REDSTAR magazine is a city guide for expats in the coastal city of Qingdao, China. It promotes local events, gives restaurant reviews, educates expats on culture, and collects travel articles written by local expats. I wrote four articles for REDSTAR, including two interviews, and I co-authored one article. This study case focuses on a cover article I wrote for the June 2019 edition of the magazine.

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In “Allstars—Shining Bright in Qingdao,” I took 15-pages worth of information and condensed it to less than 1000 words. Within the magazine’s restrictions, I wrote the band’s backstory and showed the band’s importance to the local expat community of Qingdao, China. Through interviewing the band and local fans, I crafted the information which best expressed the vision of the band—building community through musical talent. The reader got a snapshot of each band mate’s personal history and how the members came together to accomplish this vision. Then, the piece ends depicting a live concert which united the Qingdao expat community. This required keen diction and clarity in order to provide the readers an effective, compelling, and informative story. Lastly, I chose a witty theme—superheroes—in order to attract readership. The theme pulled in readers with comic allusions to the recent Avengers film. This theme also helped the audience appreciate the Allstars’ dedication in creating community through awesome performances. The concise and informative story, coupled with a clever theme, made this piece a success. Read the piece in the pictures below:

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Let’s write something together.

Contact me at: jonesbdlstx@gmail.com

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