Nicholas
Vercilla
Newspaper reporter
About Me
Hello. My name is Nicholas Vercilla. I am a dedicated and experienced journalist with a passion for writing and telling stories to the public at large. I grew up in New Castle, Pa., where from a young age, I expressed a passion and interest in writing. As I ended high school, I realized my passion was to write and tell stories through reporting on the news, and I decided to become a journalist after graudation.
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Throughout my career, I have written stories on a variety of topics. These include writing stories localizing international, federal, or state-related stories, writing general news stories every day for publication, feature and long-form type stories, coverage of municipal and county government, court-related matters such as trials, emergency situations or "spot news," and coverage of different sporting events, such as high school football.
I am willing and able to write about any subject, but have an interest in three major areas. I love to write about crimes and the criminal justice process, from preliminary hearing to trial. I love to write about sporting events and features on different individuals. I also love to write about different forms of entertainment, such as movies, video games, and TV shows.
Work Experience
June 2021- August 2022
Beaver County Times/Ellwood City Ledger -- reporter
I worked for both the Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger as a general assignment reporter, with a concentration in local government reporting, as well as feature stories, topical and breaking news stories, crime stories, and occasional sports coverage when short-staffed.
May 2017- June 2021
Leader Times -- reporter
I have been a reporter for the Leader Times newspaper in Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pa. In this role, I have served as a general assignment reporter, a reporter for the local municipalities and county government, responded to emergency situations and accidents, and had experience covering high school football games when short-staffed.
October 2014-June 2020
Geek Volcano -- freelance writer
I worked at the entertainment website known as Geek Volcano as a freelance writer. During my tenure, I have wrote exclusively about all matters related to Star Wars, such as reviewing episodes and full seasons of the TV shows, written in-depth reviews of the new movies and video games, as well as write feature story or list-based articles on the franchise.
May 2016-August 2016
New Castle News -- freelance reporter
I worked as a freelance reporter for the New Castle News in New Castle, Pa. I worked every weekend to cover a local event or celebration during the summer for a feature story.
Education
2016/Bachelor of Arts -- Journalism and minor in broadcasting
Point Park University -- Pittsburgh, Pa.
I attended Point Park University from August 2013 to December 2016, where I graduated magna cum laude and through the school's honors program. During my education, I received lessons in the field from former and current journalism professors and adjuncts. I was also involved in creating different student-based news projects and articles, participate in the student-run television broadcast studio U-View, run a freelance show on the student-run radio station WPPJ, as well as write stories for both university student newspapers: The Globe and Point Park News Service.
2013/High School Diploma
New Castle Junior-Senior High School
I graduated from New Castle Junior-Senior High School, in New Castle, Pa., in June 2013 within the top ten percent of my graduating class, and through the National Honors Society. During my tenure, I spent a year in the journalism class, as well as a year in the school's video production class.
