ROBERT BRIAN TAYLOR
rbtwrites.com
robert@rbtwrites.com

PROFILE

Pittsburgh-based writer and editor with more than two decades of experience in print and online media, covering both straight news and pop culture. Also a datacaster for Major League Baseball Advanced Media, working out of the PNC Park press box.

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT

Collider.com
Lead Training Editor / Features Editor (May 2022 – present)
Continue performing duties from previous two positions, but now also tasked with the responsibility of supervising training across all editorial departments (features, news, resources, and lists). Oversee and assist a staff of training editors, and work with the HR Training Manager to help coordinate and make improvements to the training program.

Training Editor (Features & Resources) / Features Editor (December 2021 – May 2022)
Continue covering all responsibilities of the Training Editor position. Additionally, edit feature stories for the site, ensuring articles are engaging, accurate, and meet stylistic guidelines. Adjust headlines and metadata for maximum SEO benefit. Upload and place photos to make the articles graphically appealing. Generate creative, original ideas for coverage by the freelance writing team. Write film and TV reviews.

Training Editor (Features & Resources) (October 2021 – December 2021)
Manage incoming freelance writers as they move through Collider’s onboarding process. Train writers on publishing and work-management systems (Asana, Emaki, etc.). Edit and give feedback on training articles and make a recommendation on whether the writer should be onboarded as a Collider freelancer. Track all potential writers and their progress through back-end HR platforms.

Major League Baseball Advanced Media
Datacaster (April 2006 – present)
Work from the Pirates press box, using MLB’s proprietary software to digitally score and transmit live statistics, play results, and general game information from Pittsburgh home games. Responsible for quickly and correctly entering data, which is immediately streamed to MLB.com, ESPN, and other sports news services.

NOTABLE FREELANCE PROJECTS

• Continue to work as a contributing writer at Mt. Lebanon Magazine, where I cover a variety of local topics, including education, sports, and the arts.

• Started as a features writer at Collider.com, contributing at least eight articles a month, in March 2021. Promoted to Training Editor in October 2021. Continue to write feature stories for the site.

• Serve as publisher, editor, and lead writer at CultSpark.com, a pop-culture website that I launched in March 2012. Coordinate all social media. Produce a semi-regular podcast.

• Wrote a weekly television column that was published in The Herald — a daily newspaper based in Rock Hill, S.C., with a circulation of 30,000 — from 2004 to 2008.

• Have contributed three essays to BenBella Books’ Smart Pop series of books, including Batman Unauthorized (2008), Webslinging: Unauthorized Essays on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2007), and Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly (2005).

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

VITAC
Closed Captioner (August 2004 – July 2006)
Employed full time as a captioner for a number of high-profile television shows. Duties included transcribing audio from various programs, editing scripts for spelling and grammatical accuracy, and using VITAC proprietary software to program the proper timing and placement for captioning.

Lake Wylie Pilot
Editor (September 2002 – January 2004)
Managed editorial department for a weekly newspaper covering both the North Carolina and South Carolina sides of Lake Wylie, located adjacent to Charlotte, N.C. Edited all copy, designed every newspaper page, assigned stories, wrote editorials, and worked to increase readership.

Fort Mill Times
Assistant Editor (December 1999 – September 2002)
Managed news department for the South Carolina weekly, located just south of Charlotte, N.C. Coordinated story assignments, edited copy, and instructed reporters on writing techniques. Designed every page of the newspaper. Authored a popular weekly opinion column.

Reporter/Columnist (April 1998 – December 1999)
Wrote spot news, investigative pieces, and in-depth features while managing multiple beats. Shot photos to accompany all news stories.

COMMUNITY SERVICE & VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

• Board Member, Mt. Lebanon Library Board (April 2021 – present)
• Board Member & Social Media Coordinator, Mt. Lebanon Girls Softball Association (January 2016 – present)
• Youth Softball Coach, Mt. Lebanon Girls Softball Association (March 2013 – present)
• Board Member, Mt. Lebanon Community Relations Board (June 2013 – March 2020)

EDUCATION & COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, West Virginia University

The Daily Athenaeum
Managing Editor
Managed news, sports, and entertainment departments of WVU’s five-days-a-week, 15,000-circulation student newspaper. Designed and laid out color front page. Supervised a staff of 40 writers and editors.