Rob Lucas

I’m Rob Lucas, a media professional living and working in the Cleveland/Akron, OH area. You can view my résumé below and access samples of my news releases, video clips, publicity results and more from the menu above.

I look forward to speaking with you!

Rob Lucas
roblucasakron@yahoo.com
(330) 618-4405

Education

• Master of Arts, Communication, The University of Akron, Akron, OH (2003)
• Bachelor of Arts, Communication, The University of Akron, Akron, OH (2001)

Experience

Writing and Publishing
Gray & Company, Publishers; Cleveland, OH – www.grayco.com (2006-present)
Managing Editor:

• Develop innovative book projects and creating new electronic book formats
• Write news releases, text for book covers, photo captions, Internet content and other promotional materials
• Creatively evaluate, edit, and adapt all book and book-related text
• Writing and updating all materials for company Facebook page, Twitter account and blog
• Work directly with authors to acquire and organize all book materials
• Keep all projects on schedule and on budget

Marketing, Public Relations, Special Event Planning and Operations 

Akron Film Festival and The Nightlight; Akron, OH – www.nightlightcinema.com (2002-2003, 2006-present)
Co-Founder:

• Developed the program from a student activity into The Akron Film Festival, a city-wide cultural event, more than doubling attendance between 2007 and 2008, and growing again in 2009
• Helped develop The Akron Film Festival into The Nightlight, a microcinema located in downtown Akron, which opened on July 1, 2014 and is open six days a week
• Created the basic structure of the organization, developed an organization workflow, created curriculum for filmmaking workshops

Director of Publicity:

• Director of publicity, marketing, and communications, including writing news releases, working with the media, coordination of signage and handbills
• Coordinate film acquisition, judging system, educational programs, film scheduling, and special programs including workshops, parties, and events outside of the April festival

The Buchtelite; Akron, OH – www.buchtelite.com (1998-2003)
Arts and Entertainment Writer and Editor:

• Managed a team of writers and photographers to create unique local arts and entertainment content for the University of Akron newspaper
• Edited and organized all newspaper content
• Ensured all articles maintained a standard of quality, balance, and ethics
• Creatively designed the arts and entertainment pages for publication

Film and Video – IMDB Profile (1997-Present)
Freelance—Writer, director, editor
Writer, Director, Editor, and Videographer on one feature, six short movies, two short documentaries, and two promotional book trailers.

Highlights include:

• Writer, director and producer of the short documentary Stella Walsh: A Documentary. (2014)
• Stella Walsh has been accepted to more than twenty film festivals, including:
  • Frameline Film Festival (2015)
  • Cleveland International Film Festival (2015 – Honorable Mention for Best Short Documentary)
  • Slamdance Film Festival (2015)
  • Austin Film Festival (2014)
  • Short Film Corner at the Festival de Cannes (2014)
• Writer, director, editor for the feature-length comedy American Stories. Featured at the Cleveland Cinematheque in 2007. Available on Amazon.com. (2006)

Freelance—General Production, Akron, OH; Cleveland, OH (1998-2006)

Production Assistant, Asst. Cameraman, Production Coordinator, and Asst. Director on 20 national and local commercials, 30 short movies, two feature documentaries and four feature films and TV shows.
Highlights include:

• Cinematographer on the feature-length documentary Catching Salinger: A Search for an Elusive Writer. (2005)
• Production Coordinator for the NBC film Bet Your Life. Directed by Louis Morneau for Silver Pictures. (2003)
• Production assistant for the local production of the reality television show Get This Party Started. Produced by the United Paramount Network (UPN). (2006)
• Production Assistant for the INTEL commercial “International Science and Engineering Festival 2003.” Directed by two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple for Nonfiction Spots. (2003)
• Production Assistant for the Toyota commercial “Rhythmic Drive.” Directed by Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects, X-Men). Produced by Propaganda Independent. (2001)

Social Media
Interesting Akron; Akron, OH – http://interestingakron.wordpress.com (2009-present)
A now-discontinued personal blog about my favorite places and things in Akron and the history behind them. Named “Best Local Blog” by Akron Life Magazine in their July 2012 best-of issue.

Teaching 

University of Akron; Akron, OH (2003, 2004-2006)
Instructor of:

• Media Production Techniques, an introductory video shooting and editing class
• Basic Video Editing, a course on how to creatively use Avid professional video editing suite
• Introduction to Mass Communication, a history and theory primer for first year students

Computer Skills 
Web site metrics, basic HTML, XML, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Avid Express Pro, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Filemaker Pro

Please contact me for professional references.