Surely it’s a rare privilege for someone to be able to say that they’ve pursued a career that had been a childhood dream of theirs to do. But after trying my hand at penning fictional short stories starting in middle school, I knew that I wanted to write for a living. Building an engaging narrative from nothing felt exhilarating — I just couldn’t believe that someone might pay me to do it for them.
While I started out writing fiction for fun, I later learned how gratifying it felt to write fact-driven stories. I also discovered that I loved the fact-finding process, whether carried out via research, interviewing, or event coverage. The day I first got paid for an article I wrote — a news story for The Red & Black student newspaper about auditing classes at the University of Georgia — was an immensely proud one for me. Seeing the words “By Jason Axelrod” in print felt pretty cool, too.
My writing career hasn’t been a linear path— I spent seven years working as a reporter and editor in journalism and then transitioned into content marketing writing in 2021. With both fields considered together, my proudest professional achievements include the following:
- Having my ghostwritten and credited writing published in over 20 top-tier trade media outlets (including SpiceWorks, InformationWeek and HR.com), several major-market mainstream news outlets (including USA TODAY, the Arizona Republic, and the Seattle Times), and over The Associated Press wire service.
- Winning statewide, regional, and national awards for my writing and content work. These include two national awards (feature articles and editorials) and four regional awards (infographics, how-to articles, feature articles, and editorials) from the American Society of Business Publishers and Editors (ASBPE), as well as an Arizona Press Club award for community business reporting and being shortlisted for an international, company-wide Informa Award for “Leading the Way” for leading the refresh and debut of American City & County’s new website.
- Writing in-depth content about diverse, complicated topics, such as municipal pension reform, combining 5G with edge data centers, a pharmaceutical company’s legal scandal, and implementing data management tactics at financial services firms.
- Implementing key content-focused business initiatives, such as a website refresh that debuted new features, a marketing campaign-focused editorial calendar, a content generation tool involving the input of internal experts, and an organized messaging repository that facilitates streamlined content writing.
- Interviewing a wide variety of professionals across different disciplines, such as an entrepreneurial vegetable farmer in rural Arizona, a pair of technically-minded software leaders in London, a trailblazing small town mayor in Metro Atlanta, and an incoming Fortune 500 CEO in Seattle.
- Educating readers about valuable, practical subjects, such as building psychological safety at startups, a revolutionary citizen engagement tool for cities, guarding against data compliance violations, and becoming a more likable leader.
- Earning my education in my field: a Master of Mass Communication Degree specializing in business journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree in mass media arts from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
- Pursuing my passion and hobby as a career, and enjoying the work I do, day in and day out.
I would love to bring my passion and expertise to your organization and help you fulfill your writing and content needs. Contact me, and let’s discuss how I can help!