EDUCATION
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Boone, NC ▪ Class of December 2016
B.S. in Communication, Journalism
Minors in Psychology and English
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
FREELANCE JOURNALIST
December 2016 – Present
• IEEE Spectrum: News and features covering high-tech electronics for the flagship publication of the IEEE, the world’s largest electrical engineering organization
• EEPower: News and analysis covering the biggest players and technologies in the energy/power sector
• GlobalSpec: Deep dives on various engineering topics
• WRAL TechWire: Long archive of features and news stories covering North Carolina’s tech and life science scenes; I managed the site’s interactive calendar of local events from 2017 to 2023, and produced a weekly Jobs Report from February 2021 to June 2022; I also compiled a comprehensive resource guide for Triangle-based entrepreneurs
• Business North Carolina Magazine: Features and investigative reports covering North Carolina companies and universities. (In 2024, one of my stories won a North Carolina Press Association award in the business writing category.)
• MinistryWatch: News and investigative reporting for a publication that covers issues of transparency and financial accountability among public charities and church/parachurch ministries
My bylines are also featured in Business Insider, NewsBreak, Charlotte Inno, Control Automation, Hypepotamus and ExitEvent. Plus, I publish a Substack newsletter with occasional essays on technology and the future.
FREELANCE CONTENT MARKETING/COPYWRITING
July 2016 – Present
Separate from my journalism work, I help brands create engaging SEO-ready content for their blogs, websites, and marketing materials. Here are some of the clients I’ve worked with:
• The Launch Place: Writing press releases for a prominent Virginia-based startup investor
• Three Ships: Writing research-heavy guides, explainers and reviews on health topics for the firm’s content partners and brands (list here)
• Convergent Nonprofit Solutions: Writing whitepapers and blog content
• The Produce Box: Articles and press materials on topics relating to locally sourced produce
• Dor Technologies: Blog posts exploring retail topics
• InHerSight: Covering a range of topics around gender and workplace culture (work was syndicated by FoxBusiness, Talent Culture and Fool.com)
• StudentHealth101: In-depth pieces geared toward rising college students
Additionally, in a contracted project by a prominent local serial entrepreneur, I compiled a timeline of 10 years of career experience and presented it in a comprehensive web package.
FREELANCE EDITOR at SECURITY GLADIATORS
April 2017 – October 2022
EDITORIAL INTERN & CONTRIBUTOR at EXIT EVENT
Durham, NC ▪ May 2015 – November 2017
As an intern (summer 2015 and 2016), my responsibilities included: writing breaking news and feature stories, filming and editing videos, managing the calendar and social media, and aggregating content for weekly newsletters. After completing both summer internships, I continued writing stories and curating the weekly newsletter on a freelance basis until ExitEvent merged with WRAL TechWire in November 2017.
INTERN REPORTER at HIGH COUNTRY PRESS
Boone, NC ▪ October 2015 – October 2016
General assignment reporting for the High Country area’s online news source and monthly print magazine.
INTERN REPORTER at MOUNTAIN TIMES PUBLICATIONS
Boone, NC ▪ January 2015 – May 2015
Produced local news pieces for Watauga County’s primary print newspaper sources, Watauga Democrat and Mountain Times, and for the HighCountryNC website.
COPY EDITOR at THE APPALACHIAN
Boone, NC ▪ September 2013 – January 2014
Applied AP Style guidelines to the Arts and Entertainment section of Appalachian State University’s student newspaper.
PUBLICATIONS
THE GREAT REPRESSION
May 2015, Think Piece Publishing
‘The Great Repression’ is a print collection of poems I wrote between the ages of 17 and 21. Minneapolis-based publisher Think Piece published the book in May 2015. The work includes illustrations by my brother, Bradford Cuthrell.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
DESK WORKER at UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER
Boone, NC ▪ August 2014 – December 2016
Greeted clients, created and managed appointments using Writing Center Online’s platform, and tended to basic client inquiries via phone, email, and online chat
PEER REVIEWER at IMPULSE NEUROSCIENCE JOURNAL
Boone, NC ▪ January 2015 – May 2016
Collaborated with a team of other Appalachian State students in reading and suggesting edits for neuroscience research paper submissions.
VOLUNTEER at NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS
Raleigh, NC ▪ May 2015 – August 2015
Wrote articles for NAMI’s monthly newsletter, The Iris, on a variety of topics relating to mental illness.
RESEARCH INTERN at NORTH CAROLINA CENTER FOR THE BOOK
Raleigh, NC ▪ July 2014 – August 2014
Researched a number of state-wide adult literacy programs and compiled relevant information into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
PUBLISHING INTERN at BLACK MOUNTAIN PRESS
Virtual ▪ November 2013 – August 2014
Critically read and edited grammar and spelling in manuscript submissions, and recommended rejecting or accepting manuscripts for further consideration.
VARIOUS JOBS at PLEMMONS STUDENT UNION
Boone, NC ▪ August 2013 – May 2014
Performed room set-up tasks and served as an information desk attendant at Appalachian State University’s student union, while also working as a receptionist in the university’s student programs office.
CRITIQUE COMMITTEE MEMBER at THE PEEL
Boone, NC ▪ September 2013 – May 2014
Worked with a team of other students to analyze and critique poetry submissions for Appalachian State University’s literature and arts review.
MARKETING INTERN at CLEARSIGHT CREATIVE RESOURCES
Virtual ▪ November 2013 – December 2013
Explored publicity avenues for clients, researched ideas for blog content and wrote short business-oriented blog posts.
SERVER at THE ICE CREAM SHOP
Apex, NC ▪ April 2010 – August 2012
In my high school years, I worked as an ice cream server at The Ice Cream Shop in downtown Apex.
KEY SKILLS
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- WordPress and other content management systems
- AP Style guidelines
- News and feature writing, interviews/Q&As
- Investigative reporting experience: FOIA requests, open-source databases/aggregators, search techniques, extensive knowledge of Form 990 nonprofit tax statements, among other skills
- Proofreading and editing
- Copyediting and line editing
- Multimedia reporting: Videos, interactive content and data visualization
- Adobe: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop and InDesign
- Microsoft Office: Excel, PowerPoint, Word
- Copywriting: Writing press releases and advertising copy
- Content marketing: Product reviews, guides, explainers and other informative content
- Research and fact-checking
- Local/regional journalism
- Social media platforms and management tools
- Content aggregation for newsletters
- Blogging
Shannon Cuthrell 