Deborah Clarke
Co-Owner, President & Writer

When I was in elementary school, I entered a story in a local writing contest. The story - Snoopy’s Christmas - was illustrated with primitive line drawings and won first prize. It also taught me two valuable life lessons. The first: I couldn’t draw. The second: I loved to write.

I have also always had a passion about the world around me and I followed that interest to Dalhousie University for an Honours degree in Political Science. For my Honours essay, I ventured to New Zealand where I researched that country’s non-nuclear policy and discovered a keen interest in travel.

My first - and only - job interview after graduation was at The Chronicle Herald where I was hired because I was into sports and I owned my own vehicle - a fiery red Moped. I started out as a sports reporter, arriving at news conferences on that Moped, trying in vain to make my helmet-hair presentable. I worked my way up to Editor of Herald Magazine, a position I held for the final phase of my 26-year journalism career.

Journalism taught me to observe, listen, multitask, connect with strangers, adhere to strict deadlines, write clearly and concisely and, above all else, keep asking questions until you uncover the heart of the story. All of these skills were directly transferable to Clothesline Media, which I co-founded in 2015.

EXPERIENCE

CLOTHESLINE MEDIA - 2015 to present

I co-founded, helped to conceive, develop and launch Clothesline Media, a boutique marketing and video production company. I helped develop the brand, wrote the website content, rolled out the social media launch campaign and executed the media strategy. As co-owner, I work in every capacity including communications, client relations, story development, video production, writing and business development. I have led collaborative teams that have identified opportunities, pushed boundaries and created projects that have made lasting impressions.

THE CHRONICLE HERALD - 1988 TO 2014

During my 26-year career in the newspaper business, I sought out a variety of roles, from features editor and page layout to news reporting and column writing. During my career, I was a reporter for nine years, covering a wide variety of beats from sports to spot news. For several years, I combined two passions - writing and running - to create CurlyGirlRuns, a column with a lighthearted take on my journey to health and fitness. For the final years of my career, I was Editor of Herald Magazine, an award-winning general news magazine published by The Chronicle Herald. I was responsible for conceiving its mandate, conceptualizing all departments, columns and features, guiding staff writers, cultivating freelance writers, identifying illustrators and driving content decisions. I created an engaging social media presence, was photo editor of the magazine, designed editorial pages and wrote cover stories.

CANADIAN RUNNING MAGAZINE - 2008 to 2014

During my journalism career, I also indulged my love of magazine writing by developing and writing a column aimed at beginner runners.