Erica Smith
I'm a journalist, researcher, breaking-news enthusiast, comma-splice slayer and "St. Louis' Twitter sweetheart." I eat M&Ms in Roy G. Biv order.
Publisher
- Live & Kern | Wisdom and whimsy in moderate doses
- Paper Cuts | Tracking U.S. newspaper layoffs
- President Bingo | A political game where no one gets hurt
- Story of Man | The story of man is told in headlines
- Storify | Interactive reporting
Social media
Twitter | @ericasmith- Facebook | Erica Smith
- Etsy | Live & Kern
- LinkedIn | Résumé and work experience
- Tumblr | A Little More Kerning
- Contact Erica
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Tweets
- Making cats ask "Why am I wearing this?" RT @ghalling #Cats in costume at the Elkhart County Fair. #CatVideos #4Hfair http://t.co/gZ8qJo5DNt
- RT @ryanmartin87: "How I Got My Team To Fail More" by a news editor http://t.co/QLc2UqZqJF
- Watch out for flamingos in Richmond Heights. http://t.co/qqX9oovNUf
- RT @campbellmuseum: Delayed #throwbackthursday to 1988 and a major fire in our addition. Don't plug a/c units into ext. cords, y'all. http:…
- A thing to make you say "what?" (And maybe chuckle.) @STLRegChamber's #AnnualEvent177 "missing spirit" video: http://t.co/KIsb8vPb3J
- RT @moonbridgebooks: Waiting for rain ... there's a poem in those words
- RT @comeroundfullO: It's probably gonna rain, but it feels awesome outside right now. Sneak out of work and enjoy. #stlwx
- RT @Royals: Tonight at #TheK: Buck Night + a fireworks show after the Royals take on the Indians! http://t.co/nCsjpbzRvS http://t.co/AFPruA…
- RT @AlexJamesFitz: This is the beginning of the plot to Armageddon 2 http://t.co/m2X9ceUbu5
- RT @timjeby: Journalism Jobs.... We have two open right now at @stlpublicradio. Find out more here: http://t.co/rLMQqVGh0E #pubjobs
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Status
- Today's my first day as an online producer at St. Louis Public Radio. (Don't worry, I brought cookies.)
- Gary Hairlson and I have been teaching mobile students at Media Now STL since Sunday. On Tuesday, the students hit Ferguson and crafted stories — text, photos, videos and tweets — all from their iPhones. Here are the awesome stories they found.
- I have awesome friends who do awesome things, like this. You need at least one of these posters, I'm sure of it.
- I got to be a band groupie earlier this week for Allison and Jamal. And it was awesome.
- Hockey in KC? It's a town that already loves blue teams!
- It's a baby camel!
- I love these kinds of stories — this time, I got to write one. A St. Louis woman volunteers to play taps at military services.
- This is an amazing story that I had a very small part in. (I wrote the story they talk about in the video, and helped connect some dots.) Pretty remarkable!
- Invisible Girlfriend posts what might be one of the least creepy "send me your photo" Craigslist ads. Maybe.
- Typewriter porn!
- Tiaras!
- Lafayette Square's house and garden tour continues today, if you're looking for something to do on this sunny day. There's also an antique fair.
- KSDK NewsChannel 5 aired the #BelmontStakes race. But leading up to the race, they covered local tornado watches. Many people were not happy with this choice. I like horses as much as the next girl who had Lisa Frank unicorn folders, but come on.
- Folks at a Whole Foods and a Schnucks were shuffled into the freezers for shelter. No injuries have been reported so far. #stlwx
- Best library ever?
- #STL is really passionate about its soda.
- An update on the Arch grounds:
- Missouri has more people than cows. (It's not quite as close as I would've guessed.)
- The Daily Meal missed out on a lot of really great St. Louis burgers. Related: I really want a cheeseburger now ...
- New at the zoo:
- #AdStock2014 was Thursday night. Sadly, I didn't get to stick around for the whole festival, so I caught up on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (thanks in part to Allison, Jamal and Mike). Here's what I found.
- I had the honor of working with a lot of super talented people at Real Time STL, from developers to editors and curators. It was an amazing adventure with amazing people. So if you need a copy editor, a copy writer, a developer, a researcher, a reporter or dozens of other positions, I know some great people who are looking.
- Wednesday's live-tweet of the "The Elixir of Love" convinced me I should go see it. See if you agree.
- Real Time STL has been a blast. Seriously — the last story I wrote included a rasta banana. If you know of someone looking for a journalist/curator, let me know.
- Adorable story of the day. (Follow #OfficerJalisha on Twitter for even more.)
- If you're tired of the #YesAllWomen hashtag, then this is for you. If you're not tired of it, then this also is for you. It's a good read — trust me.
- Adorable. (And clever.)
- Cats! And coffee! You know you love it.
- The FIRST Championship was rather amazing. Here's a story I put together about three very cool kids from Webster Groves. I kinda wish I could join their robotics team.
- Robots!
- Of course there were Easter eggs inspired by the St. Louis Blues. (And some of them are pretty awesome.)
- In college, I was pretty sure I wouldn't need lots of reporting classes. My focus was design and editing (and a bit of programming so I could claim a minor and graduate). So what'm I doing now? Reporting. Yep, it's a zoning commission meeting!
- The big one: It's a wrap-up of the "Firefly" Q&A!
- Speaking of "Doctor Who," a fan Q&A with Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor.
- A fan Q&A with the adorable Karen Gillan. (You know her as Amy Pond from "Doctor Who.")
- I've been covering the Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con this weekend for Real Time STL. Tonight was the costume contest, which I debated staying for. (I still have stories to write.) I posted a few (blurry) photos on Twitter, and when hometown hero Volton took the stage, I thought I try switching to video. This is what happened; I can't stop watching it. (Sorry, Voltron.) Want more comic con coverage? You should be following me on Twitter, and at realtimestl.com.
- From a comic con conversation with a psychologist: “We have not yet created anything that is self-aware. ... (But) we didn’t know Skynet was self-aware until it started dropping nukes. How do we know?” (Most of Day 1 was more optimistic, I swear.)
- KDHX pulled off a brilliant Rickroll early this morning.
- Marlon Wayans is in town to pose for photos with local reporters.
- Maddening indeed.
- Wait a minute ...
- What does a pear listen to? You may be surprised by its eclectic tastes.
- If the Internet is a series of tubes, then this is where those tubes end up. Or used to.
- Ramis attended Washington University, which inspired parts of "Animal House." There are some great tweets here from St. Louis fans, and a trippy '90s newscast.
- I don't have a look back video. I don't post photos or videos here, so Facebook couldn't create one. Besides, I use Facebook to share awesome things and snoop on you. But I do have a year-in-review Twitter video. So that's something.
- I've been working on a St. Louis project called RealTime/STL, and I'm hiring part-time curators. Join us! We have all the stories you can read, and all the caffeine you can drink! Journalism experience (and a love of AP style) is a plus.
- We put together a video every day at Real Time STL; it's called The Sift. (Because we sift through all of the news — get it?) Although the site launched this week, we've had a little more practice with The Sift. So far, this one is my favorite. High-five!
- It's State of the Union day? Bingo.
- I wrote my first Real Time STL story today.
- The State of the Union address is Tuesday! Are you prepared?
- Real Time STL status:
- This is the project I've been working on for awhile, and it will launch very soon. In the meantime, here's an introduction to Real Time STL:
- The difference between transportation and kissing: An S.
- The 'tis and 'twas rules. (But really: Just don't use them.)
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Info
- Summary
I'm a journalist, a researcher, a social-media enthusiast, a breaking-news aficionada and a comma-splice slayer. I eat M&Ms in Roy G. Biv order.
Experience- Oct 2013 - Jun 2014Curator in chief / RealTime/STL
Curate, evaluate and publish content. Oversee 12 curators: Responsible for training, hiring, scheduling, daily production, and daily and long-term planning. Also write stories and manage company social media accounts.
- Apr 2012 - Oct 2013Curator in chief, social media manager / infuz
Curate, evaluate and publish content using software developed in-house; software quality assurance. Social media manager for agency clients: strategic planning, editorial calendar development, in-depth metrics report creation and analyzation.
- Jan 2012 - May 2013Adjunct professor / Lindenwood University
Social media strategies gave students the experience to professionally utilize social media.
- Oct 2010 - Apr 2012Social media editor / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Manage 70 social media accounts, including hands-on curation, blogging and original reporting.
- Dec 2008 - Feb 2011Multimedia producer / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Create in-depth research projects, interactive maps and data-driven multimedia projects for STLtoday.com
- Dec 2006 - Feb 2011News designer / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Design A1, metro and business sections.
- Jul 2004 - Oct 2006Design editor / The Times of Northwest Indiana
Oversaw 12 news designers: Responsible for training, hiring, scheduling, daily production, and daily and long-term story planning. Also filled in as night editor, responsible for all production and news decisions once a week.
- Mar 2003 - Jun 2004Page designer / The News Tribune
Designed A1, metro and entertainment sections. Redesigned the entertainment section in June-August 2003.
- Jan 2000 - Feb 2003News designer / The Times of Northwest Indiana
Designed A1 and local news sections. Also worked as a copy editor and wire editor.
Education-
1995 - 1999Northwest Missouri State University
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Posts
- Let them eat cake
No job means it’s time to start cleaning out the cupboards. That’s where I’ve discovered many, many cake mixes.
- Through rose-colored glasses
As Wednesday’s events reminded me, I definitely see the glass as half full. Naive, even. I’m OK with that.
We’ve been warmed and thrilled by the generous and and enthusiastic response we received from our audience in the five months since we launched RealTime/STL.
Layoffs suck. Who’d’ve thought I’d leave newspapers (especially after documenting newspaper layoffs for five years) to deal with my first layoff? For the record, drinking really takes the edge off of Day 1. We’ll see what happens on Day 2.
'Charade' • 1963
Clever. A couple of twists and turns had me guessing, although I figured out the end before Audrey Hepburn did.
Enjoy your morning tea or coffee while you mind your grammar with these fabulous Grammar Cups :). For all you grammar lovers out there, this
Adorable! And informative!
The upcoming font selection lesson in this book-writing class should be simplified to “Shh. Just don’t.” http://bit.ly/11lSZeB
Today we really could use an Internet ambulance. Where’s that Xacto knife … http://bit.ly/13MquHU
'River of No Return' • 1954
A kid drinks a lot of coffee, men scuffle in the dirt and Marilyn Monroe gets splashed with a lot of water.
'McLintock!' • 1963
Wait, that’s John Wayne’s son? There’s kind of a weird obsession with college in this 1963 film.
- False
'Top o' the Morning' • 1949
A singing insurance investigator. Nothing unusual about that.
‘Kiss Them for Me’ • 1957
In its day, the reviews were not good. Those people were foolish.
The fridge at work is full of Red Bull … Anyone expecting late nights? http://bit.ly/11vXuQz
If you’re desperate for Hostess products, try convenience stores. (No Twinkies at this location, but lots of everything else.) http://instagr.am/p/SHWDjXuT2T/
This one’s complicated. There’s pouring. (Worth it.) #chocolateandbeer http://instagr.am/p/SEqH1HuT8G/
I watched for a few minutes. The snacks did nothing entertaining. http://instagr.am/p/R3hnj2OT-z/
