OLIVIA CRELLIN
1269 Morse Street NE
W ashington D.C, 20002
(646) 749-9405
oliviacrellin@gmail.com
EXPERIENCE
Multimedia Journalist, Al Jazeera (AJ+), San Francisco
June-September 2015
Work across production for AJ+, Al Jazeera’s social journalism innovation lab. Shoot, edit, present short explainer videos
and write features.
Multimedia Journalist, BBC, Washington DC
Jan-June 2015
Script, shoot, self-edit, and sometimes present, feature video packages from Washington and the rest of the U.S. for BBC
World News Online and our DC-based TV daily newscast, World News America. Write news pieces, analysis and social
media commentary blogs for the web, primarily for BBC Trending, which covers viral and trending stories on social media.
Also help book guests and run the autocue for World News America.
Documentary Researcher, Quicksilver Media, Oxford, UK
February 2015
Researcher and production assistant on award-winning documentary current affairs strand, Unreported World. Arranged
shoots, found characters and experts, assisted in the edit room.
Production Assistant and Reporter, VICE News, Brooklyn, NY
Sept.-December 2014
Part-time writer and production assistant. Write two stories daily for the VICE News website on topics ranging from North
Korea leadership, Ebola, ISIS and Bitcoin to protests in Venezuela, US rape campus and digital security. Documentary
production work so far has included development of international story ideas, deck building, archive video and document
research and transcription. Helped launch the New York Review of Books – VICE News video show, Talking Heads.
Multimedia Reporter, T h e Wall Street Journal, Madrid, Spain
May-August 2014
10-week summer fellowship with the Wall Street Journal in Europe at their Madrid bureau. Over fifteen bylines and
taglines including a front-page story and video stories. Covered the coronation, Spain’s abortion law, the World Cup, bankruptcy
of Spain’s largest outdoor Wi-Fi company, and the on-going eviction crisis and recession. Pitched and wrote my own stories and
assisted reporting on many more stories and breaking news situations. Shot, scripted and voiced video reports. First Overseas
Press Club-WSJ scholar.
Graduate Student, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, New York
Aug 2013-December 2014
A year-long intensive masters programme with additional documentary semester. Covered issues relating to poverty, crime and
immigration in New York, as well as courses in investigative reporting, on-air reporting, magazine writing, working in
international newsrooms and business journalism. Undertook a 30-minute documentary masters project on minority male
education in the Bronx. Wrote 6,000-word narrative account of the Haitian cholera epidemic supposedly started by UN Nepali
peacemakers part of which was published by Al Jazeera America.
Freelance Correspondent, PRI/BBC’s The World, Chile, Brazil and Malawi
November 2012-August 2013
Pitched, reported, narrated and produced several 3-5 minute news/feature reports for this one-hour, weekday radio news
magazine. Have produced breaking news, features and hard news stories. Write scripts and provide accompanying photo
slideshows.
Freelance Reporter, Various, South and North America
May 2012-August 2013
Online: Breaking and analysis pieces for USA Today, Global Post, The Christian Science Monitor, London Evening
Standard, and The Economist on the June 2013 protests in Brazil when 100,000 took to the streets to protest poor
infrastructure and issues surrounding the World Cup; Two 1,000 word articles on abortion in Chile and domestic
workers in Ecuador for The Guardian; online article for The Economist on elitism in rodeo; Managing Editor for the
International State Crime Initiative’s Arts Blog. Commission and edit 2 articles a month; Blogger on Chile for Americas
Quarterly; Web exclusive for The New Internationalist on Syrian refugees in New York; 1,800-word anticipation
explainer of the first court case in the UN Haiti Cholera lawsuit in New York for Al Jazeera America.
Print: Three 1,200-word articles on Chile’s agricultural, mining, and pharmaceutical industries for Business Chile,
magazine for America’s Chamber of Commerce in Chile. Involved interviewing top government ministers in Spanish.
Print article for The World Weekly on the real-life inspiration for the 2012 Oscar-nominated Chilean film ‘No’. Double
page spread in The New Internationalist on child prostitution in Brazil.
Radio: BBC Radio From Our Own Correspondent on child prostitution in northern Brazil and Syrian refugees in New
York; Quick turn around 6-minute radio packages for BBC and CBC, and real-time 2-ways from the field for broadcasters
including Fox NY, France 24, BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during the Brazil 2013 protests. 4-minute
CBC radio package on the U.S. government shutdown.
Website: www.oliviacrellin.com | Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviacrellin | Contently: https://oliviacrellin.contently.com/
BBC Production Talent Pool
June 2013
Selected from hundreds of applicants to be part of the BBC's competitive Production Talent Pool, one of the main fast
track entry routes into production based roles across TV, radio and online. Members of the Pool are considered for
positions on BBC productions.
Development Researcher, NERD TV, London, United Kingdom
March-April 2013
Researcher on “No Way Out” (provisional title - BBC Three), about reducing rates of crime among young people. Role includes
sourcing contributors, legal research, filming interviews for taster tapes and production coordination. General development for
both US - and UK-broadcasters e.g. brain storming ideas, writing pitches, and casting research. Developing in particular
historical documentaries.
Intern Producer, Newshour, BBC World Service, London, United Kingdom
February-March 2013
Pitched, researched and produced up to three news segments daily for the BBC World Service's flagship international
news and current affairs radio program. Developed stories, compiled editorial research, and wrote questions for and
briefed presenters. Handled logistics, booked guests, and edited packages. Only Spanish speaker on team during Hugo
Chavez’s death and Pope Francis I’s appointment.
Broadcast Journalist and Scriptwriter, Reuters, Santiago, Chile
May-September 2012
Wrote and translated more than 200 scripts for the international news wire agency’s video service. Wrote general news,
breaking news, economic, and feature stories to accompany videos produced throughout Latin America from Cuba to
Chile. Fact checked articles with local media sources and regional producers. Occasionally collaborated with crew in the
field.
Multimedia Journalist, The Santiago Times, Santiago, Chile
Jan-May 2012
Wrote 70+ stories for the daily English-language news website of record in Chile. Covered politics, human rights, education,
business and energy. Also contributed enterprise stories on the country’s rigid abortion laws, squalid prison system,
constitutional reform and press freedom. Shot, produced and narrated website’s video coverage of the student protest movement.
Managed website’s social media.
Self-Shooter, Researcher, Editor, Seven Pillar Productions, Syria and West Bank
July-Sept 2010
Worked up research for two low budget independent documentary projects addressing clash between tourists and monastic
community in a monastery in Syria and the difficulties of life for rap group 'Bad Luck' in Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West
Bank. Found contributor-led, untold stories and location finding. Fundraised and wrote grants to raise money for the project.
Shot and co-directed on HD camera. Sound operator on TASCAM. Editing on FCP 7.
Intern Reporter, BBC Hereford and Worcester Radio, UK
March 2010
Researched, pitched and reported stories for on-air. Conducted interviews and edited audio on Radioman for vox pops.
Formatted online content and uploaded photos. One-day BBC Live Reporting training
EDUCATION
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY
Aug 2013-Dec. 2014
Master of Science, with a focus on multimedia reporting and storytelling. Coursework included investigative reporting,
on-air reporting, magazine writing, international newsroom, business journalism and analysis/opinion writing. Selected
for advanced video documentary program. Awards: Columbia University Castagno Scholar (2013), David Bohrman
Annual Fund Scholar (2014), De Groot Award for Documentary (2014)
The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
2008-2011
Bachelor of Arts in English Literature (2:1). Deputy News Editor for Varsity and Theatre Editor, The Cambridge Student.
SKILLS
Multimedia/Web: Final Cut 7/X,Premier Pro,Audacity,Audition,Lightroom,InDesign,Photoshop,Canon C100,5D Mark II,
Sony XDCAM
Social Media: Twitter,Facebook,LinkedIn,Storify,Coveritlive,Instagram,Tumblr,Skype,Vimeo,Wordpress,Periscope etc.
Investigative Tools: Database management with Excel, SQL and RStudio; B loomberg Terminal
Language: Spanish and Portuguese (Professional Proficiency)
Affiliations: Investigative Reporters & Editors; Treasurer, Columbia University’s National Association of
Hispanic Journalists
Awards: Finalist in The Guardian’s International Development Journalism Competition (2012). Recipient of Rory Peck
Fellowship for Hostile Environment Training (2013). Overseas Press Club Theo Wilson Scholar (2014), NY Student
Emmys recipient (2014)
REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
Website: www.oliviacrellin.com | Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviacrellin | Contently: https://oliviacrellin.contently.com/