Greetings, Trisolute folks!

I’m Will Flannigan, the new U.S. Expansion Manager. I can’t wait to begin chatting with you all about how I can help you with your SEO and Google News goals.

Here’s a little bit about myself:

I’m a Northeast Ohio native who spent my formative years on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

I studied English literature and creative writing at Kent State University. While there, I helped found a monthly art and entertainment magazine in Akron, Ohio, which lasted about four years.

Early in my career, my dream was to report on the entertainment industry. But the 2008 presidential election sparked my love for news and politics. Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” was a revelation. You could mix humor, news and commentary?

Sign me up!

After college, I switched gears into agriculture reporting. I focused on digital reporting of non-traditional agriculture for a small, family-owned paper named “Farm and Dairy.” I shook up the paper’s 100-year history by developing a digital content strategy to appeal to a new audience: aspiration first-time farmers and homesteaders.

It was my first taste of SEO, metrics and audience development.

In 2014, I moved to Phoenix to be an online producer for The Arizona Republic. As an online producer I challenged other journalists to think digital first and to approach stories in new, innovative ways. In 2018, I moved to the visuals team to help spearhead video strategy for the paper.

I enjoy hiking, biking, movies, reading and performing stand-up comedy.

I have always thought of myself as a utility for journalists around me. How can we think of stories differently? What is the out-of-the-box solution? What would attract a wider audience? How can we explain issues in easy-to-understand ways? How do we provide additional context without weighing down the text?

I hope to one day write for — or perform in — a satirical news show. Then I want to quietly retire and watch ocean sunrises on the Outer Banks.

Until then, I’ll do my best to help elevate the work of journalists across the country.

Will Flannigan