Seth Wilson
Oak Park
Summary
Dynamic professional with extensive experience in theatre production and editorial management, including a successful tenure at BuiltIn, where I drove over 220% growth in website traffic. Skilled in writing, editing, and teaching, I excel at creating a collaborative creative environment where people are empowered to do their best work.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Adjunct Professor
University of Illinois-Chicago School of Theatre and Music
Chicago
08.2022 - Current
- Develop lesson plans and immersive learning experiences to teach theatre history and literature for more than 50 students per semester from a diverse student body and a variety of majors.
- Design meaningful assessments to track student progress, resulting in average GPA of 3.25.
- Improve and refine courses using feedback from student and peer evaluation groups.
- Create teaching materials including syllabi, videos, PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, games, simulations.
Ensemble Member
Stage Left Theatre
Chicago
05.2021 - Current
- Collaborate on artistic and logistical administration of company.
- Chair literary committee and oversee script selection process, including solicitation of scripts.
- Serve as director, producer, and dramaturg for two-show mainstage season and multiple special events/staged readings.
Senior Associate Editor
BuiltIn
Chicago
03.2020 - Current
- Manage a team of 30+ freelancers who create original articles, including SEO-driven projects, with 3+ years of fulfilled production targets.
- Source, edit, and publish 20+ stories quarterly on topics related to technology, including timely commentary and policy analysis.
- Provide structural guidance, fact-checking, and copy/grammar/style editing, ensuring accuracy, fairness, and compliance with company stylebook.
- Oversee peer review program to ensure technical accuracy of all published information.
- Oversee packaging and graphics for all Expert Network stories to ensure brand consistency.
- Perform final copy edits on all Experts Program articles, approx. 65,000 words per month.
- Oversee data management, content strategy, and planning, collecting data using Google Analytics and Tableau, and report to company leadership on OKRs for full editorial team.
- Manage annual budget of more than $200,000 to maintain a roster of 30 freelance writers.
- Manage editorial calendar and maintain/update Experts Program stylebook.
- Facilitate professional development for team of 20 writers/editors through monthly retrospective workshops in a deadline-driven environment.
- Develop and implement growth strategy, including social media, SEO, and email newsletter, fueling more than 220% year-over-year growth to Expert Network website traffic since 2021.
Associate Editor
The Elks Magazine
Chicago
09.2019 - 03.2020
- Wrote/edited over 200 news items and three features on American history and pop culture per month for the Elks Club magazine, a print publication with a circulation of 775,000.
- Oversaw digitization process of past print editions of magazine and established procedure for publishing future digital editions.
- Collected feedback from subscribers; presented findings and recommendations to leadership to increase readership from Elks Club members in all regions of the United States.
Associate/Contributing Editor
Maher Publications
Elmhurst
05.2019 - 03.2020
- Reported out and wrote stories on the music instrument retail business, including breaking news, features, and buyer’s guide stories for one digital and two print publications.
- Provided three full rounds of proofreading/editing for each issue of each publication.
- Assigned stories and edited the work of a roster of five freelance writers.
Freelance Literary Department Associate
Goodman Theatre
Chicago
05.2018 - 05.2019
- Served as script supervisor for three mainstage productions (Support Group for Men, We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time, The Winter's Tale), ensuring script continuity throughout rehearsal process.
- Read scripts and prepared reader's reports on more than 50 plays to evaluate for possible production.
- Attended artistic department meetings.
Adjunct Lecturer, Theatre/English
Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches
08.2016 - 05.2018
- Created course materials and assessments to teach theatre fundamentals to diverse student body spanning multiple majors.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
The University of Georgia
Athens
08.2013 - 05.2016
- Taught or co-taught courses in Shakespeare, film, acting, and directing.
- Served as production manager for 2013-2016 production seasons.
- Directed, dramaturged, and produced shows for both mainstage and studio seasons.
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Chattanooga Pulse
Chattanooga
06.2007 - 08.2009
- Oversaw arts and entertainment coverage including film, theatre, and music for a small, alt-weekly newspaper with a circulation of 20,000.
- Wrote and edited feature stories/previews/interviews/reviews.
- Oversaw 5 freelance writers for arts and entertainment coverage.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy -
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA08.2020
Master of Arts -
The University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, IL05.2013
Bachelor of Arts -
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN05.2007
Skills
- Theatre production, especially dramaturgy, directing, and literary management
- Writing/Editing (MLA, CMS, AP Style)
- SEO (SEMRush, Ahrefs, BuzzSumo)
- UI/UX design (Figma, Canva)
- Audience analytics (Google/Tableau)
- Newsletter marketing (Constant Contact)
- People/project management
- Internal/external communication
- Budgeting
- OKR/KPI management
Timeline
Adjunct Professor
University of Illinois-Chicago School of Theatre and Music
08.2022 - Current
Ensemble Member
Stage Left Theatre
05.2021 - Current
Senior Associate Editor
BuiltIn
03.2020 - Current
Associate Editor
The Elks Magazine
09.2019 - 03.2020
Associate/Contributing Editor
Maher Publications
05.2019 - 03.2020
Freelance Literary Department Associate
Goodman Theatre
05.2018 - 05.2019
Adjunct Lecturer, Theatre/English
Stephen F. Austin State University
08.2016 - 05.2018
Graduate Teaching Assistant
The University of Georgia
08.2013 - 05.2016
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Chattanooga Pulse
06.2007 - 08.2009
Doctor of Philosophy -
The University of Georgia
Master of Arts -
The University of Illinois
Bachelor of Arts -
Vanderbilt University