Kimberly Johnson

I'm a public relations professional slash freelance writer. I am passionate about the power of the written word, believe in the relevance of open and real communication, especially communication via the cyber/blogosphere.

PROFESSIONAL PR EXPERIENCE
Currently, I am an internal communications specialist with Macy's North. I develop strategic communications to engage Macy's employees to best serve our customers and their needs.

Formerly, I was the Public Relations Specialist at the National Arbitration Forum. Basically, I was the public relations department. I was there about 15 months and I was charged with developing media relations processes and strategies for the organization. Overall, I developed a strategic communications/public relations plan including media and online communications plans as well as community relations and supplemental marketing campaigns.

Prior to the FORUM, I spent three years employed at Tunheim Partners, a small, but highly regarded, public relations/public affairs firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, I spent most days doing media relations--pitching and placing stories in various local, national and trade media, ghostwriting articles on behalf of my clients and continuously thinking like an editor/reporter/broadcast producer. I also spent a great deal of my time doing advocacy/grassroots work, which entails an understanding of public policy, great attention to relationships and reputation management, tentacious internal communications and a great deal of patience.

FREELANCE CAPABILITIES
Beyond my full-time work, I also do freelance public relations consulting/writing. Thus far, this mostly includes media relations work in the areas highlighted below.

My capabilities include:

-Key message development
-Story discovery
-Print, broadcast and online media source list development
-Media kit/Materials development
-News Releases/Media Advisories/Byline Articles
-Targeted Media Relations

I am also a freelance writer. I have been published in my neighborhood's newspaper, The Whitter Globe, and have ghostwritten many articles in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. I am working toward being a published feature writer and would like to focus my articles on travel, adventure travel, city nightlife, book reviews, women's interests, blogging and the cybersphere, public relations, philantrophy and health and fitness.

ABOUT MY EDUCATION & INTERESTS
I graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism focusing on public relations. I reside in South Minneapolis in the Whittier Neighborhood. I'm involved in my local church, Salem Lutheran, and I love to volunteer, especially to help any effort that helps children and young people live a better life and see their own potential. I hope to adopt a child from China someday...a girl, to give her a life that she would normally would not have had. I worry about my mother, father and siblings and their families, probably too much. I hope to write a travel memior about life in Capri, Italy. And, I dream of living happily-ever after with someone who I can laugh with, be a dork with and who doesn't get mad at me when I tell the world "our" stories.