Daniel R. Verdon
Experience
Daniel R. Verdon
Award-winning editor, author, content strategist and editorial operations leader
Principal, Chief Content Officer
ContentEngage, LLC, Deerfield, IL
October 2023 - present
ContentEngage, LLC, offers a versatile content development service that drives interest and action with multiple forms of digital and print media to help connect your customers/readers with your organization or brand. Focused on supporting editorial, communications, or marketing teams, the firm offers content support by leveraging decades of expertise to create insightful media in a variety of healthcare verticals, including dentistry, primary care, healthcare business, clinical updates, revenue cycle, healthcare IT, veterinary medicine, and more. Services include building comprehensive lead generation campaigns to writing feature or news articles, reports, providing conference coverage support, or consulting on new approaches to deliver mindshare and align to an organization’s mission.
Vice President of Publications, Digital Assests
Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), Westchester, IL
September 2014-June 2018
Titles: hfma.org, hfm, Leadership, HFMA News, Revenue Cycle Strategist, Healthcare Cost Containment, Strategic Financial Planning, Forums
Led a 10-member media team to develop/publish print and digital information products for the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), a 37,000-member healthcare association targeting financial executives, physician leaders, and health plans.
Media titles cover economic trends, business analysis, novel national research, and a wide variety of areas within healthcare—policy, economics, technology, finance, practice management, organizational change, communication, and more. Digital and print media included: hfm (37,000 monthly in print and digital access), Leadership (75,000 digital), subscription-based print newsletters, including Revenue Cycle Strategist, Healthcare Cost Containment, Strategic Financial Planning, daily online news coverage, multiple e-newsletters (varied frequency), and Forums, an online, subscription-based service for professionals.
Maintained revenue and expense budget responsibility for all media products, including the association's website www.hfma.org.
Vice President of Content and Strategy
MJH Life Sciences, Cleveland, OH
March 2019-December 2019
Titles: Medical Economics, Patient Care, Drug Topics, ONCOLOGY/Cancer Network, Managed Healthcare Executive, Psychiatric Times, Urology Times, Contemporary OB/Gyn, Contemporary Pediatrics, Rheumatology Network, Endocrinology Network, Practical Cardiology, Ophthalmology Times, Optometry Times, Dental Products Report, Infection Control Today, and others
Primary responsibility for the operations of an MJH Life Sciences satellite office comprised of 65 staff members to produce 25 digital and print products for U.S. physicians (in a variety of specialties and subspecialties), managed care executives, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, and other clinicians. My team includes 13 direct reports and editorial staff of about 47.
Accomplishments
• Since March 2019, spearheaded strategic review and operational changes to Medical Economics, Drug Topics, Managed Healthcare Executive, and others that resulted in two-fold increases in page views in three months.
• Launched twice-monthly educational sessions for editors to learn more about successful tactics to drive reader engagement including SEO best practices, storytelling techniques, gathering multimedia, and collaboration on core healthcare topics.
Partnered with sales, audience development, marketing, and product management to ideate, manage and launch custom publishing solutions for pharma clients.
• Fostered and cultivated an editorial culture based on teamwork, shared vision, collaboration, communication, innovation, adaptability, and quality.
Director of Custom Content
American Dental Association, Chicago, IL; BroadcastMed, Newtown, PA (remote)*
December 2019-September 2023
Titles: custom programs for ADA News, Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), Dental Practice Success, ADA Vendor Showcase, and Dental Product Learning Centers
Content lead working with small cross-functional team (sales, digital technology) to build and grow custom content program for the ADA’s Publishing Division. The marketing/communications offerings include e-books, white papers, exclusive surveys and executive summary reports, webinars, live event programming, digital and print supplements, and various other multimedia. Lead generation/e-mail marketing hosted in HubSpot. In the first full year, this program realized 41 entirely new revenue-producing projects/campaigns for ADA. Budget responsibility. ADA represents more than 159,000 dentists in the United States.The marketing/communications offerings includes e-books, white papers, exclusive surveys and executive summary reports, webinars, live event programming, digital and print supplements, and various other multimedia. Lead generation/e-mail marketing hosted in HubSpot. In the first full year, this program realized 41 entirely new revenue-producing projects/campaigns for ADA. Budget responsibility. ADA represents more than 159,000 dentists in the United States.
*ADA transitioned much of its publication work to its publishing agent BroadcastMed in June 2023.
Accomplishments:
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Launched educational (and revenue-generating) microsites, e-newsletter campaigns, live event programming (including panel discussions) for ADA member dentists. Major custom content campaigns created for: ACT Professional, LIsterine, Colgate, Glidewell, Patterson Dental, Dandy Labs, and more.
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Realized new revenue to complement traditional advertising.
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Success of lead generation program and e-mail marketing tactics based on engagement metrics.
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Worked collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including corporate marketing leads, advertising agencies, scientists, dentists, consultants, and other industry subject matter experts.
Group Content Director
Advanstar Communications, North Olmsted, Ohio
April 2012-September 2014
Titles: Modernmedicine.com, Medical Economics, Managed Healthcare Executive, FormularyWatch, Healthcare Traveler
Advanced the content strategy and operations for multiple national award-winning healthcare media brands, including Medical Economics, which reached 188,000 in print and nearly 1 million visitors a year online. Medical Economics was the leading U.S. business publication for physicians. In 2014, Medical Economics ranked as Advanstar’s top revenue producer and posted triple-digit gains in web traffic during my tenure.
Products included: daily online coverage, e-newsletters, webinars, co-produced events, mobile app, and biweekly print publication. Managed Healthcare Executive engages with the c-suite of health plans. In 2014, Modernmedicine.com featured content from a portfolio of 11 healthcare publications and delivered more than 1.3 million page views a month. Budget and management responsibility. Staff: 10.
Editor in Chief
Advanstar Communications, North Olmsted, Ohio
June 2004-April 2012
Titles: DVM Newsmagazine, News Channel-dvm360.com, Products360, InFocus, Your DVM Career
Led a national, number one media brand in the veterinary medical market. Duties included managing a content team, 16-20 monthly freelance writers hired to cover news, business/practice management, medicine, and new products. Developed content for dvm360.com and dvm360.com’s iPad app using multiple media platforms including video, audio, photography, and writing. Coordinated market research. Represented the brand to key opinion leaders, company and association executives, marketers, readers, and other stakeholders. Planned special events at CVC meetings in Washington D.C., Kansas City, and San Diego including panel discussions. Maintained editorial budgetary responsibility and strategic planning for related brand products. DVM Newsmagazine’s brand includes its monthly print and digital publication (59,000 U.S. circulation), dvm360.com news channel and print supplements including Products360, Calendar, InFocus (2004-2010), and Your DVM Career (2004-2010). dvm360.com is a web portal featuring content produced by multiple Advanstar veterinary titles DVM Newsmagazine, Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Economics, Firstline, and CVC continuing education events.
Executive Editor
Advanstar Communications, North Olmsted, Ohio
June 2000-June 2004
Titles: DVM Newsmagazine, dvmnewsmagazine.com, Products360, InFocus, Your DVM Career
Advanced the content strategy and operations for multiple national award-winning healthcare media brands, including Medical Economics, which reached 188,000 in print and nearly 1 million visitors a year online. Medical Economics was the leading U.S. business publication for physicians. In 2014, Medical Economics ranked as Advanstar’s top revenue producer and posted triple-digit gains in web traffic during my tenure.
Supervised two associate editors and designer, planning editorial content, coordinating print production with Duluth, Minn.-based production manager, acquiring freelancers, writing and editing material for digital and print media; acted as liaison with key opinion leaders representing veterinary associations, veterinary medical schools, and pharmaceutical companies. Reported to Group Editor/Editor in Chief.
Note: A complete CV/work history can be forwarded upon request.
More Experience
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Journalism, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
2008 McAllister Editorial Fellow at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism (Awarded to one journalist in the United States each year to advance studies of business-to-business journalism)
Organizations
Association of Health Care Journalists (member)
Society for Health Communication (member)
Learning
ChatGPT Masterclass, 2023
AI: Advanced Prompt Engineering Technique, 2024, LinkedIn
Email Marketing: HubSpot
CMS: Sitecore, Umbraco
Agile/Trello
Adobe: InDesign/InCopy