About "Wordsmith Joe" Challmes
"Wordsmith Joe" Challmes has been a professional writer for nearly four decades. Over a varied career, he has compiled an eclectic resume working on just about every type of project possible with the written word.
Bachelor's Degree: The Johns Hopkins University 1973
Career
Reporter: The Baltimore Sun 1971-77
General assignment and police reporter. Obituary writer. Baltimore County government coverage. Investigative assignments. Rewriteman.
Copywriter: Bernard Dunn Advertising Agency 1977-86 Consumer oriented sales copy with an emphasis on direct mail, but also including newspaper advertisements and TV and Radio spots. Clients includes sports services, publishers, health spas and printing companies.
Correspondent: Reuters the British News Agency, 1977-1986 covering horse racing in North America. Reporting on all major races and fill in as needed.
Copywriter: Response Dynamics, Inc., Washington, D.C. 1986-88
Direct Mail fund raising agency for conservative causes and various charitable foundations.
Freelance Writer: 1988-94 published in newspapers as varied as the New York Times, South China Post and Sydney Morning Herald and for organizations as varied as Greenpeace and the Psychic Friends Network. 1988-1994.
Senior Copywriter: Inphomation, Inc., 1994-06 direct response television infomercial company, parent company of the Psychic Friends Network.
Marketing Director: Sports Eye, Inc., 1996-2001 publisher of College & Pro Football Newsweekly, Sportsform, Sports Eye and Harness Eye in Port Washington, NY and columnist for those papers.
Freelance Writer: 2001-present On retainer to several New York and Baltimore area ad agencies, writing cigar catalogs, web content for every type of company, from construction firms to poker sites to mortgage companies. Continued as columnist for football magazines and as gambling columnist for Sportsform and College & Pro Football Newsweekly.
Author: The Preakness: A History, Anaconda Publications, 1975.
Author: More than a dozen ghost written books.
Specialties:
Catalogs: general merchandise, jewelry, cigar
Direct Mail: consumer sales and fund raising
Newspaper and Magazine Feature Stories
Special Assignments
Movie Treatises
Ghost Writing
Speech Writing