Bio and Resume

“Great writing is more than prose – it’s the idea. Hyatt serves up
stories with an unusual twist.”

—Alliance of Area Business Publications

I’m a writer, an editor and a journalism evangelist. I’ve built freeways in California, tended bar in Ireland, and worked construction in New York City. I’ve worked at alt weeklies, daily papers and news magazines. I’m the creator of Digital Journalism Portland. Currently I work as the production editor at ReadWriteWeb.com, one of the largest blogs in the world.

Speaking • Job History • Awards • Download Resume

Digital Journalism Camp Portland
Creator/Organizer

Digital Journalism Portland creates teaching events for journalists. In August 2009 I organized Digital Journalism Camp, an intensive, one-day conference that explored the intersection between traditional journalism, blogging and web-based innovation. Since then I have partnered with the Society of Professional Journalists Oregon/SW Washington Chapter on an ongoing series of social hours that highlight new digital journalism projects in Oregon.

The planning and producing of these events requires me to be proficient in WordPress, PhotoShop, HTML/CSS, various types of social media, the audio editing app Audacity, and the video editing apps iMovie and Jahshaka.

I handled every aspect of the Aug. 1, 2009 event, from initiation to execution. I developed a targeted series of session topics, which ranged from podcasting and video production to the analysis of journalism business models. I selected and organized 21 panelists, speakers and moderators from Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada. I brought on six sponsors, including the University of Oregon, and the event host, The Oregonian. I handled social media outreach, created and updated a web site, produced and edited promotional videos, wrote in-house and external promotional materials and conducted a software giveaway. Approximately 140 people attended the event.

Oregon Business magazine, 25,000 capped circulation, Portland, Ore.
Associate Editor/Managing Editor: 2006-2009

In 2009, Oregon Business was named one of the top three business magazines in the country by the American Society of Business Publication Editors. As one of its editors, I was honored to work for a publication that engaged readers, influenced public policy and challenged the traditional definition of business journalism. As an editor, I worked closely with editors, interns and freelancers to create stories that were unique in topic and rich in reporting and writing. My editorial vision, in conjunction with the magazine’s small, closely knit team of editors, produced a magazine that analyzed, investigated and reported on every element in the state’s economy and its business environment.

As a writer, I initiated, researched and wrote award-winning, long-form analytical stories. Unlike daily or weekly journalism, I was able to devote months at a time to gathering and analyzing complex information that I turned into stories that gave readers a deeper understanding of the economic and political forces that affect businesses.

My web editing duties included updating the magazine’s site several times a day, reviewing dozens of newspaper, broadcaster and news sites to generate content for our news aggregator, and implementing various multimedia elements on the site. I designed and helped initiate a daily digital newsletter project. As part of a team of editors, I helped conceive and institute a massive redesign of the magazine.

The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune, 45,000 daily circulation, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Reporter: 2005-2006

As a reporter for the region’s largest daily paper, I covered a small, highly dysfunctional government agency charged with building one of the most expensive per-capita public works projects in the nation. My aggressive coverage included A1 investigations into the agency’s fiscal irregularities, its relationship with the state, and its eventual path to bankruptcy – the second most expensive municipal bankruptcy in California history.

Using my skills as a reporter and critical thinker, I was adept at analyzing complex scientific and governmental data and quickly crafting it into powerful, accessible stories that affected local and state politics.

My online responsibilities included filing breaking news stories and updates to existing articles. I regularly worked with Web producers to create online story packages. My investigative journalism also targeted tax evasion by nonprofit organizations, and local cities who ignored public record laws, a project featured by Investigative Editors and Reporters.

New Times (San Luis Obispo), 40,000 weekly circulation, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Staff writer: 2003-2005

One of my strongest skills at New Times was using daily-newspaper-style reporting techniques to write timely, competitive stories that regularly beat out the region’s largest daily newspaper. I initiated and wrote large-scale, months’-long projects, which required me to analyze vast amounts of data, court records and documents obtained via public records laws. I took that information and crafted engaging, easy-to-understand stories that, for example, exposed a state senator’s special-interest-funded trips around the world.

I was also able to showcase my talents as a narrative journalist. I wrote about the life of a teenage triple-amputee athlete. I used two decade’s worth of court records to re-create the life story of a four-time rapist living on the streets of San Luis Obispo.

Santa Maria Sun, 20,000 weekly circulation, Santa Maria, Calif.
Reporter/Arts and Entertainment Editor: 2001-2003


Awards:

Magazine of the Year (circ. under 80,000): Honorable Mention, 2009, Oregon Business magazine, American Society of Business Publication Editors. “Everything a regional publication should be. Local coverage without boosterism and in the context of national economic concerns.”

Reporting of Government: First place for “State of Addiction,” 2009, Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon/SW Washington

Best Feature, Silver for “Tribes 2.0,” 2008, Alliance of Area Business Publications. “Placing the economic development efforts of Oregon’s Native Americans within a historical context, the author crafted a narrative that moved beyond the obvious story of tribal involvement in resorts and casinos.”

Best body of Work, Single Writer: Bronze, 2008, Alliance of Area Business Publications. “Great writing is more than prose – it’s the idea. Hyatt serves up stories with an unusual twist – such as how Native American tribes are moving beyond casinos to become major players in economic development, or how Oregon colleges are fighting back against the oppression of national rankings.”

Business News: First pace for “Trouble at sea,” 2008, Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon/SW Washington

Business Feature: Second place for “Tribes 2.0,” 2008, Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon/SW Washington

Speaking

CASE District 8 Annual Conference
Council for the Advancement and Support of Education
Portland, Ore., Feb. 18, 2010
Presenter: We Are the Media: You and the Emerging New Journalism

We Make The Media
Portland, Ore., Nov. 21, 2009
Presenter: The Viability of the Nonprofit Journalism Model

Building a Better Journalist
Society of Professional Journalists, University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication
Eugene, Oregon, Oct. 24, 2009
Panelist: A Sidebar on Business Models; The Future of Journalism

Activities:

Investigative Reporters and Editors- 2004-present
Presenter: Ignite Portland 4, Portland, Ore. Nov. 2008
Guest Lecturer, journalism:

• Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, Calif.: December 2002, April 2003, October 2004, April 2005.
• California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.: January, May 2006.
• University of California at Santa Cruz: April 2006.