Josh Robertson

Digital CONTENT Strategist • Social MEDIA SPECIAList • Writer • Editor

I specialize in helping brands, publications or individuals find an identity and voice in digital media. I've come to this industry from an editorial background, and over 20 years I saw publishing evolve from a one-way communication, in print, to an online dialogue that can become, at its best, a community. I believe there's a right way to do social media, and to use digital content in general -- it's a conversation, not a billboard. 

On this site, you'll see the work I've done and the results I've delivered. In addition to concepting, writing, editing and executing social campaigns, I've managed daily and weekly e-mail newsletters, written for custom publications, launched websites, optimized for SEO, created programmatic banner ads, written TV commercials that almost got made, contributed to chatbots and even wrote a book. No, I'm not telling you what it was about here in the fifth sentence.

As a writer, my strengths are humor, display copy (including SEO-friendly headlines), concepting and presentation—relaying the relevant information in a way that is entertaining, shareable and sticky. I'm good at connecting the dots and identifying trends. I have a fluency in both high and low culture. I have a thick rolodex, reflecting two decades of working with writers located all over the country, and I’m not afraid to use it. I am a problem solver and an idea man. I don't like doing things the way they've always been done.

“It’s porn.” --NBC’s Hoda Kotb on my book

“Classy porn.” -NBC’s Frank Fontana on my book.

Knowledge, Tools and Skills

Best practices on all major social networks. SEO best practices. Wordpress, Sprinklr, Hootsuite, Buffer App, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, HTML, Drupal. Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Instagram Insights. Photo research (Getty, stock, etc.). Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InCopy, MS Office.

REFERENCES

Available on request, please drop me a line.

Work History

SEO Editor at GroovyHistory.com, December 2018—present

I edit daily posts at pop-culture site GroovyHistory to make them perform better in search. Additionally, I’m systematically optimizing and repairing two years’ worth of posts on the site, reshaping the content so it will meet the expectations of search engines.

Digital Editor at Heavy Metal magazine, March 2015–Present
I advise Heavy Metal magazine on digital strategy, including website content and social media. (Heavy Metal is the leading anthology periodical of science-fiction and fantasy comics—it's not about music. Or cadmium, chromium, lead... etc.).

  • Build Heavy Metal's online and social presence in various ways, from tweaking the site structure to advising the staff on social practices.

  • Run the @HeavyMetal Instagram feed, which I've taken from zero to 156,000 followers (and counting).

  • Write features for the site as needed, including issue previews and creator interviews.

  • Send out e-mail newsletters announcing sales or features on the site.

Freelance Writer, 1997–Present
My freelance writing clients have included Maxim, FHM, Time Inc. Custom Publishing (Ford, Sony, Gillette), Inked, American Photo, Complex.com, Royal Flush, TheCredits.org, RegretfulMorning.com, and TheRoosevelts.com.

Senior Editor at Mediabrands Society, September 2015–May 2018

I create content for brands looking to reach more people through social media.

  • Develop roadmap for a given client using input from account leads, strategists and analytics team. Based on marching orders, qualitative insight and hard data, develop clear answers to three questions: Where does the client want to go? How do we get there? And how do we maximize success?

  • Brainstorm with animators, producers and art directors to create concepts for animations, videos and static content that meet the criteria. Oversee creation of comps and storyboards for presentation to client.

  • Present concepts to client, clearly outlining proposed content and explaining how and why it meets brand's goals. Provide recommendations for platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr) based on deep knowledge of technologicaly and user behavior.

  • Produce content, incorporating client feedback. Manage team of creatives and freelancers to ensure deliverables meet expectations, respect the client's budget, and arrive on schedule.

  • Meet regularly with account leads, strategy and analytics team to review content performance and strategize for greater success.

  • When opportunities arise, work directly with all stakeholders to fast-track content that will be timely and capitalize on trends.

  • Collaborate with agency's creative staff to develop new-business proposals, focusing on innovative use of social media and emerging technology, and including real-world activations and influencer plays.

  • Clients have included FDA's "The Real Cost" anti-smoking campaign, Fiat Chrysler (including Jeep, Dodge, and Ram), Sony Pictures, Amazon Studios, Universal Technical Institute, Aveeno, Listerine, Nationwide and Charles Schwab. Projects also included website design, chatbots, and copywriting for programmatic ads.

Editor at Indian Country Today Media Network, December 2010–August 2015
I edited and wrote stories for the Arts & Entertainment section of Indian Country Today Media Network.

  • Joined the team as one of the founding editors and helped transition a tiny weekly newspaper into a massive portal of news and entertainment serving American Indians. By 2015, the site boasted 1.2MM monthly uniques.

  • Responsible for four posts a day about Native culture, arts, and issues of representation, most of which I wrote.

  • Managed over 30 freelance writers scattered throughout the country.

Senior Editor at Playboy magazine and blogger at Playboy's TheSmokingjacket.com, Playboy Enterprises, Inc., November 2003–September 2013
I wrote and edited articles for the front-of-book section ("After Hours") of Playboy, focused on entertainment, lifestyle and humor, first as a fulltime freelancer and then as a staffer. Played a major role in expansion of Playboy's online offerings as a writer for Playboy.com and TheSmokingJacket.com.

  • For the print magazine, process included brainstorming, fielding pitches from freelance writers, collaborating with the art director. My responsibilities expanded from After Hours to include pictorial copy, features editing, and the promotional section Elsewhere at Playboy. I also wrote and edited features for the well, specializing in pop culture, humor and celebrity interviews.

  • I wrote the Girlwatcher blog, key to Playboy's push for a greater online editorial presence, first for playboy.com and then for Playboy's Maxim-style site TheSmokingJacket.com, where it was the main driver of website traffic. Keeping the blog relevant required constant monitoring of entertainment news and social media. I posted daily using Wordpress and started Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook pages to drive traffic, and also strategized with editorial staff and contacts at other Playboy properties to leverage editorial synergies and cross-promotion. At its peak, the Girlwatcher Twitter feed had 80,000 followers (about 5X the main Smoking Jacket feed).

Associate Editor at Yahoo! Internet Life magazine, Ziff Davis Media, August 1999–August 2002
I wrote and edited content for the pioneering tech/culture magazine Yahoo! Internet Life (published by Ziff Davis, different from yahoo.com).

  • Joined the staff as online editor, writing and editing daily content for the website and promoting it through daily and weekly e-mail newsletters. I also formatted magazine features and posted them to the site, first in hard-coded HTML and later on a Vignette CMS.

  • Transitioned to the staff of the print magazine, where I wrote and edited the front of book while continuing to run the magazine's website.

Associate Editor at Current Biography, H.W. Wilson Company, June 1997–August 1999
I spearheaded the preparation of hundreds of biographies, taken from the archives of this ubiquitous reference publication, for the company's embryonic digital product.

  • As assistant editor, I handled the line-editing of the magazine-like monthly publication, in addition to writing 7 biographies myself per month.

  • As a staff writer I wrote at least 7 biographies per month.

PUBLICATION

50 Years of the Playboy Bunny. Chronicle Books, 2010. Signed copies available on request.

EDUCATION

Duke University, Bachelor of Arts, English Literature with Gold Asterisk in Creative Writing, 1991–1995