MICHAEL J. CUSDEN
michaelbcusden@gmail.com

OBJECTIVE

To further advance my career in communications and media and to continue working creatively.

EMPLOYMENT

FREELANCE WRITER/BLOGGER (JANUARY 2008-PRESENT)
Barscope Interactive Halifax, Nova Scotia
Write, edit and submit content for various websites

FREELANCE WRITER/BLOGGER (AUGUST 2006-PRESENT)
Cuzoogle.com and The Chocolate Dog Blog Halifax, Nova Scotia
Design layout of blogs including style and images
Write, edit and post daily content to sites
Market and manage advertising while coordinating with clients

CONTENT EDITOR (DECEMBER 2005-JAN 2008)
SportsDirect Inc. Halifax, Nova Scotia
Responsible for developing all content on Covers.com and affiliated sites
Editing of articles and images to be posted on site
Working closely with writers, technical support and sales department
Posting of a daily newsletter by email to website subscribers
Working with various computer applications including dreamweaver and Photoshop
Coordinating with other content editors and writers as well as design team
Writing briefs for breaking news and editing press releases

DIGITAL SERVICES OPERATOR (JUNE 2001-OCT 2005)
Corus Entertainment Inc. Toronto, Ontario
Responsible for packaging shows for air
Checking and adjusting if necessary the quality of content, if necessary
Recording live feeds and special events
Encoding shows for the hearing impaired
Knowledge of various tape formats and the process of transferring tape to a variety of formats

PLAYBACK TAPE OPERATOR (1998-2001)
The Sports Network/ CTV Toronto, Ontario
Responsible for recording, editing and playback of videotapes for studio productions
Working with frame synchronizers and time base correctors as required for TSN and The Discovery Channel
Coordinating production VTR requirements with master control and transmission
Working on many studio shows for live sporting events including The World Cup, The Stanley Cup and World Series

EDUCATION

DIPLOMA TELEVISION BROADCASTING (1996-1998)
Fanshawe College London, Ontario
Topics of study included writing, linear and non-linear editing, live production, graphics and electronics. Also worked on a weekly school newscast and client based projects.

B.A. DEGREE COMMUNICATION STUDIES (1993-1996)
University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario
Topics of study included radio, film, journalism and television broadcasting. Minored in creative writing and psychology.

VOLUNTEERING
Webmaster for Triathlon Nova Scotia (November 2005-January 2006)
Blog writer for TV.wurk.net (November 2005-January 2006)

TOOLS

Mac and PC experience
Dreamweaver
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
SX, SP, D-BETA, 8MM, HI8, DVC PRO, VHS and DVD/CD
Harris Automated Systems
FutureCap
Microsoft Office
CD & DVD authoring software
ENG production equipment

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Being a part of a rapidly growing and successful editorial department at Sports Direct Inc..

Working on studio shows such as Off The Record, That’s Hockey and Discovery@ca.

Being a part of bringing CMT and W Network to Toronto and helping build a handful of Digital Channels for Corus

Completing my college internship at the Dome Productions (now The Rogers Center) by working on Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors productions.

INTERESTS

Creative writing, website creation, basketball, dogs, music, cooking, pop culture, blogs

references upon request.