SARA CRESS
Freelance writer, editor, social media strategist
I am a writer, editor and web/social producer with more than 15 years of journalism experience and 20 years of professional writing experience. I have specialized experience in social media strategy and management, corporate communications and crisis communications. My passion is funny, engaging writing that inspires an audience to take action. I live in Houston, Texas.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
FREELANCE WRITER/SOCIAL MEDIA PRODUCER
Current clients: SAFE Alliance, Sean Teare for Harris County DA
Past clients: Harris County Elections, Mayor Steve Adler, Chris Hollins for City Controller, Environmental Defense Fund, Lemonada Media, Cotton Holdings
CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Developed and implemented a social media strategy for a utility company with unique needs: multiple regulated business units, more than 5 million customers in six states, and regional variations in regulations and available programs.
Wrote and produced a biweekly electronic employee newsletter distributed to more than 8,000 employees and quarterly digital newsletters that reach millions of customers.
WRITER/JOURNALIST
Selected to be part of an 8-person task force that created 29-95.com, an alt-media website within a traditional-media industry, from concept to reality.
Wrote daily articles about Houston entertainment, particularly music and art.
Blogger, project manager, and audio/video/podcast producer.
CREATIVE WRITER
My news poetry project, Breaking Poems, combines my former journalism career with my Creative Writing degree from the University of Houston. A collaboration with sculptor Elaine Bradford, Routine Fables, was on display at Houston's Lawndale Art Center in 2018. I am a frequent contributor to the Houston Chronicle's Gray Matters blog. My poetry has been featured by NPR's 'All Things Considered' and KUHF's 'Houston Matters' program.
NEWS
The Woman Who Put @HarrisVotes on the Twitter Map
"Cress has grown the Harris County Clerk’s Twitter account from 5,000 followers to 20,000 with her blend of cheeky-yet-charming wit with bite-size bits of crucial information on early voting protocols, voter locations, and general election info. The GIF-fueled waggishness that’s made her tweets the highlight of voter’s days comes from a lifelong love of comedy."
Rebuilding myself: An occasional series
"An occasional series that will explore one woman's recovery in the year after Hurricane Harvey."
Why Sara Cress’s “Breaking Poems” project is worth reading closely
"Every night before bed, Sara Cress writes poetry in response to the headlines she’d spent the day surrounded by in her job. She posts most of her poems to her Tumblr site, but she has also published two slim volumes of them: Breaking Poems and 2015 Yearbook."
