Where to begin. Born writer. Three-decade newspaper journalist. Now writing, editing and ideating for Vital, a high-energy digital agency in the heart of my hometown of Portsmouth.

I am also the founding CEO of Triple Action Enterprises. Did I mention that I run an imaginary business empire/imagination factory in my spare time?  

Conceived as a platform for sharing my archival writings and renderings, and for launching new creative ventures and publishings, it serves as my online HQ. (Fun fact: It answers to both tripleactionnews.com and johnbreneman.com) 

In 2019: I co-wrote and appeared in a play for the first time ever and enjoyed the privilege of serving as editorial director for the sold-out “Point of No Return” TEDxPortsmouth event at The Music Hall. (The photo at the top, by Keith Tharp, is me backstage at The Music Hall filing this TEDx story on deadline for the local paper.)

New for 2020: I’m trying to figure out how to blog properly, once and for all. As a public service, I am sharing here for free my post “Blogging WORST Practices: 19 Tips on How NOT to Blog.”

For an insatiably curious, highly visual wordsmith like me, a career in newspapers was ideal.

I pursued my passion for writing (locally and in Boston) by interviewing and telling the stories of business and nonprofit executives; academic leaders; politicians; entertainment and sports figures; thought leaders, influence shapers and everyday people from all walks of life.

I discovered and explored my love of graphic design, sharpening my eye for how to integrate high-impact visuals with top-notch copy.

Always with the clock ticking toward the next edition.

Headlines on deadline.

Extra, extra! Here’s the scoop on my newspaper career …

My career in communications dates back to high school when my first article for the York High newspaper, a whimsical piece about wombats, prompted my classmates on the production team to name our paper The Wombat Weekly.

After securing a bachelor’s degree in philosophy up the road at Colby College, then completing the obligatory cross-country trip with a friend, it was time to get to work. I knew I loved to write but had little clue about what career to pursue. But my dad knew. He nudged me to the newsroom of our hometown York Weekly – opening the door on a deeply fulfilling life in print and electronic journalism.

When my career path led me across the Piscataqua River to the Portsmouth Herald in late 1988, I was almost immediately sent out to Pease Air Force Base to cover the press conference where we learned the shocking news that Pease would close.

My consistently outstanding work in Portsmouth created an opportunity in Cambridge, Mass., as the editor of the Cambridge Chronicle. A few highlights of my time there include meeting the amazing Miss Ruth Jones on her 100th birthday, covering the exploits of Bill Walsh, a city councilor who went on the lam after being indicted for bank fraud, and crafting the award-winning 150th anniversary edition of the Chronicle.

I returned to the Portsmouth Herald as Sunday editor in 1998. And when I reflect on the coverage we did in the aftermath of 9/11, I still feel a solemn sense of pride. I was not scheduled to be in the newsroom on Sept. 11, 2001, but when I got there our city editor asked me to write this essay to lead the next day’s front page.

Boston beckoned once more in 2005, when I began a seven-year stint at the Boston Herald. Some of my favorite work from that time involved collaborating with an artist on comic-style pages for our Sunday edition – satirizing such topics as America’s addiction to oil.

Almost as soon as I returned to Seacoast Media Group last September, the executive editor offered me the privilege of taking over the Sunday Page Two column. Since then I have enjoyed writing on a wide range of topics — from development issues troubling downtown Portsmouth and the 20th birthday of the Internet to a piece about a kid from my high school who blasted off into outer space as an astronaut.

Along the way my passion for blending humor and humanity led me to launch a personal website called the Humor Gazette (est. 2003) and more recently to start a new project at johnbreneman.com.

I created this page at johnbreneman.com (also known as TripleActionNews.com) to showcase some of my graphic design work. Proficient in Photoshop, InDesign and other programs, I have deep experience integrating high-impact visuals and top-quality editorial for both print and web. I have also performed webmaster duties and am knowledgeable about Word press, web design, html and SEO.

While I pride myself on being a top-notch writer, editor and graphic designer, I know that the ability to effectively and elegantly communicate information also depends upon a deep appreciation for the art of listening.

So thank you for listening. Click here to see my resume. I can be reached at john.breneman.inc@gmail.com

— John Breneman