Content That Works
Content That Works is dedicated to helping local media and local businesses thrive by creating high-quality editorial products that attract readers and exceed advertisers’ expectations.
Paul Camp, Chief Evangelistic Officer
I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois where my backyard abutted a field planted with a rotation of corn, wheat and soybeans. Dad was a postman. Mom worked as a reporter for the local weekly and later for the “big” daily in the neighboring town. She told me I could be anything I wanted to be — as long as I didn’t go into publishing. “The hours are too long and the pay is too short,” she always said. Parents beware what you tell your children. Six months into my freshman year at Washington University in St. Louis I became managing editor of the school literary magazine. I was hooked. Of course, Mom was right: The hours are way too long, and the pay, well, the pay was nonexistent. After graduation I worked in nearly every capacity in publishing save for actually running a press. I started a community newspaper and owned a weekly, edited a city magazine and toiled in various capacities for two business magazine publishers. My articles have appeared in various newspapers and national magazines. I was restaurant critic for the Chicago Tribune and later became the paper’s features editor. I established the syndication business for Thomson Newspapers, which led to the creation of Content That Works. At every stop local media heroes have touched and influenced my life. I stand in awe of and have more than once been prodded by the great journalists and dedicated sales people who make local news possible. At a time when journalism is threatened on all sides, I continue to believe that strong newspapers and other local media make for strong communities and that strong communities are the foundation upon which this great nation is built.
I am privileged to be a part of this industry, to work with the hugely talented group of people who are CTW and to have a company dedicated to supporting local media heroes everywhere whenever they need a helping hand.
Mary Connors
Mary is the editorial director and one of the founding partners at Content That Works. Her journalism credits include editing and reporting for publications as diverse as Fortune, The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, Parents and MSN.com, in addition to helping create, launch or reposition dozens of publications. She served as executive editor for Selling magazine of Adweek Midwest and editor of the fan magazine for the Lansing Lugnuts Class A minor league baseball team.
Newspapers have been her weakness dating back to her first job, as copygirl for the spectacularly short-lived New York tabloid, The Trib. Her first byline appeared April 5, 1978, in The Trib's final issue. Mary earned her bachelor's degree in English from Mount Holyoke College.
Dan Dalton
Dan is the executive vice president of sales at Content That Works, where he leads and develops strategy for the sales team.
Prior to joining CTW, Dan was a 16-year veteran of Universal Press Syndicate, where he was stationed in The Netherlands, serving European papers as the syndicate's international sales director; he also served as national sales manager at Universal Press and as a content consultant to uclick, the syndicate's online division. Dan got his start in syndication as a sales rep for United Press International.
A Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, Dan is originally from Skokie, Ill., where he grew up delivering the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago's American and Chicago Daily News. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Dan lives in Redlands, Calif., where the average temperature of 79 degrees compels him to work from his patio.
Bob Gifford
Bob is a sales manager at Content That Works. Prior to joining CTW, Bob founded Out of the West, the specialty store that pioneered the look of the American West in denim, apparel and jewelry for young Chicagoans. Bob held top management positions for the Bonwit Teller and I. Magnin retail chains.
A Nebraska native, Bob earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska. He served in the U.S. Army as a staff officer, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea.
Lance F. Gilchrist
Lance is the technology operations manager at Content That Works. Prior to joining CTW, Lance worked as a freelance Web developer and spent 12 years in the music retail business.
A native of Salina, Kan., Lance earned bachelor's degrees in Interactive Media from the Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago and Communications/Public Relations from Fort Hays State University. He spends his spare time writing and performing music with the band Joe's Pet Project.
Matthew M.F. Miller
Matthew is the creative web director at Content That Works. Prior to joining CTW, he was the managing editor of Southern California Tennis and Golf magazine and an editorial consultant for LA.com, a division of the Los Angeles News Group.
A native of Peru, Iowa, Matthew earned his master's degree in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and his bachelor's degree in Film and Media Studies from the University of Iowa.
Timothy R. Schulte
Tim is an editor at Content That Works. Prior to joining CTW, he interned with the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund at the Houston Chronicle.
A native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he grew up delivering The Messenger, Tim earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Creighton University.
Bettina Chang
Bettina is an editor at Content That Works. Prior to joining CTW, she wrote and edited at trade magazines for CFE Media and MediaTec Publishing. She worked briefly as a reporter for The Star newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A native of the Chicagoland area, Bettina earned her bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism and psychology at Northwestern University.
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