James Herd

Background

About James Herd

I am a professional news editorial journalist with a focus on copy editing, proofreading and page design. I have experience in both physical and digital newsrooms working on both print products and online outlets alike. In my free time, I am an aficionado of all things electronic entertainment, including video games. My career began in 2012 while I was taking a class where I served as a reporter for the on-campus newspaper, the Baylor Lariat. I wanted to create my own opportunities for advancement, so I created a news and opinion outlet focused on video games and anime, Pixcelation Entertainment. I served as both founder and editor-in-chief for this independent outlet from 2013 to 2016, at which point I decided to rebrand it as a solo venture on YouTube, which is still in operation to this day. Upon graduation in 2015, I was brought onto the copy desk at The Midland Reporter-Telegram in Midland, TX, where I initially developed my copy editing skills in a high-intensity and deadline driven environment. I headed eastward after a year had passed, to accept a position in Austin, TX at the Gatehouse Media Center for News and Design, where I would continue to develop my design skills and news judgment for the next seven years, until 2022. It was then that I accepted an invitation to join the staff at Gamer Journalist, another indie news outlet that had been recently acquired by GAMURS Group. I was one of three staff writers, and as such, I served in a leadership role overseeing an expansive team of freelance writers from across the world. But, in early 2023, I was caught up in mass layoffs at GAMURS and returned to my hometown of Houston, TX to accept an Associate Editor position at the oil & gas-based B2B, Hart Energy. A matter of months later, I received another invite, this time to re-join the team at GAMURS, this time at a much bigger outlet, Destructoid. I accepted the role, not realizing that I would once again be impacted by layoffs a mere three months later. I am now seeking my next adventure, ideally utilizing the copy editing and design skills I have cultivated over the course of the last more than a decade.