Sara Mason

Employment
Freelancer, June 2004-Present
Cosmetic/beauty industry analyst for Maddock Douglas, Inc.; Blogger; Writer for GCI and Skin Inc. magazines; Editor of "The Winter Warriors," the platform tennis' players guide to better play and "The Platform Tennis Start-Up Guide"; Edited the POWERSHIP book for corporate strategic planning; Appeared in the December 2003 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine as an expert source on skin care; Wrote dozens of press releases for skin care and cosmetics clients of Pierce Mattie Public Relations; Acted as Editor for Fruit of the Spirit Ministries' debut of Good Day magazine.
Managing Editor, January 2002-June 2004
GCI magazine, Allured Publishing, Chicago, IL
Promoted from Skin Inc. magazine to develop new acquisition into a successfull business magazine for the prestige personal care and cosmetics industry.
Accomplishments included: Wrote at least seven feature articles per year, as well as the editor's letter and other short editorials; Solicited all articles and columns to fulfill editorial calendar and keep within budget; Served as primary editor on all manuscripts; Maintained 95% on-time production schedule; Increased international authors from 4 in 2002 to 10 in 2003 and 17 in the six issues of 2004; Reduced editorial budget from $11,585 to $9,315 while adding new experts as authors; Managed assistant editor in creation of relevant and engaging departments; Added two high-profile industry professionals to the editorial advisory board, and developed new guidelines to ensure their involvement in the evolution of the magazine; Oversaw production of annual Directory issue, managing its database and creating all questionnaires, templates and queries; Increased entries in Directory from 1,000 companies and 1,300 personnel in 2002 to 1,300 companies and 2,000 key personnel in 2003; Saved $20,000 in printing costs by simplifying the annual Directory issue from 2002 to 2003; Served as liaison among publisher, sales, production, editorial, marketing and circulation; Took care of a variety of tasks such as writing cover blurbs to design conferences each issue; Co-chaired the 2004 ICE expo, booking and coordinating the Business Track of speakers, as well as one high-profile industry keynote and a motivational speaker for the luncheon.
Associate Editor, January 1999-January 2002
Skin Inc. magazine, Allured Publishing, Chicago, IL
Promoted from Assistant Editor, December 2000. Wrote and edited feature articles and columns for the trade publication; Skin Inc. magazine ; managed the product showcase and happenings sections, sifting through and summarizing 30-40 press releases per month; maintained the magazine Web site as well as its trade show site and identified growth opportunities; and traveled to multiple trade shows a year, representing Skin Inc. magazine to readers, authors and advertisers.

Editor, January 2000-September 2000
charisma magazine, Allured Publishing, Chicago, IL
Wrote a business plan for Skin Inc. magazine's consumer publication debut; managed the editorial content; edited articles and assigned others; oversaw the design; and designed the Web site.

Editorial Assistant, August 1997-December 1998
Computation Center, Iowa State University
Edited, designed, and wrote for various departmental documents and publications, including the center's bimonthly newsletter.

Awards:
American Business Publication Editor's 2002 Young Leadership Scholar
American Business Publication Editor's 2000 Gold Award in the How-to category for "Florida Fruit Fresh," which appeared in the August 2000 issue of Skin Inc. magazine.

Internships: Editorial Assistant, Summer 1998
McGraw-Hill Healthcare Information, Minneapolis, MN
Edited technical articles and wrote cover copy for publications in the healthcare industry. Created the web site architecture and helped evaluate the current site. Also created a template for press releases.

Related activies: Member, August 2000-present
American Business Magazine Press Editors, Chicago, IL

Web Editor, March 1998-December 1998
The Iowa Agriculturist, Iowa State University
Created, designed and maintained the web version of the Iowa Agriculturist, a magazine for the College of Agriculture.

Director of Human Relations, Fall 1997-Spring 1998
Government of the Student Body, Iowa State University
Coordinated community service events and assisted cabinet members with ongoing projects.

Vice President of Public Relations, Fall 1996-Spring 1997
Inter-Residence Hall Association, Iowa State University
Created a monthly newsletter, and designed table tents and signs to promote events.

Education: Bachelor of Science, December 1998
Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Major: Journalism and Mass Communication/Visual Communications
Designated Area of Concentration: Computer Applications for Design
GPA: 3.45 (Journalism GPA: 3.80)
Recognition: Dean's List, Golden Key National Honor Society, Fitzsimmons Scholarship, Rose and Chessman Honorary
Coursework: Reporting and Writing, Business and Proposals, Web Site Design, Design Applications to Computers, Graphic Communication, Visual Principles, Law of Mass Communication, Public Relations Principles.

Comptuer skills: Windows 95 and Macintosh computers and applications related to publishing, including Microsoft Word and Excel; Adobe Photoshop, PageMaker, and Illustrator; Quark XPress; Fetch; GoLive; Nova Development's Art Explosion; and HTML.

Interests: Parenting, stay-at-home motherhood, spirituality, graphics design, writing/editing, church volunteer activities, reading, running (ran the 25th LaSalle Bank Chicao Marathon in 2002).

Employment	Freelancer, June 2004-Present Cosmetic/beauty industry analyst for Maddock Douglas, Inc.; Blogger; Writer for GCI and Skin Inc. magazines; Editor of "The Winter Warriors," the platform tennis' players guide to better play and "The Platform Tennis Start-Up Guide"; Edited the POWERSHIP book for corporate strategic planning; Appeared in the December 2003 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine as an expert source on skin care; Wrote dozens of press releases for skin care and cosmetics clients of Pierce Mattie Public Relations; Acted as Editor for Fruit of the Spirit Ministries' debut of Good Day magazine. Managing Editor, January 2002-June 2004 GCI magazine, Allured Publishing, Chicago, IL Promoted from Skin Inc. magazine to develop new acquisition into a successfull business magazine for the prestige personal care and cosmetics industry. Accomplishments included: Wrote at least seven feature articles per year, as well as the editor's letter and other short editorials; Solicited all articles and columns to fulfill editorial calendar and keep within budget; Served as primary editor on all manuscripts; Maintained 95% on-time production schedule; Increased international authors from 4 in 2002 to 10 in 2003 and 17 in the six issues of 2004; Reduced editorial budget from $11,585 to $9,315 while adding new experts as authors; Managed assistant editor in creation of relevant and engaging departments; Added two high-profile industry professionals to the editorial advisory board, and developed new guidelines to ensure their involvement in the evolution of the magazine; Oversaw production of annual Directory issue, managing its database and creating all questionnaires, templates and queries; Increased entries in Directory from 1,000 companies and 1,300 personnel in 2002 to 1,300 companies and 2,000 key personnel in 2003; Saved $20,000 in printing costs by simplifying the annual Directory issue from 2002 to 2003; Served as liaison among publisher, sales, production, editorial, marketing and circulation; Took care of a variety of tasks such as writing cover blurbs to design conferences each issue; Co-chaired the 2004 ICE expo, booking and coordinating the Business Track of speakers, as well as one high-profile industry keynote and a motivational speaker for the luncheon. Associate Editor, January 1999-January 2002 Skin Inc. magazine, Allured Publishing, Chicago, IL Promoted from Assistant Editor, December 2000. Wrote and edited feature articles and columns for the trade publication;; managed the product showcase and happenings sections, sifting through and summarizing 30-40 press releases per month; maintained the magazine Web site as well as its trade show site and identified growth opportunities; and traveled to multiple trade shows a year, representing Skin Inc. magazine to readers, authors and advertisers. Editor, January 2000-September 2000 charisma magazine, Allured Publishing, Chicago, IL Wrote a business plan for Skin Inc. magazine's consumer publication debut; managed the editorial content; edited articles and assigned others; oversaw the design; and designed the Web site. Editorial Assistant, August 1997-December 1998 Computation Center, Iowa State University Edited, designed, and wrote for various departmental documents and publications, including the center's bimonthly newsletter.
Awards:	American Business Publication Editor's 2002 Young Leadership Scholar American Business Publication Editor's 2000 Gold Award in the How-to category for "Florida Fruit Fresh," which appeared in the August 2000 issue of Skin Inc. magazine.
Internships:	Editorial Assistant, Summer 1998 McGraw-Hill Healthcare Information, Minneapolis, MN Edited technical articles and wrote cover copy for publications in the healthcare industry. Created the web site architecture and helped evaluate the current site. Also created a template for press releases.
Related activies:	Member, August 2000-present American Business Magazine Press Editors, Chicago, IL Web Editor, March 1998-December 1998 The Iowa Agriculturist, Iowa State University Created, designed and maintained the web version of the Iowa Agriculturist, a magazine for the College of Agriculture. Director of Human Relations, Fall 1997-Spring 1998 Government of the Student Body, Iowa State University Coordinated community service events and assisted cabinet members with ongoing projects. Vice President of Public Relations, Fall 1996-Spring 1997 Inter-Residence Hall Association, Iowa State University Created a monthly newsletter, and designed table tents and signs to promote events.
Education:	Bachelor of Science, December 1998 Iowa State University, Ames, IA Major: Journalism and Mass Communication/Visual Communications Designated Area of Concentration: Computer Applications for Design GPA: 3.45 (Journalism GPA: 3.80) Recognition: Dean's List, Golden Key National Honor Society, Fitzsimmons Scholarship, Rose and Chessman Honorary Coursework: Reporting and Writing, Business and Proposals, Web Site Design, Design Applications to Computers, Graphic Communication, Visual Principles, Law of Mass Communication, Public Relations Principles.
Comptuer skills:	Windows 95 and Macintosh computers and applications related to publishing, including Microsoft Word and Excel; Adobe Photoshop, PageMaker, and Illustrator; Quark XPress; Fetch; GoLive; Nova Development's Art Explosion; and HTML.
Interests:	Parenting, stay-at-home motherhood, spirituality, graphics design, writing/editing, church volunteer activities, reading, running (ran the 25th LaSalle Bank Chicao Marathon in 2002).