Professional communicator with a kaleidoscope career as a digital media strategist, journalist, commentator, social media enthusiast, speaker, advocate for girls and women, American with an Aussie connection, New Yorker and Hudson Valley resident.
Currently, Editor-in-Chief of Howdini.com and VP of Content at its parent, Touchstorm LLC. (more details here) She is featured in the 2012 book The Seven Pearls of Financial Wisdom, as an expert in work-life-finance. Her personal passions focus on the empowerment and advancement of women and girls, childhood cancer awareness, and fairness and honesty in media. She is a guest blogger at The_Broad_Side.com and a sought-after speaker on digital and social media as well as women in business and the work-life conundrum.
More about the work-side of life:
With a career currently centered on digital media, Helen is an executive with a team of innovators at Touchstorm, LLC where the main focus is changing the way non-fiction video is distributed across the online sphere via web and mobile channels. As Editor-in-Chief of its informational web portal–howdini–she is charged with growing an audience of passionate information seekers being served by a deep video library and robust engagement.
Most recently, Helen was Director of Digital Media of Working Mother Media, a division of Bonnier Corporation. From March 2009-Feb. 2012, she held responsibility for overseeing the growth of Working Mother online properties including Diversity Best Practices online (diversitybestpractices.com) and the National Association for Female Executives digital programs (nafe.com). She was the Editor of the flagship, workingmother.com and charged with the business growth of all sites and digital extensions.
With four children at home, Helen has proven an engaged journalist writing about work-life and how it effects American households, family life, and the advancement of women. She launched and spearheaded workingmother.com’s signature series: Most Powerful Moms and Special Report: Kids with Cancer. Her interviews with high-profiled women included actress Emma Thompson and writer Lee Woodward. Her blog: Working Mom’s Daily Bread is archived at workingmother.com
While at Working Mother, Helen appeared on PBS’ To the Contrary, NPR, Good Morning America and local New York news, quoted in many publications and was a speaker/host at conferences and events.
Prior to Working Mother Media, she was Senior Editor and Executive Producer of the award-winning Forbes.com Video Network, responsible for editorial oversight and the technical team creating daily news and feature production, from studios in New York and Silicon Valley. In 2 years, her team of video professionals and journalists created close to 5,000 videos. The team created market updates, breaking news interviews and discussion with journalists and business leaders and featured many of the world disruptive thinkers. Helen is as comfortable running the business of production as well as in front of the camera with premier guests.
For a career resume: click on LinkedIn
In addition to interviewing the movers and shakers in the financial world, Helen hosted a weekly segment on life-work issues, called “Forbes.com Balancing Act.” Among her interviews: Britain’s “First Lady” Cherie Blair, celebrity cook Paula Deen, designer Sigrid Olsen, and Accenture CFO Pamela J. Craig, along with feature interviews with Michael J. Fox, Intel’s Andy Grove, other corporate CEOs and women leaders. (see video clips page)
As a member of the Forbes senior editorial team, Helen was involved in shaping the focus of content. Steve Forbes introduced her as “our video guru.”
Prior to Forbes, Helen was an award-winning television journalist working most of her years in New York with stints in New England and Australia – behind the scenes and on-camera. She was most familiar on the air in New York City as a reporter for Fox 5 and WPIX 11; and has been on radio and TV nationally and internationally; and is the voice of many television and video projects.
Helen has also been a media consultant for corporations, non-profits, public relations and marketing firms.
She appears at conferences and events as host and moderator with focus on digital media, journalism, life-work balance, women’s leadership, and communications tools for women, always with a little humor thrown in.
She is involved with Girl Scouts in the New York area, and volunteers with many of her children’s activities. Helen has been published in a variety of media and is the author of several books related to Australia and the English language. (See Books & Bylines)
Helen is a Fordham graduate with a BA in communications/journalism. Tweet her @Helen_Jonsen
Hello, do not know if you remember me, but you helped me with my enunciation of words while I was at Fordham many years ago (1990-91). I was just telling someone about it and it occurred to me to look you up. Just wanted to say thanks.
It was a pleasure to work with students from WFUV. Good communications is so important.