Blake Boldt

Content strategist by day, music journalist by night. Like my idol Casey Kasem, I live for music, numbered lists, and assorted trivia spoken in dulcet tones. I have interviewed a wide range of notables, including 14 Grammy Award recipients, Emmy and Tony Award winning entertainer Kristin Chenoweth, and a member of Lady Gaga's egg chamber escort group.

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About

FREELANCE WRITER AND EDITOR/Various

(July 2008 – Present)

  • I have written news articles, music reviews and artist features for a variety of publications.
  • My work has appeared in more than a dozen print and online publications (M Music & Musicians, Health2You, American Cheerleader, American Songwriter, Brite Revolution, Road King, PopMatters.com, TVFodder.com, Roughstock.com, CountryUniverse.com, et al.)
  • My interview subjects include 13 Grammy Award winners, as well as Tony and Emmy Award recipient Kristin Chenoweth.
  • My reviews of live concerts at Ryman Auditorium and other Nashville music venues have been published on numerous blogs.
  • As a per-project content management associate, I have created, formatted, updated and proofed content for multiple clients.
  • As a country-music journalist, my contributions have been included in the Nashville Scene Country Music Critics’ Poll (2009-2012), which recognizes the genre’s best artists and recordings.
  • On occasion, my responsibilities entailed the management of social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
  • I covered the 2011 and 2012 editions of Americana Music Festival with interviews, panel coverage, and awards show reviews.
  • I also co-wrote the 2012 Southern Idaho Vacation & Recreation Guide, which featured 32 pages of things to do, places to stay, and food to enjoy within the region.

MANAGING EDITOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR/Out & About Newspaper

(September 2009 – February 2012; Contributing Writer: January 2010 - July 2010; Sales Assistant: September 2009 - January 2010)

  • Provided in-depth local news coverage along with political, business, feature, sports and entertainment stories.
  • Wrote and edited content for the newspaper and its companion website.
  • Delivered weekly multimedia newsletter which featured news stories, video interviews, and event calendars.
  • Managed a freelance staff of more than 25 writers, designers and photographers.
  • Coordinated design, layout and production for our monthly print publication.
  • Established Facebook fan page which accumulated 5,000 readers in a three-month period.
  • Expanded Twitter follower base by nearly 300%.
  • Spurred a 20% increase in unique visitors and page views on our website.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER/The9513.com & Engine145.com

(November 2009 – Present)

  • Contributed weekly album and biweekly single reviews related to various musical genres including country, bluegrass and Americana.
  • Interviewed select artists and songwriters in advance of touring dates and album releases for full-length feature stories and Q&As.
  • Formatted multimedia blog posts and contributed to live blog coverage of special events.

SPECIAL EVENTS TICKETING REPRESENTATIVE/Bridgestone Arena

(November 2008 – September 2012)

  • Assisted in all single-day and weekend package sales related to the annual CMA Music Festival, which hosted more than 70,000 patrons each year.
  • Acted as a guest relations monitor during various sports/entertainment events presented in the venue.
  • Produced internal sales reports and external customer correspondence regarding account maintenance, and created orders in Ticketmaster or Archtics Ticketing System to complete requests.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Turner Publishing

(September 2008 – April 2009)

  • Presented new book titles to more than 1,000 professional book buyers and specialty store owners.
  • Prospected for potential new customers within a 15-state territory by conducting market research studies.
  • Worked directly with top executives to deliver profitable author events and in-store signings.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/The Tennessean

(May 2007 – September 2008)

  • Formed strategic advertising plans for more than 500 realtors in the Middle Tennessee area.
  • Prepared proposals and negotiated contracts with clients to close sales on a variety of media solutions both in print and online.
  • Edited advertising copy and design to complete client orders with assistance of creative staff.

MARKETING & SALES INTERN/Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum

(May 2006 – January 2007)

  • Researched country music history to develop written and oral sponsorship presentations.
  • Created and compiled 1,000 research surveys regarding three major museum exhibits.
  • Presented marketing research focused on museum development and program design in staff meetings.

MARKETING & SALES INTERN/Ohio Valley Conference

(May 2006 – January 2007)

  • Compiled media clips from previous seasons for use in internal reports and presentations.
  • Participated in corporate sponsorship strategy sessions and donor meetings with administrative leadership.
  • Developed and maintained a roster of current and prospective donors for our organization.

EDUCATION

May 2006-August 2007: Middle Tennessee State University/Murfreesboro, TN

  • M.S., Mass Communication:  Emphasis in Public Relations (Major GPA: 3.89)
  • Activities: MTSU Sidelines Newspaper Staff Writer, Mass Communications Department Graduate Assistant, et al.

August 2003-May 2006: Eastern Illinois University/Charleston, IL

  • B.A., Communication Studies Major, Business Administration Minor   (Major GPA: 4.0)
  • Activities: The Daily Eastern News Staff Writer, Phi Beta Lambda Communications Honorary Member, National Residence Hall Honorary Board Member, et al.