Patrick Beeson

About Patrick Beeson

Hi.

I'm Patrick Beeson, a project manager specializing in Web application development and communications strategy. And I have a passion for providing innovative solutions to problems of collecting, organizing and distributing information for a targeted audience.

But I'm definitely not your typical project manager however.

So while I do have experience managing projects on a national scale for The E.W. Scripps Company, I don't believe I'm bound to the often-rigid conventions adhered to by most project managers. For example, I've employed the Waterfall methodology for a project that called for transitioning and launching 16 Scripps newspaper Web sites into a new content management system (CMS). But for other projects, such as developing a Web-based video player application that is the backbone of Scripps' business strategy for video content and advertising, a SCRUM-style methodology was more effective.

My goal with any project is to meet the expectations of the stakeholders while controlling scope and allowing project team members to do their work.

I'm also unique because I have both journalism and public relations experience to enhance my technical background. I leverage this on a daily basis in my work at Scripps as a release manager for code updates, a service desk jockey for problems occurring at the site level, and for leading training sessions on products for everyone from new hires to publishers.

I also teach a senior-level journalism class at The University of Tennessee on managing news Web sites.

And I'm adept at writing documentation that can be read at the eighth-grade level (newspaper joke), err, by anyone without technical knowledge.

None of my experience and training as a project manager would mean much if I didn't have a good understanding of Web development. This, I have in spades.

When I was tasked with assisting in the management of a critical bug-fix for our CMS during a site roll out, I was confronted with a lot of terminology specific to our server environment and programming language of choice (Python). So in my spare time, I learned about Python and Django, the Python framework used by our CMS, and how it's deployed. This allowed me to understand terminology and processes used by the developers so as not to waste their time, or that of our stakeholders, fumbling through scope definition.

It also allowed me to expand my freelance efforts, as I've successfully developed and launched three Django applications that drive both my Web site, a Knoxville-specific news aggregator, and the Web site of The Young Professionals of Knoxville organization.

Other weapons in my arsenal include:

  • Communications, copy writing and crisis management
  • Effective blogging strategy for media and corporate entities
  • Knowledge of social-networking technologies, and how to leverage them in marketing campaigns
  • Web site design and content application development using XHTML, CSS, DOM scripting (JavaScript) and Django with an emphasis on usability, accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO)

Other interests

In addition to my interst in communications, journalism and Web development, I'm also a devote cyclist having spent more than 13 years mountain, road and cyclocross riding/racing. And I try to ride to work whenever possible.

My other outdoor pursuits include snowboarding -- I was the president of the Appalachian State University Snowboard Club during my time as an undergraduate -- as well as hiking and camping.

Along with my wonderful fiance Lindsay Durango, a senior designer at Metro Pulse, I have two cats named Simian and Tita. We love simple living with a focus on cooking, coffee/beer and avoiding the trappings of consumerism.

Get in touch

I can be contacted in a variety of ways:

Note: The views expressed on this Web site do not reflect those of my employer(s), past or present.

Related information

Colophon and copyright

Copyright © 2009 Patrick Beeson. All rights reserved.

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