RESUME

REGIONAL MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST - U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

September 2024 - Present

Develops and produces high-impact visual content for public affairs, recruitment efforts, and mission objectives across New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Engages 500,000+ online viewers through digital campaigns, effectively translating complex technical information into compelling multimedia assets.
Media Production: Produce high-quality videos, infographics, and animations to enhance communication strategies. Writes, produces and edits all content on Adobe Creative Suite, increasing engagement by 35% across all platforms.
Videography & Photography: Capture and edit photography and videography for field operations, public engagement, and recruitment, utilizing a Nikon Z7ii camera. Edits videos in Adobe Premiere Pro exporting for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube content.
Print Media: Collaborates with subject matter experts to produce print media in Adobe InDesign and Canva. Designs brochures, posters, and digital materials for external communications. Created 20+ print and digital materials distributed to 10,000+ stakeholders, supporting critical missions and infrastructure projects.
Employer Brand: Strengthen recruitment efforts by showcasing USACE’s mission and impact through “Meet the Team” digital campaigns. Produced and edited 10+ employee career spotlight videos, increasing applicant interest by 7% and reinforcing USACE’s brand as a top employer.
USACE Portfolio: https://www.dvidshub.net/portfolio/1854349/kaylee-wendt

2019 - 2024

Delivered daily on-air weather forecasts to an audience of over 1.3 million viewers across New York State and Massachusetts, combining scientific expertise with compelling visual storytelling. Developed educational initiatives and led a team of meteorologists, providing mentorship and content strategy direction. Championed a collaborative newsroom culture, working closely with producers, reporters, and editors to deliver high-impact content.
Severe Weather Leadership: Acted as a senior meteorologist on duty during critical weather events, coordinating coverage strategies across team platforms.
Community Engagement: Developed the ‘Project Weather School’ initiative, producing 25+ educational weather videos, reaching 250,000+ students statewide. Frequently spoke at schools and community events on meteorology, climate change, and severe weather preparedness enhancing Spectrum News’s commitment to education and engagement.
On-Air Excellence: Delivered real-time severe weather coverage, making critical on-air and editorial decisions, ensuring public safety during major weather events, including the 2022 Buffalo blizzard. Nominated for Best Weathercast (2021) by the Journalists Association of New York.
Team Mentorship: Served as a mentor to interns and junior meteorologists, refining their forecasting skills, on-air delivery, improving team efficiency, and content quality.

2016 - 2019

Blended meteorology expertise with digital storytelling to deliver engaging weather forecasts and educational environmental content. Analyzed weather models and created video forecasts and infographics to convey to the Western New York television market the severity and impacts of incoming weather systems. Used animations and diagrams to creatively inform management and audiences of the impending changes to the forecast to an audience of more than 1.3 million viewers.
Increased Viewers: Launched and produced the ‘Where Kaylee Wendt’ environmental science series to educate viewers about the climate and local environment.
Video Production: Led field reporting and on-air coverage for severe weather events, integrating radar analysis, community impact data, and expert meteorological insights to keep over 600,000 households across the Western New York footprint informed and prepared.
Graphic Design: Designed high-impact weather graphics and multiplatform content, leveraging WSI-MAX and Adobe Creative Suite to enhance forecast storytelling and increase audience engagement by 30%.

2013 - 2016

Developed comprehensive weather segments for television, radio, and digital platforms, ensuring accuracy and audience engagement across multiple markets with 400,000+ viewers.
Content Production: Created dynamic visual content to illustrate complex weather patterns, leading to an improvement in forecast comprehension.
Broadcast Reports: Delivered concise, engaging weather reports across multiple media platforms, increasing viewership in key demographics. Managed tight daily deadlines while maintaining high editorial standards.

June 2012 - Current

Committed to earning my Certified Broadcast Meteorology (CMB) seal.