SUZANNA K.

LOURIE
259 W.12
th
St. Apt. 2C New York, NY 10014. US: (1) 802-578-4864
[email protected]. www.suzannalourie.com

EDUCATION

Sept. 2007 - May 2011 SKIDMORE COLLEGE, Saratoga Springs, NY
Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Communications, Magna Cum Laude GPA 3.67

May Dec. 2010 BOSTON UNIVERSITY SYDNEY PROGRAM, Sydney, Australia
Study Abroad: Travel Writing Summer Program & Fall Semester 2010, GPA 3.91

HONORS AND AWARDS
Magna Cum Laude; Periclean Honor Society; Four years Skidmore Deans List;
Thoroughbred Society (athletes w/GPA over 3.67) 08, 09; W.I.E Symposium 10:
Named one of Americans Next Inspiration: 50 Young Champions for Women;
Recipient of the New York ARC 2011 1
st
place Media Award for Best Human Interest
Piece; 2011-2012 New York State Associated Press Association 2
nd
Place: Depth
Reporting for Sept. 11 Remembrance; Local Media Association Awards 2011:
Honorable Mention, Best Feature Series for A Day in the Life, & Honorable
Mention, Best Feature Series for Same Sex Marriage in New York.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Jan. 2013 Present Online & Print Travel Publications
Content Writer/Editor & Social Media Consultant
Responsibilities: Write and edit freelance content for various online and print
travel publications specializing in Central America and Costa Rica. Projects include:
research and fact-gathering, writing up-to-date profiles and listings on various
businesses, companies, travel routes, restaurants, hotels and tourist activities. Also
provide SEO-specific web content and blogging. Set up social media profiles when
required and train clients to maintain their brands social media presence.

Dec. 2012 Present Individual & Company Websites
Website Copywriter & Social Media Consultant
Responsibilities: Write detailed web copy for a variety of clients including:
real estate companies, non-profits, developers, luxury home owners, restaurants,
authors, artists, and fashion designers. Provide social media consulting services if
required. Frequently contracted to write/edit unique property descriptions for
luxury real estate websites and vacation rental outlets.

May 2012 June 2014 The Tico Times, San Jose, Costa Rica
Contributing Writer & Photographer
Responsibilities: Wrote feature stories and took professional-quality photographs on
a freelance basis for the leading English-language newspaper in Central America.
Topics include: travel, real estate, politics, current events, culture and tourism.

March 2014 May 2014 Costa Rica: The Complete Guide: Eco Adventures in Paradise by James Kaiser
Contributor/Editor, Second Edition
Responsibilities: Commissioned by author James Kaiser to update the second
edition of his 495-page guidebook, Costa Rica: The Complete Guide: Eco Adventures
in Paradise. Organized, planned and executed a two-month journey across Costa
Rica. Gathered up-to date information for the book verifying restaurant information
(locations, hours, prices, etc.), pubic transport schedules and ticket prices, tourist
activity reviews and rates and hotel quality, rates and ranking. Also responsible for
researching and testing any popular new activity or restaurant to add to the second
edition. Wrote new sections as necessary. Gathered all information and coordinated
all elements of the trip in both Spanish and English. Responsible for sticking to a set
budget; kept meticulous expense records, which were later turned into an Excel
spreadsheet and sent to the author along with over 100-pages of edits and new
editions.



Sept. 2012 March 2014 Las Mareas de Tamarindo, Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Communications Director/Content Director
Responsibilities: Wrote and edited web content for lasmareas.com. Received
training in the companys CMS. Performed daily web maintenance, uploaded new
content to server and edited the site regularly. Corresponded with web developers
to troubleshoot all site issues or bugs. Wrote all web content & SEO keyword-heavy
blog posts to boost search engine status. Designed, wrote and sent monthly e-
newsletters. Coordinated, wrote & edited all print and online ad copy. Chose
strategic advertising outlets and oversaw the design of all ads with designers to
ensure our brand message was communicated across all platforms. Interacted with
prospective buyers and renters in charge of all web correspondence with buyers
and booking all vacation rental clients. Built the in-house property management
company, stayintamarindo.com. Grew the brand from the ground up by writing
unique descriptions for at least 10 properties under our management. Listed each
property on multiple vacation rental search sites and became the point person for
Escapia Property Management Software by HomeAway. Also coordinated all public
relations material communicating with local, national and international real estate
groups and coordinating marketing efforts such as photo or video shoots.

Jan. 2012 Sept. 2012 TIDE Academy, Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
English & Government Teacher
Responsibilities: Taught World History and English specifically grammar and
literature to middle and high school students at a U.S. accredited private school
in Costa Rica. Developed curriculum plans and lessons for each semester. Specialized
in online promotion managing the schools Facebook page, website and newsletter.

Jan. 2011 Jan. 2012 The Saratogian, Saratoga Springs, NY
Business & Education Reporter
Responsibilities: Reported in the field on local stories and current events
specializing in the business and education daily beats. Wrote feature stories, a weekly
print business column and maintained the papers In-the-biz blog. Grew blog
traffic by 150% in two months. Researched each story, interviewed subjects, and
corresponded with community using social media. Wrote multiple articles daily in
AP-Style journalism on tight deadlines. Regularly uploaded stories to the web using
the company CMS system, post each article on social media, upload and edit video
clips and photos using Final Cut Pro and Photoshop to correspond with each story.

2009 May 2011 Her Campus Magazine, Online, USA
Contributing Writer/Editor & VP of the Skidmore Chapter
Responsibilities: Wrote weekly stories on a variety of topics for college-aged female
readers. Edited the work of other contributors before sending final articles to the
main chapter for approval and publication. Article topics included: Health, Travel,
Current Events, Campus News and Government.

Oct. 2010 Jan. 2011 Time Out Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Editorial & Web Intern/Staff Writer
Responsibilities: Interviewed Australian and international artists, created event
listings and descriptions, wrote film, concert and album reviews, wrote articles for
various sections of the magazine including: Around Town, Music, Comedy, Food &
Drink, Clubs, Film, Kids and Comedy. Adapted

SKILLS Microsoft Office Programs, Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Lightroom, Final Cut Pro,
AP Style Journalism, Editing, CMS, Basic HTML, Digital Photography (Canon 6D),
Social Media, SEO Content, SEO Keywords, Google Adwords, Spanish Language

INTERESTS & Travel, journalism, writing, photography, film, art, nonfiction, reading, international
ACTIVITIES affairs, current events, hiking, scuba diving, swimming, running and yoga. Former
member of Skidmore College Varsity Swimming and the Boston College Water Polo
team.

REFERENCES Available on request.