About

Experienced, Adaptable, trustworthy, creative, efficient

Writing, photography and marketing – these three skills are valuable assets when it comes to communication and promotion. Over the past three decades, I’ve been fortunate to gain considerable experience in each.

My experience with marketing began in 1985 with the establishment of South Cove Nursery in Brenton. In order to help promote gardening (and our business), I approached the local paper and sold them on the idea of a garden column – a weekly feature that I continued to write for 25 years.

New opportunities arose. I was asked to be the editor for a new garden tabloid called East Coast Gardener, published by Cameron Publications and distibuted throughout the Atlantic Provinces (20,000 circ.). Ad sales for the pub were weak, so I stepped up to also become the main salesperson, generating ad revenue over the seven-year lifespan of the publication.

Meanwhile I broadened my writing to other publications, including Gardening Life, Rural Delivery and National Fisherman. I also began writing advertorials for the Yarmouth Vanguard, featuring business promos related to grand openings, products and more.

In 2002, I accepted a dream job. Vanguard editor Fred Hatfield hired me as a full time reporter. Those were the days, my friend. Fred gave me free rein to pursue what I wanted and I revelled in the experiences: skydiving with the Skyhawks, tailing a psychic through the old Manor Inn, racing across the Gulf of Maine on an 80-foot sloop during the Yarmouth Cup, and other adventures.

My mentors were the finest around: Fred and Belle Hatfield, Tina Comeau, Eric Bourque and Michael Gorman. I wrote hundreds of features and covered breaking news, municipal proceedings and more, over close to two decades. I became adept at interviewing the shy, the angry, the joyful, the sad, and many more.

Everyone has a story.

Recognizing the opportunities that Facebook provides businesses, I approached several local establishments to offer Facebook management services. Providing engaging content that helps businesses connect with shoppers on a daily basis is rewarding. See testimonials

AWARDS

Outstanding Journalist Award – Newspapers Atlantic Better Newspapers Competition 2012

Outstanding Feature Story for “Tiny House, Big View” story about the building of the Cape Forchu tiny house, using lumber from century-old building – Atlantic Community Newspapers Association’s Newspapers Atlantic 2019 Better Newspapers Competition

Best Feature Photo – photo of Central School principal Jared Purdy hitting the water in a dunk tank – National Canadian Community Newspapers Association 2014 competition.

Proud to have been part of the Yarmouth Vanguard team, which repeatedly won Atlantic and national awards in its circulation class.