William Clarke Background and Awards

I don't believe anyone achieves success without the help and support of many other people. Nowhere is this more evident than in the newspaper industry. Although my name appears as a prizewinner in our industrial competitions, folks in the trade know there's a whole lot more involved than whose name appears on a cutline or byline.
Newspapers and the media industry are constantly evolving and stretching to meet the goals of informing, educating, and entertaining each community they serve and there are a ton of people behind each and every picture, story and ad that you read.
My personal set of skills and successes could not have been attained without people like John DeMings, Visko Kwong, Mike Copeman, Mike Varty, Dana Zielke, Doug Lang, Fred Sgambati, Patty Mintz, Fred Hatfield, Mark Richardson, Peter Kapyrka, Bruce Chisholm, Wendy Shulman, Jamie Thomson, Laura Sears, Lori McKay, Larry Powell, Katie Tinker, Ken MacPherson, Patricia Lonergan, John Kinsella, Janet Larkman, Kristy Herron, George Clarke, Bryant Clarke, Grant Fawcett, Allison Ross, Keith Horlick, Gavin Beer, Mike Cestnick, Don Brander, Kevin MacIntosh, Shirley Robb, Robin Nickel, Mel Dias, Steve Bartlett, Clifford Krauss and Ron Ennis - The Spectator never would have done so well without Ron's weekly critiques.

Accomplishments and Credits
PBR Halifax, Official PBR Photographer, 2006
JUNO Awards, photographer, 2006
Judge, CCNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2005
Best Newspaper, CCNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2005
Best Front Page, CCNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2004
Best Feature Series, CCNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2004
Best National Editorial, ACNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2004
2nd Spot News Photo, ACNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2004
3rd Sports Story, ACNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2004
Judge, CCNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2003
East Coast Music Awards, Photographer, 2003
World Junior Hockey Championships, Photographer, 2003
2nd Best Feature Photo, ACNA Better Newspapers Competition, 2002
G-7 Finance Ministers Summit, Photographer, 2002
Canadian College Athletic Association, Photographer, 2002
Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Photographer, 2002
Black Business Initiative, Artistic Excellence Award, 2001
Digby Arts Council, Official Photographer, 2001
Canadian Postmasters Association, Convention Photographer, 2001
Maud Lewis Folk Festival, Official Photographer, 2001
Digby Scallop Days, Official Photographer, 2001
Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union, Official Media, 2001
Atlantic University Sport, Official Media, 2001
Halifax Regional Municipality Police Service, Official Media, 2001
Hand Hills Stampede, 2000
Red Deer Makin'8 Silver Buckle Rodeo, 2000
Canadian Professional Bull Riders, 1999
Canadian Finals Rodeo / Farmfair International, 1999
Canadian Bull Riders Association, 1998
Professional Bull Riders, 1996
Canada's Cowboy Festival, 1996
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, 1994
Calgary Exhibition & Stampede, 1994
Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, 1994
Foothills Cowboys Association, 1991

Employment & Experience
September 2005 - Present
Self-Employed Reporter-Photographer
Contribute news and advertising features to The Halifax Daily News, its community weeklies and a series of private and public clients. I am also the only source east of Toronto for renting professional DSLRs, lenses, studio strobes, and sundry gear.

September 2004 - September 2005
Transcontinental Media / The Halifax Daily News
Special Features Writer / Editor, The Bedford-Sackville Weekly News
Assumed a one-year contract working in the advertising department and editing the Bedford-Sackville. I re-worked the paper's editorial content and style by introducing the concept of an editor who actually appeared in the community, the Dartmouth Weekly News and Halifax West Weekly News followed shortly thereafter. Duties included writing, reporting, photography, editing and layout of the weekly newspaper and various special features. I rapidly became the top choice for ad features because I was the only writer with experience in professional sales communications. During my time at the paper I also worked with freelance contributors to enhance their photography and writing skills.

August 2002 - September 2004
Transcontinental Media / The Spectator, Annapolis Royal
Editor
As the professional newsperson in the office, I was responsible for producing a weekly community newspaper using a part-time reporter, community submissions, and freelance contributors. I successfully executed a turnaround in what was a "marginal" product by putting the newspaper back into the hands of the community.
Instead of dictating what made the news, I listened to the community and delivered a product they wanted to buy. I mandated that we would not run press releases to fill news holes; created a sports section; added court reporting; a lifestyles section; arts & entertainment; and re-introduced a brief style for town and county council reports.
I also provided ongoing photography education for my reporter, freelance contributors, and student interns and would argue The Spectator was the most improved product in the former Optipress group of 25 newspapers throughout Atlantic Canada.
According to market statistics, we were in more homes than any other community newspaper in Atlantic Canada and continued to be one of the most successful products in the group. For the 2003 publishing year we won third in the country for Best Front Page and were in the top three for Best Newspaper, I won Best Feature Series and regionally, I received the Boyne/Clarke Trophy for Best National Editorial, third for Best Sports Feature/Story and second for Best Spot News Photo. Those accomplishments were also recognized with a resolution in the provincial legislature. In 2005, The Spectator was the only newspaper in the former Optipress group to receive national recognition by winning Best Newspaper.
*Footnote* My last reporter at The Spectator, Patricia Lonergan, went on to become the editor after my transfer to The Daily News. She is currently working as a reporter in Ottawa.

July 2002 - Present
The New York Times / International Herald Tribune
Freelance Photographer
I'm the Atlantic region assignment photographer reporting to the foreign photo editor, Canadian bureau chief, and other editors as required. My most memorable assignments were photographing the families of Canadian soldiers killed by U.S. pilots in Afghanistan, and the controversy over Windsor, Nova Scotia's claim as the birthplace of hockey.

July 2001 - April 2002
Transcontinental Media / The Digby Courier, Digby
Reporter/Photographer
Reporting to the editor of this community newspaper, my responsibilities were to shoot photographs, find stories, conduct interviews and write weekly stories using CP style. Also performed same tasks for weekly sister publication, The Regional. Received many compliments on photographic skill and news writing depth and style. Stories and photos were also reprinted in Yarmouth Vanguard, Bridgetown Monitor and Annapolis Spectator. I used my website as a holding area for photos to eliminate reliance on floppy disks and continued to provide relevant photos from the Halifax region. I received second spot for Best Feature Photo from the ACNA 2002 Better Newspapers Competition and an honourable mention for Best Sports Photo.

October 2001 - February 2002
Digby Area Learning Association, Digby
Instructor (Part Time)
Because of my passion for photography, I taught a 15-week course in photography as a career to adult learners from the Digby area. Topics included basic camera operation, camera types, lenses, lighting, filters, composition, film, digital imaging, digital darkroom, portfolio creation and finding markets. I provided a structured course curriculum as part of the DALA application process that included a field trip and model shoot. Because of my own career path, I was invited back to DALA that March to speak to a group of about 45 adult learners for 90 minutes about the importance of life long learning.

1984 - Present
Self-Employed
Most of my media experience has occurred as a self-employed, professional, rodeo and western lifestyles photographer based out of Calgary, Alberta. I made weekly trips to small town rodeos, horse shows, cowboy festivals, cuttings, pennings and ropings in western Canada and the United States until I returned to Halifax late in 2000. I streamed a Farmer's Daughter concert live over the Internet during the 1996 Calgary Stampede using two 8mm camcorders and 100 feet of coax cable!! I also broke the story of Ayshea Clements, a teenaged Australian bull rider banned from competing because of her sex. That story was followed up by Australian media and led to the formation of a new organization that allowed females to compete head-to-head with the males.
In November of 1998, my passion for, and promotion of, western culture prompted CBC to send a videographer out to Calgary for two weeks. That series of interviews became the five-minute lead story on the premier episode of Culture Shock in January 1999.