Barry
I’ve been a writer and marketing and media relations
professional for about 20 years. I got my start as a
reporter and photographer at a daily newspaper in
California, served as a business writer and editor
for nearly a decade, and then turned my focus toward
helping businesses and nonprofit organizations carry
out their missions.
In between I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in
South America, living and working in Suriname. I
joined the Peace Corps to give a little something
back but, like so many life experiences, I gained
much more than I gave. My most vivid memories are
teaching six-year-olds to read, partnering with
Surinamers to bring clean drinking water to a remote
village and enjoying brilliant sunsets … that and
being chased from a latrine by an angry tarantula.
I like to bike, sail, hike, jog and take
photographs. I’ve finished a marathon (just barely)
and participated in (slogged through, really) five
Hood to Coast relay races – one in which my fellow
runners used an old station wagon as a team shuttle.
My work is incredibly rewarding
because it allows me to be creative, offers new
challenges every day and gives me the opportunity to
work with great people.
Melody
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was in the fifth
grade, and I decided I would make my living writing
Nancy Drew mysteries. Though dreams of the Nancy
Drew gig faded by about the seventh grade, my love
for writing hasn’t waned a bit in the decades since
then.
With a journalism degree from the University of
Oklahoma, I began my writing career in 1990 as a
reporter for a major daily newspaper. I moved to
Portland in 1993 and worked for several years as a
reporter and magazine editor.
After an amazing and, thankfully,
fairly tarantula-free Peace Corps service, I
returned to Portland in 2002 wanting to build on my
writing and editing background. I gained experience
in marketing and public relations with area
non-profit organizations before Barry and I started
our own business as freelance writers and editors
and marketing and media relations consultants.
My favorite pastimes are reading, creative writing,
kayaking and hiking. I’m incredibly fortunate to be
able to do what I love not only in my personal life,
but also professionally. It’s my pleasure to be able
to share that energy and excitement with our
clients.
“The
Finnemores deliver writing that flows
well, is succinct and engages the
reader. Their experience as news
reporters allows them to write
knowledgably on many topics, to perform
solid research and to conduct productive
interviews. They also work quite well
under deadline pressure. I never
hesitate to send assignments to Barry or
Melody.”
- Robert Goldfield, Special Sections
Editor, Portland Business Journal |
