Rivershark Inc

Keeping the company funded, staffed and serviced.

Senior Vice President of Product Development

Cox Media Group

Gerard McLean joined the NIE Department at the Dayton Daily News in 1998 when newspapers were just considering the transition to digital spaces. In addition to revamping the workflow of the various ediucational products for K-12 including a bi-weekly page targeted to the Ohio Proficiency Test, he was responsible for bringing the department and all its content online, building a community and maintaining outreach with educators and students. His contributions over the 4 1/2 yrs at the DDN included various original editorial on a variety of topics from the environment to pizza, in additional to external and internal marketing that promoted the editorial-focused NIE of the DDN. His signature contribution to the DDN was piloting the fledgling daytondailynews.com through Sept 11, 2001.

- Successful implementation of a materials design and production workflow for a Newspapers In Education department.
- Create graphics and support materials to illustrate and facilitate understanding of original reporting by education specialists
- Write, copyedit and develop curriculum-based reporting for NIE pages

Newspapers in Education

SPAR Group

Develop and support programs that integrated technology and human resources for a field-based IC labor force as well as all general staffing needs for the main office.

VP, HR/Technology

Huffy

Create training programs that increased the efficiency and quality of a field-based, decentralized employee workforce.

Training Manager

Target

Sporting goods, Stock Team Supervisor, Housewares, Mensware/Shoes/Luggage/Boys

Area Specialist

If you're doing it right, somebody is talking about you and your company right now on a social network you probably haven't heard about yet. You need a guide. Hire me.

https://rivershark.com

Go there. Have a look around. Drop us a line. We’ll get stuff done.

What?! You want to know more? 

I like you already as you are not one to be content hanging out on the shore, peering at the ocean. You want to dive in, feel the cold splash of life on your skin as your face cranes toward the warmth of the sun. 

Here’s stuff about me. If I’m the kind of person you think would be fun business, then we really should be talking.

This profile space has been left intentionally blank as I ponder a re-write, re-brand and re-launch from the ground up. I promise it will be pithy, almost truthful and mostly, memorable.

You are invited to be connected to me via the LinkedIn algorithms by following me (I don't know how you do that) or requesting a connection (I DO know how you do that!) Every request will be scrutinized thoroughly for the tracking code IFIWEREARICHMAN and the hashtag #TeamYellowPeanutMM to determine your sanity in wanting this dubious honor. No generic requests will be granted; you must personalize the message .... the selection process will be brutal.

You still want more? Are you kidding right now? What do you think I do all day, poop out words? 

Ok, I do kinda do that... sometimes I can even control which end they come out, though there is no guarantee. No, I will not make a car video or a parody of a client call video. I know, I know, they are all the rage but you probably guessed by now that I roll just a little bit to the left and uphill.

Hey, you asked ... Oh, what's that? You DIDN'T ask? Well, now you know. TMI is my game and I know I have already gone on one sentence longer than you can tolerate. Yet, you kept reading. Who is the crazy one now?

Who stole my Wite-out? Just bring it back, no questions asked.

Hey, if you got this far, condolences... but also here is my original headline before LinkedIn decided that 4 characters was enough for everyone... they are wrong, right? 

Author, Copywriter, Word Slinger, Digital Hobo, Roustabout, Publisher. I also CEO at Rivershark Inc and TourneyCentral in my spare time.

In case you are wondering, the hair in my profile photo is the best it is ever going to look. If you want to know more about my hair, I suggest you buy my book, Monkey with a Loaded Typewriter on Amazon. Just do it... go there now... really, wallet out; I need coffee and a haircut.

Gerard McLean

Opal Healthcare

Communications Manager

Communications and Engagement Manager

Tiny artist

Art CV

Kangaroo Valley Art Prize 2020 - Semi-finalist
Blacktown City Art Prize 2017 - Finalist
Kangaroo Valley Art Prize 2018 - Finalist

Guest on ABC Radio's All in the Mind: Prescribing Art for Mental Health (https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/prescribing-art-for-mental-health/12523324)

Freelance writer

I write anything that interests me, from horror to juvenile fiction, from absurdist to historical. I've also written a poem.

I was awarded an Australian Society of Authors mentorship in 2008 and an Australian Horror Writers Association mentorship in 2010. I wrote the Little Red Ute series (Omnibus Books 2010), which have featured in the NSW Premiers' Reading Challenge and the children's television program Wurrawhy. Local language editions of the Little Red Ute series have been published by Modern Education Press (China).

Literary CV

Australian Horror Writers Association mentorship - 2010
Australian Society of Authors mentorship for adult fiction - 2008

Books:
Little Red Ute and the dump trucks
Omnibus Books
July 2010

Little Red Ute visits the farm
Omnibus Books
July 2010

Little Red Ute and the big race
Omnibus Books
September 2010

Little Red Ute enters the ute parade
Omnibus Books
September 2010

Novellas:

The Road to Ophir (as Adam Kilby)
Smashwords

Short stories:

Zoo Quest and The Max and Emily Code 2016 - for the NRMA

The crow
Short and Twisted 2013
Celapene Press

A day at the gallery
Short and Twisted 2011
Celapene Press

One of those girls
365 Days of Flash
Pill Hill Press

After the fire
365 Days of Flash
Pill Hill Press

Idi’s Army
Short and Twisted 2009
Celapene Press

Australia Day
Short and Twisted 2008 
Celapene Press

Professional memberships:
Australian Society of Authors

Australian Horror Writers Association

Competitions:

Ice Cream Sunday
Shortlisted - Charlotte Duncan Prize
Celapene Press
June 2010

The Labours of Mediocus
Commended - Best of Times Short Story Competition – Spring 2008

Woolworths Group

Communications Specialist

NRMA

Internal Communications Advisor

NBN Co Limited

Advisor, Internal Communications and Intranet

NSW Business Chamber

Communications Executive

Systems Manager

Australian Business Limited

PC Support Officer/Systems Administrator

I’m an experienced communicator, with a strong project and strategy background. I’m confident working with stakeholders at all levels, and enjoy finding creative ways to engage people. My career has spanned internal and external communication in professional services, retail, motoring, and telecommunications. I believe communication may start from the what, why, where, who and how but people are at the heart of every message and everybody has a story worth telling.

I also love a segue, and 'story' brings me to writing and creating tiny art. I don’t understand verb conjugation or gerunds but I like to think I know when words work and when they don’t. I read a lot, and I think that helps. One day I submitted a picture book manuscript and a marketing plan (which no marketer would recognise as such) and was lucky enough to end up with The Little Red Ute series. And I mean it when I say ‘lucky’. You need to do the work but you also need things to fall your way to get a book contract. Before that, I held mentorships with the Australian Society of Authors and the Australian Horror Writers Association. 

The next step is making sure those mentorships weren’t earned in vain. Novellas – beautiful, spare things you can knock over in a train trip. They don’t sell but I love reading them and I love writing them. So that’s what I do. Practice may not make perfect but it makes you better, so my latest thing is writing haikus in cards instead of saying ‘Happy birthday’. My other grand project is a manuscript on tiny art (more on the art below).

The proudest moment in my career was when I was invited to read one of my Little Red Ute books at my son’s preschool. I finished reading and asked ‘Any questions?’ One boy raised his hand and asked why I was wearing a blue shirt. I thought that was a wonderful, original question. I smile every time I think of it.  
 
When I’m not writing, I like to make tiny sculptures, sketch whatever comes to mind, and paint miniature landscapes, portraits and genre scenes on old business cards and recycled materials, like tiles and wood. Most of my paintings don’t turn out as I imagined them but sometimes I paint something I’m rather pleased with. Whatever the result, making art makes me happy. It puts me in a euphoric mood that can be annoying for others. People frown at me and say “What are you so happy about?” I was a finalist in the 2017 Blacktown City Art Prize and the 2018 Kangaroo Valley Art Prize (semi-finalist in 2020), which, along with the Little Red Ute books, are just about the highlights of my life.

taplio

The Battle

Gerard McLean

Mitch Lewis

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?