Hire Me

402-445-4666 • leo32158@cox.net

leoadambiga.com

Leo Adam Biga – Author-journalist-blogger

Telling the stories of people, their passions, and their magnificent obsessions

articles • web content • newsletters • press releases • white papers • biographies • company histories • historical narratives • books • scripts

available on project assignment, commission, contract, or retainer basis

“I’ve long admired Leo’s journalism and prose portraiture for its honesty, thoughtfulness, and accuracy.”Alexander Payne

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http://www.linkedin.com/in/leoadambiga • http://www.google.com/profiles/leoadambiga

Writer Leo Adam Biga has won awards from:

Omaha Press Club  • Nebraska Press Association • American Jewish Press Association

“Leo portrays his subjects with both precision and generosity, practicing a literary journalism that is enlightening, honest, and immensely readable. His writing is eloquent and provocative, and quite often moving,” Timothy Schaffert

Stories about people, their passions, and their magnificent obsessions

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This blog is obviously a showcase of my work.  I sincerely hope the content here adds to your reading pleasure.

As a cultural journalist, my writing brand is:  “I write stories about people, their passions, and their magnificent obsessions.”

What may not be so obvious is that I am posting samples of my writing on the site in the hope that you or someone like you will consider hiring me to fulfill some writing need that you or a client or a colleague or a friend may have.  So, whomever you are – publisher, editor, marketing/PR director, business owner – if you are looking for top-notch writing help with articles, company or family histories, biographies, historical narratives, scripts, and other writing products, then I offer my gallery of work as proof that I can deliver the goods.

As the About Leo Adam Biga page says, when you hire me you are hiring a full-time, professional writer, not a dilettante or a wannabe.  I am a writer through and through.

My publication writing is for newspapers and magazines, most of them based in Omaha, although I have written for out state and state-wide publications as well as for a few national publications.

Many of Omaha’s leading publications, corporations, and organizations hire me to execute writing projects:

Omaha World-Herald

Creighton University

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Valmont Industries (through David Day & Associates)

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Nebraska Jewish Historical Society

Omaha Public Power District

Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Company

Opera Omaha

My rates are competitive.  Depending on the assignment or commission, I charge a per project or per hour fee.

If you haven’t already, visit the About Me page.  Find more useful information at my LinkedIn page-

http://www.linkedin.com/in/leoadambiga

and Facebook page-

http://www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga

You can contact me at:

402-445-4666

leo32158@cox.net

 

Resume for Author-Journalist-Blogger-

LEO ADAM BIGA

Leo Adam Biga • 10629 Cuming St., Omaha, NE 68114 (402) 445-4666 • leo32158@cox.net

Goals:

• I look to apply my superior writing expertise to publications, organizations, institutions that value the written word and strive to be market leaders and community anchors.

Capabilities:

• I bring to the keyboard extensive experience as a working journalist, with more than two thousand published articles on a wide array of subject matter to my credit. My cover stories number in the hundreds. If I am best known for anything it is for the cultural writing/reporting I do. I have written for both general interest and niche magazines/newspapers based in Omaha and in surrounding markets. I have also had work published in some national publications. I exemplify the strong work ethic for which Midwesterners are famous. The breadth and volume of my work, plus the longstanding relationships I have enjoyed with clients, speak to my being highly reliable and adaptable.

• In addition to straight journalism, I also write public relations/marketing copy. Whatever the assignment, no matter its subject or length or intended audience, I take a serious, considered approach.

• I also write documentaries, long form historical narratives, and books.

Freelance Portfolio – Selected Newspapers/Magazines:
Contributor to:-
Metro Magazine, 2008-present
The Reader, senior contributing writer, 1996-present
New Horizons, 1994-present
El Perico, 2006-present
Omaha Magazine, 2006-present
Encounter Magazine, 2006-present
B2B, 2007-present
Hail Varsity, 2013-present
Flyover, 2015-present

Past contributor to-
Omaha World-Herald, special sections, 2008-2012
Omaha Fashion Magazine, 2010-2013
Edible Omaha, 2013
UNO Magazine (formerly UNO Alum Magazine), 2006-2010
Jewish Press, 1998-2011
Omaha City Weekly, 2006-2009
Norfolk Daily News, 2007-2008
Grand Island Independent, 2007-2008
Nebraska Life Magazine, 2006-2008
Omaha Star, 2005-2007
The Black Scholar, 2007
Medium, 2003
The Daily Record, 2003
Omaha Weekly, 2000-2002
Nebraska Sports America, 1999-2001
Inet Library, Inventive Communications, 1999-2000
American Visions, 1996
Kidz!, 1996
Woodmen, 1991-1995
Home & Away, 1993
Midlands Business Journal, 1989-1990
Metro Update/Metro Monthly, 1989-1990

 

Newsletters:

Happenings, College of Education, UNO , 1992-2001
Child’s View, Voices for Children in Nebraska, 1995
Inflight, Inflight Productions, 1990-1991
Connections, Catholic Health Corporation, 1990-1991
Bravo, Opera Omaha, 1990

 

Public Relations/Marketing:

Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce book, 2010
Qwest advertorial campaign copy, Omaha World-Herald, 2010
Various Omaha World-Herald special sections stories, 2008-2009
University of Nebraska Medical Center, press releases/newsletter copy, 2006
Children’s Hospital, magazine stories, 2004
Valmont Industries, via David Day & Associates, OneValmont magazine articles, 2004
St. Patrick Catholic Church, press releases, 2003
Preston Love Sr., press releases, 2001
Clarkson Hospital, Discover Magazine stories, (1990s)
Omaha Public Power District, special edition OPPD Flash Magazine, articles, 1996
Family Service of Omaha press releases, 1996
Nebraska Methodist Health System, Inc., Healthplex Magazine articles, 1989-1995
Web Publishing Company, Denver, Co., press releases, 1995
American Red Cross, Materials Task Force brochure copy, 1993
UNO College of Education, College of Excellence video script, 1993
Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, City of Surprises campaign copy, 1991
With Graphix Group for City of Omaha, City of Excellence campaign copy, 1990

 

Books:

Author, Nebraska Methodist College at 125: Scaling New Heights, 2016

Author, Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film, 2nd edition, 2016

Author, Crossing Bridges: A Priest’s Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden, 2015

Author, Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film, 2012

Contributor, Drawn to Fashion, by Mary Mitchell, 2012

Co-editor, Memories of the Jewish Midwest, Mom and Pop Grocery Stores,, 2011

Contributor, History of the Douglas Theatre Company, with Legacy Preservation, 2010

Author, Open Wide, 2010

Author, Memoirs of a Nervous Man, unpublished original nonfiction novel, 1990

In-Progress:   

Biography of Jessica Haynes

Proposed-  

History of J.L. Brandeis & Sons Department Store
The Making of an Alexander Payne Film
Omaha Black Sports Legends
Nebraska Screen Heritage

 

Plays:
Shallow Feeders, an in-progress original play, 2008

 

Scripts:

The Brandeis Story, documentary, 2008
Pacesetter corporate video with Inflight Productions, 1998
Crazy Quilt, unproduced original feature-length screenplay, 1995

 

Niche Services:    

Inside Stories, a professional writing service producing biographies and histories of families, companies, or organizations

Freelance Writing Academy Seminars, informal presentations geared for aspiring and emerging writers

 

More Major Works (Non-fiction):

My 13-part, 50,000-word series Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness focused on Omaha’s African-American sports legends. I plan adapting it into a book. Recently, I have written major historical pieces related to: Boys Town; the Omaha civil rights group, the DePorres Club; the work of Shirley Goldstein in the Free Soviet Jewery movement; the Omaha Stockyards; the Great Plains Black History Museum; the 1960s race film A Time for Burning; and the African-American Empowerment Network.

My work sometimes takes me away from Omaha, In 1998 I joined a Midwest baseball tour to report on this multi-state immersion experience with the national pastime. In 2003 I spent a week on the set of Alexander Payne’s Sideways in Santa Barbara, Calif. and nearby towns to inform a series of stories about the project. In 2009 I accompanied a group of Omahans to the Obama inauguration in the nation’s capital for a cover story about this embedded experience. In 2013 I went to Los Angeles for the final mixing process of Payne’s Nebraska to feed into my coverage of that project. In 2015 I travel to Rwanda and Uganda, Africa on an international journalism grant to report on the challenges people there face and the work of Westerners in bringing sustainable solutions.

Authoring books occupies more and more of my time. In 2011 my biography of Mark Manhart, Open Wide, was published. That same year I co-edited the book Memories of the Jewish Midwest, Mom and Pop Grocery Stores for the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. In 2012 my collection of journalism about Oscar-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne was realeased under the title Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film. In 2015 I completed an as yet untitled biography of a retired Catholic priest. That book should be published by the end of 2015. In 2015 I am beginning work on two new book projects: the history of Nebraska Methodist College and the biography of Jessica Haynes, both of which will be published in 2016.

Alexander Payne has occupied a special place in my work as a reporter. Conducting dozens of interviews with the writer-director, making an extended visit to one of his sets, talking to his collaborators, and charting his artistic development have given me rare access into his creative process. My coverage of the two-time Oscar-winner has also produced a body of work about him unmatched anywhere. With Payne coming off the huge success of The Descendants and his new film Nebraska gaining much interest, I thought the time right to compile all the articles I had written about him over a 15-year period into a book.

My Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film is the first comprehensive treatment of the artist in any medium. The fact that Nebraska’s best-known contribution to cinema is the subject of a book by a fellow Nebraskan is appropriate given that four of Payne’s six feature films have Nebraska settings and that he feels so deeply about this place.

My coverage of Payne is far from done. I plan to be embedded with his next as-of-yet unannounced film. My reporting from the set will inform articles about the production and perhaps a book about the making of the film.

Another longstanding reporting niche I have is documenting the stories of Holocaust survivors and rescuers. I have told these stories for many Omaha publications, particularly the Jewish Press. I continue seeking out and telling these stories and the remarkable individuals behind them.

In June 2015 I traveled to Uganda and Rwanda, Africa on a reporting mission in the company of world boxing champion Terence “Bud” Crawford of Omaha and Pipeline Worldwide. The trip was made possible by the Andy Award grant for international journalism from the International Studies Department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

 

Notables:

My list of notable interview/profile subjects is a long one, and includes many locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally prominent figures from various fields. Among these luminaries are Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer winners, recipients of honorary degrees, humanitarian and lifetime achievement awards, hall of fame inductees, Fortune 500 CEOs, noted entrepreneurs, artists, authors, media professionals, educators, scientists.

 

Related Experience:

Albers Communications Group, Media Liaison, 2006, crafted and pitched press materials for Albers’ client Home Instead Senior Care

iSqFt (Construction Software Technologies), 2004-2005, did construction reporting for online-based firm

UNO Athletic Department, Sports Information Assistant, 1988-1989, wrote press releases, newsletters, et cetera

Joslyn Art Museum, PR Specialist, 1984-1988, wrote press releases, PSAs, newsletters, brochures. Handled media liaison duties. Produced commercials. Organized special events, including a Western film festival and a revival of Douglas Fairbanks Sr.’s The Mark of Zorro with live organ accompaniment.

 

Community Service:

Church of the Resurrection, Publicity/Marketing Chair, lead promotional efforts for the congregation’s annual fish fry, gospel concert and other fundraising events

Holy Name Elementary School, Volunteer, worked with a classroom of 4th grade children on writing exercises during the spring 2013 semester

New Cinema Cooperative, Board Member/Publicist, 1987-1991, programmed and promoted select alternative film program that showcased a program of about two dozen American independent and foreign features each year

UNO Student Programming Organization, Film Consultant/Publicist, 1979-1987, programmed and promoted a large weekly film program that exhibited anywhere from 60 to 100-plus features a year, running the gamut from classic world cinema to contemporary American independent and foreign films, including scores of festivals and thematic series

 

Education:

B.S., Journalism, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1982

 

Recent Awards:

Nebraska Methodist College Honorary Alumnus, 2016

Andy Award, International Studies Program, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2015

Best in Show, Omaha Press Club Excellence in Journalism Competition, 2013

1st Place, Best Feature Story, Omaha Press Club Excellence in Journalism, 2013

3rd Place, Feature Series, Nebraska Press Association, 2008

1st Place, Best Magazine Feature, Omaha Press Club Excellence in Journalism, 2007

2nd Place, Best Magazine Feature, Omaha Press Club Excellence in Journalism, 2006

2nd Place, Excellence in Personality Profiles, American Jewish Press Association, 2004

3rd Place, Single Feature Story, Nebraska Press Association, 2003

1st Place, Single Feature Story, Nebraska Press Association, 2002

Additionally, my work has appeared in several award-winning special editions of various publications.

 

Social Media:
Blog/Website-
leoadambiga.com

Facebook-
https://www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga

LinkedIn-

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leoadambiga

 

Testimonials:

“I’ve long admired Leo Biga’s journalism and prose portraiture for its honesty, thoughtfulness, and accuracy. On a personal note, throughout many years of being interviewed, I find Mr. Biga’s articles about me to be the most complete and perceptive of any journalist’s anywhere. They ring true to me — even in critique — in a way that reveals the depth of his talent in observation, understanding, and expression.” Alexander Payne, filmmaker (Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants, Nebraska)

“Leo Adam Biga portrays his subjects with both precision and generosity, practicing a literary journalism that is enlightening, honest, and immensely readable. His writing is eloquent and provocative, and quite often moving.” Timothy Schaffert, novelist (Phantom Limbs of the Rollow Sisters)

“Leo Adam Biga is an astute, conscientious journalist whose interviews and articles have been widely admired for their accuracy, generosity, depth, and perceptiveness. I would position him among the finest of our national reporters on the arts and culture.” Ron Hansen, novelist (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)

“Leo Biga personifies one of H.L. Mencken’s more memorable observations: ‘There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers.’ Biga consistently teaches and delights, not with showy vocabulary or flashy syntax, but by placing his prodigious talents in the service of his subject and his readers.” Richard Dooling, author (White Man’s Grave and Brain Storm)

“Leo is one of the best prepared and most thorough writers I’ve ever worked with. With painstaking detail he builds well-crafted, well-researched stories that are a pleasure to read. Leo is truly one of the finest wordsmiths around.” John Heaston, Publisher, The Reader, 2312 M St., Omaha, NE 68105

“Leo is a talented writer who handles each assignment with passion, style, and a commitment to quality.” Jeff Reinhardt, Editor, New Horizons, 4223 Center St., Omaha, NE 68105

“Leo is one of those inquisitive writers who knows just what probing questions to ask in order to get a fascinating story. He provides the Jewish Press with a behind-the-scenes look at people doing extraordinary things in their lives.” Carol Katzman, Former Editor, Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154