Susan Sherrill Axelrod

Portland, ME USA
Contact

Professional Experience

An award-winning, tech-savvy journalist and seasoned editor, my career includes newspaper and magazine staff positions, affording me broad and deep experience in digital and print media. My portfolio includes a wide range of features covering food and drink, travel, culture, art, and design. Among other projects, I have: reported on sustainable seafood in the Gulf of Maine; covered the farm-to-table movement in the Berkshires; developed recipes for "Lighten Up America," a cookbook by Cooking Light; and created a magazine for adventurous, 50+ Mainers. I have also created a large portfolio of sponsored content for clients such as Sea Bags, Shipyard Brewery, and The Salvation Army.

Expertise

Writer
19 Years
Editor
19 Years
Content Editor (online)
8 Years

Specialty

Food
19 Years
Lifestyle
17 Years
Home & Garden
5 Years

Industries


Newspaper - Local/Regional
15 Years
Magazine - Local/Regional magazines
10 Years
Online/new media
8 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

19 Years

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Wild Blueberries Association of North America (1-2)

Other Work History

Food + Special Projects Editor—State 23 Media | Social Media Editor—Portland Press Herald (pressherald.com) | Online Content Producer—Portland Press Herald (pressherald.com) and MaineToday.com | Editor—Eater Maine (eater.maine.com) | Food Editor and columnist, The Record (northjersey.com) | Food and Entertainment Editor—(201) Magazine | Editor—The Ridgewood News | Managing Editor—Bergen County Newspapers

Technical Skills

Social media strategy and analytics; SEO; website design and management; recipe development

Foreign Language Skills

Some French and Italian

Computer Skills

Word; Windows XP; Quark (editing); WordPress; Photoshop; Moveable Type; Clickability

Equipment

laptop; camera (iPhone) SD600; audio recorder

Work Permits & Visas

valid US passport

References

Happy to provide if you request them.

Awards

2019 Folio Eddie Award, Feature Well, City and Regional Magazines | Various NJPA (New Jersey Press Association) awards for newspaper writing and page design (including several first place awards)

Showcase

Sponsored Content

Brand Champions
(Sea Bags 4/1/2002)
The Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team promotes their sport and sustainability.
Life-Changing Bequest
(The Salvation Army 10/1/2019)
Couple's gift of their estate will ensure that Maine children in need can attend Camp Sebago.

Profiles

A Knitting Life
(Ageless Maine 4/9/2020)
Using nineteenth-century mills and twenty-first-century technology, Pam Allen created a world-renowned yarn company in Maine.
One at a Time
(Maine Home+Design 1/1/2019)
Collected around the world, Rough & Tumble's iconic handbags are handmade in Maine

Sustainability + Economic Development

Turning the Tide
(Maine magazine 3/1/2020)
By changing the way fishermen handle their catch, Gulf of Maine Sashimi is opening new markets for sustainable seafood.
Sea Change
(Maine magazine 1/1/2020)
With new retail products and a growing number of fishermen-farmers, Atlantic Sea Farms is getting more Maine kelp onto plates around the country.
City on the Cutting Edge
(Maine Magazine 1/1/2019)
Partnership between Ellsworth and the Jackson Laboratory breeds a culture of innovation in Maine's fastest-growing city—winner of a 2019 Folio Eddie Award
The Green Miles
(Maine magazine 1/25/2019)
The TD Beach to Beacon 10K achieves an elite designation for sustainable practices, on and off the course.

Food and Drink

Reason to Rum
(Maine magazine 4/1/2020)
Three of Strong Spirits in Portland transports visitors to a summer state of mind with its classic and inventive rum cocktails.
Making it in Monson
(Maine magazine 10/1/2020)
At the Quarry Restaurant, chef-owner Marilou “Lulu” Ranta creates elevated cuisine while feeding a community.
A Cheesemaker's Next Chapter
(Maine Home+Design 1/1/2019)
On her farm in Waldoboro, Allison Lakin uses science, artistry, and methodical care to grow Lakin's Gorges Cheese
Maine whiskey making warms up
(Portland Press Herald: Source section 10/14/2014)
Close on the heels of Maine's micro-brewing boom, and reflecting the interest in all things artisanal, craft distilling is on the rise.

Art + Culture

Singing Out to Sea
(Maine magazine 4/9/2020)
Year after year, musicians and sailors return to Swan's Island for the Sweet Chariot Music Festival
Mugs and Memories
(Ageless Maine 3/1/2020)
A weekly pub night keeps summer camp friends connected through the decades.

Architecture + Design

Preservation: Borestone Mountain Lodges
(Maine Home+Design 1/1/2020)
In Elliotsville Plantation, Maine Audubon continues a family's legacy of North Woods hospitality
Crafting Campfire
(Maine Home+Design 11/1/2018)
Kristen and Joe Camp incorporate old and new traditions to shape their pottery.