OLIVIA EXSTRUM
EDUCATION Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
Bachelor of Science in Journalism
Graduated June 16, 2017
EXPERIENCE Citizens State Bank, Telluride, Colo.
Marketing Manager — March 2021 - present
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Handle all print and digital marketing
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Maintain all social media
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Copyedit all internal and external bank materials
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Write, edit, and coordinate an ongoing, yearlong email campaign about the Paycheck Protection Program
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Revamp job postings to have clear, consistent messaging
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Update the website for style
Customer Service Representative — Jan. 2020 - present
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Perform all bank teller duties
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Answer customer questions
Mother Jones, San Francisco
Writing Fellow — Dec. 2018 - May 2019
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Pitched and wrote stories for the website
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Copyedited all online content (about three hours of work a day) from December to March
Editorial Fellow — Dec. 2017 - Dec. 2018
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Fact-checked the bi-monthly print magazine, including three cover stories, as well as our online content
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Pitched and wrote stories and sidebars for the magazine and website
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Copyedited online content and magazine stories, with guidance from the copy editor
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Appeared on Portland radio station XRAY.fm to talk about my story about voting in Illinois jails
Injustice Watch, Chicago
Intern — Sept. 2016 - June 2017
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Researched and reported on criminal justice issues in Chicago
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Analyzed and input data on court records and other public documents
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Contributed research and reporting to part 1 and part 2 of our series on inequality in the Cook County bail system
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Collaborated with City Bureau, another Chicago nonprofit, on a tracker tool of major cities' police union contracts
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Assisted in fact-checking our Election Day guide to the Cook County judges on the ballot
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia
City Intern — June 2016 - Sept. 2016
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Wrote general news stories about the biggest city in Pennsylvania
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Published on the front page several times
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Wrote three features on criminal justice and prison in Pennsylvania, one of which was featured in The Marshall Project's "Opening Statement" newsletter of the best criminal justice reporting
The Star, Johannesburg
Reporter — April 2016 - June 2016
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Produced nearly 50 stories and features at one of South Africa's most influential newspapers
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Wrote six front-page leads, the first of which was published in my first week
The Daily Northwestern, Evanston, Ill.
Web and Multimedia Editor — Sept. 2016 - Dec. 2016
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Oversaw The Daily's website, digital projects, and social media presence
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Worked with the audio, video, photo, and interactive desks to produce multimedia content
In Focus Editor — Sept. 2015 - March 2016
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Edited and supervised six long-form investigative stories, several of which received awards
Managing Editor — March 2015 - June 2015
Campus Editor — Dec. 2014 - March 2015
The Medill Justice Project, Evanston, Ill.
Journalist — Sept. 2015 - Dec. 2015
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Investigated potentially wrongful criminal charges with a small team of students
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Analyzed thousands of pages of documents and traveled to Oregon to interview the accused, lawyers, and experts
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Contributed to an award-winning investigative story published online that resulted in the elimination of a potential 30-plus year sentence
The Chicago Reporter, Chicago
Reporting Intern — June 2015 - Aug. 2015
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Wrote stories and profiles on Chicago communities focused on criminal justice, race, and poverty
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Co-wrote a feature on the cost of prison phone calls
FREELANCE WORK Today, Explained, Remote
Fact-checker — Oct. 2019 - Jan. 2020
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Fact-checked daily podcast with same-day turnaround
The Plaindealer, Ouray, Colo.
Reporter — Aug. 2019 - Jan. 2020
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Wrote stories and short features about Ouray County
Miscellaneous, Remote
Fact-checker — March 2019 - present
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Eater
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Earthjustice
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Bay Nature
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Pacific Standard
SKILLS Computer:
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, WordPress, Chartbeat
Programming:
HTML, CSS, jQuery
Other skills:
Social media, AP style, LexisNexis, PACER, bookkeeping, bank telling
AWARDS "Aftermath of NU-Q student's mental health crisis highlights differences between Evanston, Qatar sites" — The Daily Northwestern
Honorable Mention, College Media Association Pinnacle Award for Best Investigative Story
Honorable Mention, Associated Collegiate Press Feature Story of the Year
Winner, Medill Student Showcase presented by Medill Undergraduate Student Advisory Council
"At Graterford, lifers get degrees even if they'll never use them" — The Philadelphia Inquirer
Winner, Medill Student Showcase presented by Medill Undergraduate Student Advisory Council
"Taking Time" — The Daily Northwestern
Fifth place, Associated Collegiate Press Multimedia Feature Story of the Year
"A Mother's Care" — The Medill Justice Project
Peter Lisagor Award for Best Feature Series
Peter Lisagor Award for Best Non-Deadline Reporting Online
Fourth place, Associated Collegiate Press News Story of the Year
Certificate of Merit, Columbia Scholastic Press Association In-Depth
News/Feature Story for Digital Media Publications
The Daily Northwestern — Staff
Winner, Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker
2016 Mark of Excellence Award, Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper