nonprofit communications built on journalistic storytelling
Neal is a veteran journalist with a track record of utilizing the principles of digital and content marketing to engage audiences and drive web traffic.
Neal's investigative and enterprise reporting for The Patriot Ledger, a regional daily newspaper covering Massachusetts's South Shore, was regularly recognized in recent years by the New England Newspaper & Press Association, which in 2018 named him "Reporter of the Year." He was recognized as a "Master Reporter" by the New England Society of News Editors in May 2019.
After leading the paper's news-gathering operations and successfully growing its digital reach, Neal returned to his native Seattle in January 2020 to seek new adventures in nonprofit communications and digital marketing. He is currently enrolled in the Nonprofit Management certificate program at the University of Washington.
Neal's investigative and enterprise reporting for The Patriot Ledger, a regional daily newspaper covering Massachusetts's South Shore, was regularly recognized in recent years by the New England Newspaper & Press Association, which in 2018 named him "Reporter of the Year." He was recognized as a "Master Reporter" by the New England Society of News Editors in May 2019.
After leading the paper's news-gathering operations and successfully growing its digital reach, Neal returned to his native Seattle in January 2020 to seek new adventures in nonprofit communications and digital marketing. He is currently enrolled in the Nonprofit Management certificate program at the University of Washington.
awards
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Simpson didn't walk away from this story without answers from sources who blamed the weather when a potentially deadly culprit was responsible. Kudos for dogged reporting and the ability to translate hard to obtain data into an important and engaging report." |
past work
The Patriot Ledger (Gannett, formerly Gatehouse) – Quincy, MA
News Editor May 2019 - January 2020 • Directed the work of reporters, photographers and copy editors in a fast-paced digital and print newsroom, assuring that the newspaper’s website and social media platforms were constantly updated with fresh, engaging content while at the same time preparing for the production of the daily print product. Assigned stories, edited copy and selected articles and art for front and local pages. • Used real-time web metrics to tailor content for online readers, helping to drive up year-over-year page views by nearly 18 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 despite staff reductions. |
The Patriot Ledger (Gannett, formerly Gatehouse) – Quincy, MA
General Assignment Reporter May 2011 - May 2019 • Reported and wrote thousands of enterprise, feature and breaking-news stories on a wide range of topics, including crime, politics, education, climate change, transportation and state and municipal governments. Specialized in long-term reporting projects and special reports that frequently carried the front page of the weekend edition and earned more than a dozen regional journalism awards. • Fought recalcitrant state and municipal agencies to obtain public records, built databases to analyze large data sets and amassed court records to identify trends. |
Patch.com (AOL) - Brookline, MA
Local Editor April 2010 – May 2011 • Launched a little-known web product in an extremely competitive news market and drew more than 10,000 monthly unique visitors within three months by developing content tailored to meet the interests of the community. • Managed a team of nearly two dozen freelance writers, photographers, columnists and part-time editors to maximize news coverage, produce diverse lifestyle content and maintain the best event listings available. • Wrote or assigned more than 30 pieces of content each week. |
The Brookline TAB (Gatehouse Media) – Needham, MA
Editor, Assistant Editor, Reporter May 2007 – April 2010 • Helped transition a traditional weekly community newspaper toward a round-the-clock online news format, taking on the new responsibilities of digital and multimedia journalism during a time of substantial staff reductions. • Fostered a loyal, engaged blog following through regular news updates, polls, commentary and multimedia projects. Built relationships with other community bloggers to grow and broaden blog traffic. |
The Daily Free Press (Boston University)
Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Editorial Page Editor Oct. 2003 – Dec. 2006 • Directed a newsroom of more than 20 editors, photographers and writers in the daily production of an independent student newspaper with a circulation of 12,000 print copies distributed on campus. • Conducted daily editorial budgets, copy-edited news and feature content and paginated art and copy while coordinating work of printing and web-maintenance staff. Mentored younger editors and junior staff. |
Image credits: Top, Mark "Red" Wylie, redwylie.com; Center, Gary Higgins, garyhigginsphotography.com; Bottom, Mark Simpson, bumgardner.biz;