I have worked in the news business for more than six years as a reporter, and currently work as a web producer/entertainment reporter. I edit/produce and write for Kitsap County, Washington's premier (OK, only) nightlife Web site, The545.com.

Several reasons to hire me:

1) I work hard. Growing The545.com has meant taking photos, writing stories, editing sound and editing videos. I am the primary content producer and site editor. Recently, I was given charge of an intern, and I manage several freelancers on a dime. I go out to shill the site, and go home to troll MySpace to connect with local bands. Every additional amount of growth - for a site that has no branding, no print product and the tiniest marketing budget I ever saw – can be attributed to the work I do.

2) I’m not normally this self-aggrandizing. But this is a cover letter, and all the cover letter help Web sites tell you to “project confidence.”

3) I learn quickly. I left college knowing the basics of word processing, how to Santa Rosatake some pictures, use Photoshop and enough Quark to put some boxes on a page. I had not learned that my future job would hinge on my ability to add multimedia to stories and navigate sometimes frustrating web content management systems. But that’s just what I’ve done since working at The Sun. I’m not afraid to fiddle with new programs or ask or look up on Google what I don’t know. I often end up being the first go-to person for the news staff’s computer problems and for help with multimedia projects.

4) I am passionate. I went into journalism because I believe that people make better decisions when they are well-informed. I want to see newspapers work