NICK

DiMARCO

NEW MEDIA MAVEN

5335 DUKE STREET, APT. 510 ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304

(571) 458-6989

NDIMARCO1@GMAIL.COM

FEB. 21, 2018

MITCH JACOB

STATION MANAGER, DIRECTOR OF NEWS

WJLA - TV 1100 WILSON BOULEVARD ARLINGTON, VA 22209

Dear Mr. Jacob,

I want to win.

I want to apply my nine years of experience working in digital media to improve WJLA’s online reach, social engagement and overall quality as its new social media coordinator.

I can make an immediate impact by producing high-quality text-on-screen videos, applying my previous

experience as Sinclair’s national online news producer. I will then use my background in education and public speaking to teach the team to identify quality videos and efficiently edit TOS videos of their own. I will also leverage my existing relationships fostered as a national corporate employee to enhance the reach of these videos in syndication.

WJLA’s online and social presence is well-established, and frankly, good. But I believe Instagram and YouTube are two channels currently under-utilized. All reporters in the field should post at least one iconic image of the story they are telling to increase engagement online, for example. Talent in the field should also be instruct- ed how to best leverage Instagram’s “Stories” feature - which is precisely something I’ve taught a group of diverse students at Towson University

On YouTube, there are opportunities to provide more portals to WJLA’s website as well as revenue incentives. Anecdotally, it was my eye that caught our photographer’s now-iconic image of the mom disciplining her child during the Baltimore riots. The video reached 8.5 million views and generated $12,000 in revenue. The pho- tographer thought we were going to save the video for the 11 o’clock news.

The key for success is to empower the digital team to lead with original content and programming. In my pre- vious position at WMAR, I executed a strategy combining engaging online stories and social outreach to the benefit of a 2 point ratings bump during target sweeps days. I worked hand-in-hand with broadcast talent to improve their coverage on-air and online.

The mindset must be digital first and I am the candidate who can best push this well-respected, accomplished team to the next level. Thank you sincerely for your time and attention in reviewing my application.

Nick DiMarco