Journalism Resume

To the Coloradoan Staff-

My name is Sean Lara and I’m a professional photographer based in Fort Collins, Colorado. I’ve already established a relationship with Richard Haro and Rebecca Powell as a freelance photojournalist, but I am now very interested in pursing a career with the Coloradoan as a staff photographer. It has always been a dream of mine to work for a professional publication as reputable as the Coloradoan and I’m eager to be a part of the team. With my previous work experience and qualifications, I feel I will fit in very well.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Communications and spent almost my entire college career working for a variety of publications and continued to do so after I obtained my diploma. I’ve had the unique opportunity throughout my career to work in a variety of different work environments and situations and therefore have learned to adapt quickly to new positions. With extensive experience working with hundreds of clients in a variety of industries, I am very comfortable being put in the position to deliver a product I can be proud of.

I started my career working as the photography editor for my community college newspaper, the Saddleback Lariat, where I learned the fundamentals of journalism and won four photojournalism awards for the school in a statewide competition. I gained the majority of my professional journalism experience working as a photographer for the Orange County Register in Southern California, which is currently one of the largest newspapers in the United States (based off circulation). With my rapport as a photographer for the Orange County Register, I was able to explore a large variety of photography avenues shooting for multiple publications and clients. In 2010 I decided to incorporate a new area of photography as a wedding photojournalist, which I still engage in today.

As an employee I will work extremely hard and go above and beyond the expected to add as much value to the company as possible. I pour a large amount of passion into everything, take pride in my work, learn from mistakes and build upon my successes. The biggest accomplishment I can provide for myself is creating something that will become a valuable contribution to the publication I work for.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration,

-Sean Lara
(949) 636-4461
[email protected]

California State University, Fullerton
B.A. Communications – Advertising (supplemental courses in Journalism, Marketing, Public Relations)

Supplemental Journalism Courses:
-4 Semesters of Newspaper Publication
-2 Semesters of Magazine Journalism
-Mass Media in Society
-Mass Media and Journalism Ethics
-Business Ethics
-Communications Law
-Mass Communication in Modern Society

The Orange County Register – Photojournalist       2010 – 2013
As a photojournalist for one of the nation’s largest newspapers, responsibilities included providing unique and professional photography while maintaining accuracy and meeting strict deadlines. In addition, it was required to provide cut-lines with each photo and copy.
Accomplishments: Awarded priority photojournalist assignments for the South Orange County division due to skill and consistency.

Cantitoe Road / Velimpex Marketing – Media Expert      2013 – Present
As the media expert for a Fort Collins-based bicycle marketing and distribution corporation, primary responsibilities include videography and photography of products and services.
Accomplishments: Established an online presence with professional videography and photography for Cantitoe Road, Velimpex Marketing and its clients.

The Saddleback Lariat – Photo Editor      2009-2011
As photo editor for the Saddleback College Lariat Newspaper, responsibilities included maintaining professionalism in the newsroom, assign and distribute assignments, edit cut-lines to AP style standards and enforce deadlines.
Accomplishments: Created, trained and managed a team of photographers to produce the Saddleback College newspaper equivalent to industry publishing standards.

Orange Appeal Magazine – Editor      2010-2011
Working to produce two yearly issues of the Orange Appeal Magazine, in 2010 held the position of photo editor and in 2011 held the position of Editor and Layout Editor.
Accomplishments: Created graphically compelling designs and adopted publishing industry standards for layouts and photographs.

HookUp Sportfishing – Managing Owner      2011- Present (Staff 2004-2011)
As the owner of one of the largest online-based fishing communities, responsibilities include managing advertising campaigns, clients, members, traffic and writing/editing articles.
Accomplishments: After taking control of the site, overall website traffic increased by 17%.

Download and view my resume in Word .docx format:

[dg]https://seanlara.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sean-Lara-Journalism-Resume-.docx[/dg]

As a photojournalist, I’ve shot hundreds of thousands of photographs ranging from breaking news to wedding ceremonies. While attending school, I won four photography awards as the photographer representative for my college in a state-wide competition including a second place award for sports photojournalism. I’ve had the pleasure of being mentored and taught my techniques from fantastic photojournalists including Pulitzer Prize-nominated photographer Bruce Chambers and South Orange County Register photo editor Paul Bersebach.

You may view my photojournalism portfolio here: Sean Lara’s Photojournalism Portfolio on Flickr

As a professional photographer, I’ve always had an eye for composition which has made the transition to video production easy. As the official “media guy” for Cantitoe Road/ Velimpex Marketing, I’ve had the opportunity to film, produce and edit a variety of videos for the company.

Proficient in Indesign, I supervised the production of my college newspaper and created the entire layout and design for Orange Appeal magazine. In addition to Orange Appeal I’ve worked on other projects including a GoPro multimedia campaign book, mock-ads and custom photo albums.

Please feel free to contact any of my personal references that I have regularly worked with:

Kathleen Buckner (Orange Appeal Magazine Supervisor) – (760) 201-7934

Paul Bersebach (South Orange County Register Photo Editor) – (949) 378-4971

Tom Koetting (Fort Collins Wedding Photographer) – (720) 210-3548

Scott A. Nelson (Los Angeles Wedding Photographer) – (310) 779-7218

Tom Petrie (CEO Cantitoe Road/Velimpex Marketing) – (970) 420-4663