Maria R. Meluso

EDUCATION

• Missouri State University | Springfield, MO
• Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing
• Expected Graduation: May 2022

• Missouri State University | Springfield, MO
• Master of Arts in Writing
• Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting
• Expected Graduation: May 2021

• Missouri State University | Springfield, MO
• Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing
• Undergraduate Certificate in Screenwriting
• Graduation: May 2019

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Staff Writer

Screen Rant | New York, NY | March 2020 to Current

• Made the top ten articles for the week starting my second week and remained on the top ten list 8 weeks in a row
• Received a promotion to write Game Reviews
• Pitched article topics
• Wrote 25 or more Game Guides per week

Managing Editor

LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research Missouri State University Honors College | Springfield, MO | June 2019 to Current

• Copyedited and published Volume 12 of the journal
• Published Volume 13 of the journal
• Wrote and updated peer reviewer training manual
• Initiated new training protocols to improve student learning gains
• Led a team of student reviewers through a production cycle during the COVID-19 pandemic

Graduate Assistant

Misouri State University Honors College | Springfield, MO | June 2019 to Current

• Completed training and attained Master Advisor status
• Created the Honors College YouTube video series for new student orientation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Head Writer and Social Media Manager

Show-Me Chefs Missouri State University Department of Media, Journalism and Film | Springfield, MO | August 2018 to July 2020

• Wrote and edited all Season 4 scripts
• Uploaded episodes to the Show-Me Chefs YouTube channel
• Wrote and edited Season 5 team challenge scripts
• Composed Mission Statement and created marketing materials
• Redesigned and maintained website and social media presence
• Achieved 2800 new followers on Facebook

Marketing Manager

Missouri State University Plaster Student Union | Springfield, MO | August 2018 to May 2019

• Wrote the training manual for the next manager
• Wrote and updated the training manual for Marketing Assistants

AWARDS AND HONORS

• 44th Annual Mid-America Emmy® Award for Long-Form Non-Fiction for Show-Me Chefs
• Telly Awards: Bronze Best Shorts Award of Merit for Show-Me Chefs
• Telly Awards: Bronze Accolade Award of Recognition for Show-Me Chefs
• 2020 BEA Festival of Media Arts Third Place in Multicam Television for Show-Me Chefs
• 2020 BEA Festival of Media Arts First Place in Scriptwriting, Feature Film category
• Academic Honors: Summa Cum Laude
• Distinction in Professional Writing from the Missouri State University Honors College
• St. Louis MaroonNation Public Affairs Award and Scholarship

ORGANIZATIONS AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

President

Society for Technical Communication, Missouri State University chapter

August 2020 to Current

Student Vice President

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Missouri State University chapter

August 2020 to Current

Member

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Missouri State University chapter

March 2018 to Current

Vice President

Society for Technical Communication, Missouri State University chapter

October 2019 to August 2020

PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERERNCES

Bros Before Superheroes: The Male and Homoerotic Gaze in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 13 | October 2020

Blueprint, Manual, and Story: Using Principles of Technical Communication to Rewrite Screenplays

Missouri State University Undergraduate Research Fair poster presentation | April 2019

ACES National Editing Conference

Providence, RI | March 2019

Iron Snowflake

LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 11 | October 2018

SKILLS

Professional Skills

• Strong written & oral communication
• Technical editing
• Document design
• Customer service
• Problem solving and critical thinking
• Project management
• Team leadership
• Mentoring & advising
• Research
• Remote and Freelance work
• Working with style guides
• APA, MLA, AMA, CMS & AP citation
• Publishing

Technology Skills

• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Audition
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Dreamweaver
• Adobe RoboHelp
• Microsoft Word
• Google Drive
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Teams
• HTML
• CSS
• SEO
• Wordpress
• Final Draft
• Slack
• YouTube Studio
• Trello
• Asana

REFERENCES