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Gisèle Grignon's Bio Page

Copyright Gisèle Grignon.

GISÈLE GRIGNON’S PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

D.O.B: APRIL 5, 1960

Address: 2230 County Rd 6, Moose Creek, ON Canada KOC 1WO (½ hour from Ottawa, Canada's capital and from New York State)

Phone: (613) 538-2864 Fax: (613) 538-2889

E-mail: wordfarm@ontarioeast.net

NOTE: The ultimate multi-tasker, Gisèle has always maintained a varied professional career, with many of the following contracts and jobs overlapping one another. To avoid confusion of start and stop dates, this résumé highlights her career experiences only. Specific dates, client testimonials and references can be provided upon request.

MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIENCE (Beginning 1980)

PRINT

• Editor - Moving To Ottawa-Hull magazine
• Editor - Orleans Magazine
• Editor - Rural Route (Cornwall, ON-area weekly)
• Editor & co-publisher national newsletters (Pennywise Parent Newsletter, Simply Seniors)
• Assistant & Department Editor - Ottawa Magazine
• Staff writer/photographer - Ontario Farmer Newspaper, Dairy Farmer/ Hog Farmer (Bowes Publications)
• Staff writer/photographer - Royal Canadian Legion Magazine
• Staff reporter - Ottawa Citizen - weekends
• Correspondent/photographer - Ottawa Citizen - Valley section
• Correspondent - Ottawa Business Journal
• Feature writer - Orleans Magazine
• Feature writer/photographer - Seaway News
• Freelance writer/editor/photographer/columnist for a range of Canadian and American consumer and trade publications

BOOK CREDITS:

• “Ottawa A to Z”: writer/researcher
• “Evolution of Agriculture in Stormont County”: co-author/researcher
• “Look Ma, No Hands”, biography of Canadian war hero: editor
• “Are We Having Fun Yet?” A practical guide to juggling a family and home business, writer/co-publisher
• “To Your Health”, 60th anniversary commemorative book on Ontario public health system, writer/researcher
• Textbooks: Comprehensive Writing Course (fiction and non-fiction)
• Writing for Children Writing Course
• Marketing for Children’s Writers Writing Course
• Business Communications Writing Course

RADIO

• Wrote, voiced and produced 300+ daily health columns for private radio.
• Humour columnist (weekly) - CBC Radio-Ottawa Morning (Canadian Public Broadcasting Network).
• Columnist - CBC Radio (RADIO NOON) bi-weekly (“Letters from Moose Creek”—slice-of-rural-life commentaries)(100+ columns).
• Regional on-air, live news correspondent for CBC Radio (Ontario Morning - Toronto) - 200+ reports.
• News correspondent on-air for CBC Radio - Ottawa.
• Freelance writer/broadcaster (docs, commentaries) for CBC Radio’s Definitely Not the Opera, C’est la vie, First Person Singular, National Commentary.

TV

• Story idea correspondent- CJOH TV - valley news stringer.
• Researcher/writer - CBC TV ("On The Road Again with Wayne Rostad")- lifestyle program.
• Program segment producer - Maclean Hunter TV (Ottawa)- parenting program.

INTERNET

• Web site content writer for Bridges, a Canadian-based leading provider of career information services for youths.
• Website content written for provincial government emplyment trends website and bi-weekly newsletter.
• Featured reviewer for antiMUSIC.com specializing in singer-songwriters.
• Music reviewer for NowOnTour.com, a Washington site that specializes in indie artists

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

(sample services: brochures, web-site content, print and radio advertisements, media relations, campaign and project management, manuals, newsletters, advertorials, promotional tools, surveys, articles, speeches)

• Co-founder of Word Farm Communications Ecri-culture, a full service, bilingual (English/French) corporate communications and advertising company.
• Off-site consultant handling all of Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s media relations/advertising and communications needs (contract length - 10+ years).
• Corporate and technical communications for telecommunications companies such as Bell Canada (corporate profiles, training manuals, brochures, advertorials, promotional material), for government agencies (primarily social and health related), and St. Lawrence College - Cornwall Campus (new program marketing and promotional campaigns).
• Proposal writer for non-profit organizations.
• Small biz marketing/promotions consultant (from landscaping business to retirement homes).
• Designed, wrote and coordinated local business advertising supplement.
• Wrote three series of writing courses, and related promotional material for international correspondence school (text books, assignments, and marketing books).
• Research, media and funding propsal writing assistant for the Glengarry Place for the Arts, a Celtic cultural centre

TEACHING : COURSES & WORKSHOPS

• Co-founder of Wordshops Unlimited, company providing workshops on the following topics : writing, publishing, media relations, and stress-busting. Developed and presented all material. Clients include Eastern Ontario Health Unit, St. Lawrence College, as well as workshops for general public.
• Produced external tutorial services for correspondence school, helping 100s of adult students write and get published.
• Produced and delivered variety of writing/communications/media relations courses for St. Lawrence College (Cornwall campus). Courses and Workshops created and delivered by Gisèle Grignon include:
  • Freelance writing
  • Humour writing
  • Writing for Kids
  • Self-Publishing
  • Media Relations
  • Humour in the Workplace
  • Travel writing
  • Business writing

  GUEST SPEAKING

  • Ministry of Agriculture (Kemptville, ON) 1994 - Topic: Stretching your Dollar
  • United Church Women (Avonmore, ON) 1993- Topic: Freelance Writing
  • Valley Writer’s Guild (Kemptville, ON) 1994 - Topic: Freelance Writing
  • Women for the Survival of Agriculture (Kemptville, ON) 1994 - Topic: Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • Eastern Ontario Health Unit (Cornwall, ON) 1996 - Topic: Media Relations
  • S. Dundas Economic Development (Morrisburg, ON)1994 - Topic: Stress-busting workshop
  • Seaway Valley Tourism (Morrisburg, ON) 1994 - Topic: Stress-busting workshop
  • Women and Rural Economic Development (Morrisburg, ON) 1995 - Topic: Home-based Business
  • City of Nepean – Recreation Department (Nepean, ON) 1993 - Topic: Stress-busting workshop
  • Cornwall Employment & Education Resource Centre (Cornwall, ON) 1993 - Topic: Stress-busting workshop
  • City of Ottawa – Volunteers (Ottawa, ON) 1993 - Topic: Stress-busting workshop
  • Women and Rural Economic Development (Avonmore, ON) - Topic: Home-based Business Start-Up

  TV GUEST SPOTS

  • W5 - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • Global News – Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • Dini Petty - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CJOH News - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • Mid-day Newsline (CJOH) - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • Regional Contact - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC Midday - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • Dini Petty – “Are We Having Fun Yet?”
  • CBC – Halifax - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CTV News (national) - Pennywise Parent Newsletter

  RADIO GUEST SPOTS

  • CFRA – Experts on Call - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC – Halifax - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC - Ottawa - Radio Noon Halifax - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC – Newfoundland - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC – Sudbury - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC – Edmonton - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CFRB – Toronto - Pennywise Parent Newsletter
  • CBC – Toronto – Fresh Air - Pennywise Parent Newsletter

  EDUCATION

  • Algonquin College: 1978-1980 - Journalism (Print & Broadcast)
  • General Vanier S.S.: Cornwall, ON (5 year completed in 4 years, Academic Program)

  LANGUAGES

  Written: English and French

  Spoken: English and French

  * Recent French language testing results reveal As and A+s in verbal and written skills.

  Note: With the exception of the Legion Magazine staff job and on-site teaching, all projects were provided from Gisèle Grignon’s home-based offices which include the following:

  • * IBM and Mac computer systems
  • * Quark Xpress design program, Corel Draw, Word and WordPerfect Office Suites
  • * Photocopier, scanner, printers, etc.
  • * 35 ml Pentax camera
  • * Broadcast-quality mini-disc and tape-deck along with sound editing software

  This is a letter of recommendation for Gisèle Grignon's company Word Farm Communications. It was written by Dr. Robert Bourdeau, Medical Officer of Health of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit which employed Word Farm Communications on a contract basis for over 10 years.

  

  Other Gisèle Grignon Sample Writing Sites

  Gisèle Grignon’s Humour Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Sports Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Travel Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Health Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Homes Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Seniors Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Business Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Articles About Children
  Gisèle Grignon’s Crafts Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Agricultural Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Food Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Gardening Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Environmental Articles
  Gisèle Grignon’s Education Articles
  The Word Farm
  

  
  Email: morley@cnwl.igs.net