Maria Burns Ortiz

I stopped updating my experience page around 2012. But if you want to get the full rundown on there, check out my LinkedIn profile where I keep it a bit more current.

ESPN.com Bristol, Conn.
Social Media Columnist March 2011 – present
• Write a weekly column covering all things social media as they pertain to sports. Contribute blogs when relevant/timely. [Column launch set for April 2011.]
Page 2 Contributor October 2009 – present
• Regularly contribute to ESPN.com’s Page 2, a section dedicated to the intersection of sports, humor, pop culture and the offbeat.
• Responsible for writing features, blog posts and event coverage as well as pieces for larger collaborative packages. Shoot photos and/or video for a multimedia storytelling element.
Soccer Writer August 2006 – June 2010
• Reported on soccer news and events of national and global interest. Stories focused primarily on U.S. and MLS soccer.
• From August 2006 – December 2009, was men’s college soccer beat writer for ESPN Soccernet.

Sports Contributor Fox News Latino New York, N.Y. October 2010 – present
• Write a weekly sports column for national news website that targets bicultural/bilingual Hispanic audience. Select stories also run on FoxNews.com.

Freelance Journalist Various Media Outlets January 2007 – present
• Wrote and/or produced freelance content – Web, print and video – for numerous media organizations. Outlets included the Associated Press, College Soccer News, My Lifestyle Magazine, NCAA publications, Anyguey, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, Quill Magazine, The Expert Series and Growing Judo e-magazine.
• From October 2008 – December 2009, was involved in Cambridge Community Television’s NeighborMedia program, a collaborative effort between professional and citizen journalists to produce quality local broadcast and Web journalism.

The News-Sentinel Fort Wayne, Ind.
General Assignment Sports Writer November 2005 – December 2006
• Major beats included Indiana Pacers and Purdue football. Additionally served as backup NFL writer. Also covered Division I-A football, Division I men’s basketball and minor league baseball.
• Co-conceived and executed bilingual series of columns during the 2006 World Cup. Project received national attention and recognition.
• Covered non-sports stories, especially those relating to the Spanish-speaking community, on a fill-in basis and to assist with major breaking news.
• Appointed to the “2010 Initiative” team, a board comprised of editorial and business-side executives tasked with mapping out a five-year plan for the newspaper to compete in a changing marketplace.
• Appeared on local broadcast media (primarily radio) to supplement and promote newspaper coverage. Served as weekly contributor to Comcast High School Football Game of the Week Halftime Show.
Prep Sports Reporter January 2005- October 2005
• Beat writer responsible for providing daily high school sports coverage for a region that included 26 secondary schools.
• Covered non-sports stories, especially those relating to the Spanish-speaking community.

Sports Illustrated New York, N.Y.
Editorial Assistant, Editorial Projects Department June 2004 – November 2004
Editorial Projects Intern September 2003-December 2003
• Wrote stories that ran in the nation’s leading sports magazine and online as part of SI’s custom publishing unit. Also served as a researcher, fact checker, reporter and copy editor for departmental projects.

Reporting Intern The Tico Times San José, Costa Rica January 2004 – May 2004
• Reported on news, sports, culture and travel for Central America’s leading English-language paper.

Additional internships include: USA Judo – Olympic Media Relations, Summer 2004. Gente de Minnesota, Summer 2003. Minnesota Women’s Press, Summer 2003. Dime Magazine, Spring 2003.