In 2003, wrote seven stories for the Journal's special section on Winston Cup, including perhaps my best story ever (on Bobby and Davey Allison; http://www.tgwriter.com/id19.html). In 2006, wrote all six stories for the Journal's special section on Wake Forest University's first 50 years in Winston-Salem, N.C.

High Point (N.C.) Enterprise: Copy editor/sports writer, July 1999 to Feb. 2000.
Job description: Helped lay out the sports section; covered high school sports and auto racing.
Accomplishment: Learned two news computer systems, Crossfield and Good News, in a six-month span.

Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier: Copy editor/sports writer. Nov. 1987 to Jan. 1998.
Job description: Worked as a copy editor most nights, paginated pages; was the auto-racing writer; also covered Charleston Southern University and high school sports, as well as some minor-league professional baseball, hockey and soccer.
Accomplishments: One year, single-handedly produced the auto-racing section: provided the art, wrote the stories, built the tab boxes, laid out the pages. Another time, designed a graphics box for a story, and the paper adopted the format the next day as a staple of the paper.

Wilmington (N.C.) Star-News: Sports writer/copy editor, Jan. 1985 to Nov. 1987.
Job description: Covered high-school sports, sometimes covered college sports, wrote columns and features on various subjects, was the auto-racing writer; helped the slot man on most nights and replaced him when he was off or on vacation.
Accomplishments: Once laid out the sports section for nine days while the regular sports slot man was on vacation. Co-wrote a 10-part series on health with a UNC Wilmington professor.

Hendersonville (N.C.) Times-News: Sports writer/copy editor, Nov. 1983 to Jan. 1985.
Job description: Helped lay out the sports section for the six-day-a-week PM paper; covered high-school and other sports; wrote game stories and features; took photographs for sports and news sections.
Accomplishments: Started a weekly recreation page that expanded the paper's recreation coverage while improving the rest of the sports section.

Easley (S.C.) Progress: Sports editor, Feb. 1981 to Nov. 1983.
Job description: Covered sports in the county; took pictures; laid out pages.
Accomplishments: Won first place for best sports story in the South Carolina Press Association's 1982 awards; wrote story and took photos for the page that won the SCPA's lifestyle award in 1982; in 1982, resurrected the all-county football and basketball teams in Pickens County; chaired the all-county committees in 1982 and '83.

Journal-Tribune, Seneca, S.C.: Sports editor, Sept. 1979 to Feb. 1981.
Job description: Covered sports in the county; took pictures; laid out pages.
Accomplishments: Won third place for best sports story in the South Carolina Press Association's 1979 awards; won second place in 1980.

FREELANCE

  • Have written two books: Racing Families: A Tribute to Racing's Fastest Dynasties (Beckett, 2000) and I Remember Dale Earnhardt (Cumberland House, 2001). My third book, Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr., was released March 1, 2008.
  • Continue to write freelance stories for the Winston-Salem Journal's Sports department.
  • In 2006, wrote 153 captions for MBI Publishing's book on Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  • In 1999, wrote chapters for Beckett Publishing coffeetable books on Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
  • Have written freelance stories for Winston Cup Scene (now NASCAR Scene), Performance Racing News, Speedway Illustrated, The Sporting News' 1999 and 2000 preseason auto-racing editions, Auto World Weekly, Racing for Teens, Motorsports Fan Report, Beckett Racing Monthly, Race Masters, RPM, Inside NASCAR, FasTrack, Stock Car Racing Magazine, Circle Track, Sports Illustrated, and other publications.
  • Have written freelance stories for The Associated Press, the Miami Herald, the Washington Post, The (Baltimore) Sun, and for the daily papers in Jackson, Mich.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Greensboro, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Durham, N.C.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Jackson, Miss.; Charlottesville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Goldsboro, N.C.; Asbury Park, N.J.; Wilmington, N.C.; Asheville, N.C.; and Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
  • Have freelanced for the Charleston (S.C.) Regional Business Journal (1999) and The Business Journal of the Greater Triad (Greensboro, N.C.).
  • Wrote 12 previews for the 2003 Ultimate College Football Annual; wrote 11 previews in 2004, 24 previews in 2005 and another 24 previews for 2006; in 2007, wrote 24 previews and three feature stories. Also wrote a feature for their basketball annual.
  • In 2007, wrote a sports feature story for The Associated Press.
  • Have written program stories for the race tracks at Darlington, Charlotte, Rockingham, Talladega and Daytona Beach.
  • Wrote for the iRace, SpeedNet, Worth.com, and Boaters.Com web sites.
  • In 1991-92, wrote scripts for Vortex Comics.

COLLEGE

  • BA degree in journalism (3.2 GPA), Radford (Va.) College, 1979.
  • Writer, Radford College Office of Information and Publications, 1978-79 school year.
  • Intern, Christiansburg-Blacksburg News-Messenger, spring 1979.

CURRENT AFFILIATION

  • Member of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES).