David Downs
110 Highland Ave.
San Francisco, CA.
94110
415.240.2742 cell
415.525.3493 desk
david.downs@gmail.com
110 Highland Ave.
San Francisco, CA.
94110
415.240.2742 cell
415.525.3493 desk
david.downs@gmail.com
EDUCATION
2004, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL., Medill School of Journalism, Academy of Alternative Journalism, Fellow
1998-2002, University of California Santa Barbara, Bachelor of Arts, English Literature
EMPLOYMENT
2008-Present
Independent Journalist,
San Francisco, CA.
Arts and technology journalism for WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion, San Francisco Chronicle, Billboard Magazine and many other fine publications. Village Voice music critic. East Bay Express columnist. Founding co-editor: Marijuana Business Report.
2007 - 2008
2007 - 2008
Web Music Editor
San Francisco, CA.
Managing a national staff of sixteen including hiring and acquisitions. Digital and print reporting, writing, photography, editing, and production for a national sixteen-paper, alternative newsweekly chain. Doubled SF Weekly.com average monthly page views in eight months.
2006 - 2007
2006 - 2007
Music Editor/Web Editor
Oakland, CA.
Award-winning weekly column writing for 70,000 circulation weekly newspaper. Launched East Bay Express daily web content. Editing a twenty-page weekly print music section with a staff of freelancers across the country.
2004 - 2006
2004 - 2006
Contributing Research Editor
San Francisco, CA.
Writing and fact-checking technology features for top-tier national glossy magazine with a million-plus circulation.
AWARDS
2010 Knight-Batten Award for Innovation in Journalism
2008 First Place, Technology Writing, The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club, "The Day The Music Dies"
2006 First Place, Features Writing, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, "Roboscalper"
2006 First Place, Column Writing, the East Bay Press Club, "The War Profiteer"
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
The Los Angeles Times, Columbia Journalism Review, The Believer, McSweeney's, BLURT! Magazine, Gelf Magazine, Stanford Magazine, SF Weekly, San Francisco Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Mental_Floss Magazine, California Magazine, The Bay Citizen, and many, many other fine publications.
2006 First Place, Features Writing, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, "Roboscalper"
2006 First Place, Column Writing, the East Bay Press Club, "The War Profiteer"
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
The Los Angeles Times, Columbia Journalism Review, The Believer, McSweeney's, BLURT! Magazine, Gelf Magazine, Stanford Magazine, SF Weekly, San Francisco Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Mental_Floss Magazine, California Magazine, The Bay Citizen, and many, many other fine publications.
NOTED INTERVIEWEES: Lou Reed, Chuck D, George W. Bush, Matmos, Del the Funkee Homosapien, Dave Eggers, the Rampart Police Department, Steve Winwood, Les Claypool, Ben Folds, Lars Ulrich, Larry and Sergey of Google, Zach Hill, Dan The Automator, Kool Keith, Blackalicious, Amon Tobin, Josh Homme, Girl Talk, The Strokes, Jamie Lidell, Hot Chip, David Hayter, Crow, Joel, Servo, Dalton Caldwell, Chuck Klosterman, Will Franken, Erik Otto, Isaac Brock, Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, The Pack, Mike Relm, Greg Werckman, Yo La Tengo, Sufjan Stevens, Massive Attack, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, the cast of The State, Flying Lotus, hundreds of others.
