About Vanessa Carr

Contact Vanessa Carr

Education:

Masters of Journalism, University of California at Berkeley

August 2009 -

Television, expected 2011

Bachelor of Arts, Columbia University

August 2001 - May 2005

B.A. Environmental Biology, cum laude, 2005

Published Stories:

Brian Chippendale at Cinders Gallery

Impose TV

Artist Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt, Black Pus) talks about his printing process, living in a leaky Providence warehouse and his first art sale to a creepy doctor as he hangs his solo show at the Cinders Art Gallery in Brooklyn.

Coyote Pursues

St. Anne's Warehouse

A glimpse behind the scenes of a dystopian puppet show performed at the St. Anne's Warehouse in Brooklyn.

Green Gold Rush

UCTV

The Mojave Desert is about to become the largest solar energy farm in the world, but local conservationists say that losing the desert is too high a price to pay for renewable energy.

New tool aims to help journalists get better bang for ‘fluff’ pieces

PBS's Need to Know

A new visualization tool developed by a graduate student at New York University aims to help Web journalists — who must produce highly clickable pop stories with hard-hitting news — reduce the time spent on “fluff” stories by pointing them to topics that will garner substantial traffic.

Working the Twilight

65° Magazine

Before Frederic Larson was a 30-year veteran photojournalist at the San Francisco Chronicle. Now 60, Larson has traded hard-hitting photojournalism for something softer: nature and vibrant city shots.

American troops dying younger in Afghanistan

PBS's Need to Know

Troops in Afghanistan are dying younger, from an average of 28 years old from 2002 to 2008 to 25 years old this year -- a trend that may be related to the deadly increase in improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

VIDEO: The Maverick

UCTV

San Francisco’s Alex Martins catches the biggest wave of his life at the Mavericks Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay.

VIDEO: The Hipster Priest

UCTV

Bertie Pearson has been an episcopal priest for two years and has DJ’d and played in bands for more than a decade. He hosts a monthly dance/art party at Grace Cathedral called Episcodisco -- and doesn't see a conflict between a religious and hipster lifestyle.

VIDEO: Musical Rooms Keeps Hotel Residents Vulnerable

UCTV

In San Francisco's Mission District, some SRO landlords are forcing tenants out of their rooms to prevent them from gaining rights at 32 days — an illegal practice known as musical rooms. Co-produced with Patrick Kollman.

Women Seek Stability in SROs

Mission Loc@l

Despite the problems that come with shared bathrooms and unpredictable neighbors, some women make residential hotels a home they’re unlikely to leave. Co-written with Nina Goodby.

A Life and Death on Shotwell

Mission Loc@l

Frank Peña was murdered in September 2009 due to Norteño-on-Norteño gang violence in San Francisco's Mission District, police say. But the story of his life—and death—shows how difficult escaping one’s past can be.

Fire in Apartment on 26th Near Mission

Mission Loc@l

A two-alarm fire blazed from a three-story apartment building on 26th and Osage streets in San Francisco's Mission District.

AUDIO SLIDESHOW: Art Bids at Galería

Mission Loc@l

Artists, collectors and friends crowded the annual art auction in the Mission District.

L.A. Recruit Brings New Attitude to Police Force

Mission Loc@l

The San Francisco Police Department's new crime tracking system seeks solutions, not explanations.

The Mayor of Belden Place

65 Degree Magazine

A profile of San Francisco restaurateur Pino Spinoso (story appears on page 78 in the print edition and page 41 in the online PDF.)

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

San Francisco Chronicle

A review of a documentary film about the life and work of photographer Annie Leibovitz, made by her sister.

Chickens and the egg

San Francisco Bay Guardian

A feature story about Lathrop, Calif. residents suing the Olivera Egg Farm for environmental health violations, due to the nearby 16.5 acre chicken manure "lagoon."

Awards:

Dorothea Lange Fellowship (January 2011)

A $4,000 award for photography.

Environmental Biology Departmental Honors (May 2005)

Awarded annually to one graduating student in the undergraduate Environmental Biology department at Columbia University.

James P. Shenton Award in Contemporary Civilization (May 2004)

Awarded annually to the Columbia College undergraduate who is judged by the faculty to have written the best essay in Contemporary Civilization, a required survey course of Western philosophy for second year students.

Caraley Prize for Environmental Leadership (May 2004)

Awarded annually to that member of the Columbia College junior class who has demonstrated the greatest commitment to the value of preservation of the natural environment.

Henry David Thoreau Scholarship (August 2001)

$30,000 undergraduate scholarship for environmental study

Work Experience:

Reporting fellow, video unit

News 21  - Berkeley CA  ( May 2011 -  )

Reporting fellow, video unit

Senior Producer

Richmond Confidential  - Berkeley CA  ( August 2010 -  )

Manage Wordpress posting; troubleshoot video, audio, website, photo, and other technical problems; advise students on multimedia projects; produced video identity assets.

Web intern

PBS's Need to Know  - New York NY  ( May 2010 - August 2010 )

Wrote and reported stories for website, assisted with video editing, created audio slideshows, created multimedia packages with content from affiliate stations.

Research Assistant

Dan Pink  - Washington (remote) DC  ( January 2009 - August 2009 )

Assisted with research and editing for bestseling new book, "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us."

Contributing Writer

65 Degree Magazine  - Carmel (remote) CA  ( January 2009 - May 2009 )

Wrote profiles of prominent personalities in the Monterey Bay area.

Intern

Center for Investigative Reporting  - Berkeley CA  ( September 2008 - November 2008 )

Assisted with legal and financial research for Homeland Security spending investigation.

Editorial Intern, Culture and Web

San Francisco Bay Guardian  - San Francisco CA  ( January 2008 - May 2008 )

Wrote features for culture & environmental sections and blogged for online music, arts and culture sections. Assisted with back-end web maintenance on Moveable Type platform.

Technology Assistant

Marci Alboher, author and former New York Times columnist  - New York NY  ( June 2007 - August 2009 )

Assisted with major website redesign; managed Web 2.0 presence including Amazon and Facebook pages; created PowerPoint presentations for speeches.

Training Coordinator

Legal Aid Association of California  - San Francisco CA  ( July 2006 - March 2008 )

Coordinated training events and curriculum development and for legal services attorneys.

Paralegal

Rosen, Bien and Asaro, LLP  - San Francisco CA  ( June 2005 - June 2006 )

Assisted attorneys in prison reform class actions and complex litigation.

Assistant & Workshop Coordinator

VSM Productions  - New York NY  ( January 2005 - May 2005 )

Developed distribution plan and facilitated audience workshops for documentary film, Mothers and Daughters; transcribed and catalogued footage for documentary film, Hidden Battles.

Field Assistant

Wildlife Trust  - Palisades NY  ( June 2004 - September 2004 )

Performed field and lab work, conducted statistical analysis, wrote grants and assisted with writing research papers. Wrote thesis, "A Health Assessment of Black-Crowned Night Herons in the New York Harbor Estuary,"based on field research during this internship.

Intern

David Sutherland Productions  - Newton MA  ( July 2002 - August 2002 )

Assisted with editing and transcribed footage for documentary film Country Boys, which aired on Frontline in 2006.

Skills:

• HTML/CSS, Wordpress-powered web development, basic PHP, Final Cut Pro 6 & 7, Photoshop, InDesign, audio and video recording (Canon EOS 5D Mark II video, Sony DSR 570 & PD170, Panasonic DVX100, Marantz), MS Excel statistical tools, Westlaw, LexisNexis.

• Video and Multimedia Production

  • Final Cut Pro 6 & 7
  • Sountrack Pro, Motion and LiveType
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark II photo & video
  • Sony DSR 570 & PD170
  • Panasonic DVX100
  • Marantz PMD660
  • Three-point interview lighting
  • Advanced Photoshop

Other Works:

A full list of work done for Mission Loc@l.  Read more...

Customized Wordpress sites: http://www.vanessacarr.com http://activetravelconsulting.com/