Zach Wise

Visual Storyteller / Developer

Award winning designer, developer, photojournalist and Associate Professor in The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Available for Work

Available for design, development and editorial work as well as speaking engagements.

Contact Zach

Bio


Zach Wise is an Emmy Award winning interactive producer and Associate Professor in The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

His innovative work and vision began at Ohio University when he was a Visiting Professor in the School of Visual Communication. There he founded the School's first annual digital initiative, Soul of Athens. The project won awards from POYi and NPPA's Best of Photojournalism and went on to be the School's annual online publication.

In 2007, Wise signed on to be the Senior Multimedia Producer for the Las Vegas Sun. He helped with the launch of its new website and created the site's first multimedia pieces.

His other work at the Sun was recognized by the National Headliner Awards, Online News Association, Webby Awards, NPPA Best of Photojournalism, and more notably, the Pulitzer Prize, where his video and interactive regarding the Construction Deaths on the Strip, contributed to The Sun's first win.

In 2008, Wise joined The New York Times’ Multimedia team. His work there has garnered a Peabody, several Emmy nominations, an Emmy award, and numerous other industry honors.

A native of Athens, Ohio, Wise received his Masters Degree in Photojournalism from Ohio University in 2006. Every year, he travels nationally and internationally for speaking engagements, workshops, and competitions on the subject of multimedia and interactive storytelling.

Projects


Scene VRKnight Lab

SceneVR is an engaging way to tell stories from an entirely new perspective. It turns your collection of panoramic and VR-ready photos into a slideshow of navigable scenes, allowing you to create unique 360° narratives.

StoryMap JSKnight Lab

StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events and it has a friendly authoring tool.

Timeline JSKnight Lab

TimelineJS is an open-source tool that enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines. It has been used by more than 250,000 people to tell stories seen by hundreds of millions. It also available in more than 60 languages.

Blueprints for the MideastThe New York Times

Two cities on the Persian Gulf, Doha and Abu Dhabi are the settings for vast construction projects, including major new museums designed by some of the world's most celebrated architects.

Character BuildingThe New York Times

Tony-nominated actors perform scenes from their shows out of costume but in character.

Construction Deaths on the StripLas Vegas Sun

In the shadows of the cranes, steel, and concrete upon which Las Vegas has pinned its addiction to growth, a body count has emerged.

2 Awards
Pulitzer Prize
2009 Public Service
National Journalism Awards
2009 1st Public Service Reporting

A Moment in TimeThe New York Times

Earth, covered by stacks of thousands of virtual photographs, corresponding in location to where they were taken by Lens readers at one “Moment in Time” (15:00 U.T.C., Sunday, May 2).

A Valentine Sampler of Radio StoriesThis American Life

Landing page for This American Life in conjunction with Google's doodle for Valentine's Day.

Thirst in the MojaveLas Vegas Sun

Southern Nevada water managers say they can no longer rely on the river so heavily, and must construct a massive pipeline to draw water stored underground for centuries in rural Nevada to Las Vegas.

4 Awards
Online News Association
Best Multimedia Feature Presentation
Associated Press Media Editors
2009 1st Journalism Excellence Online Convergence
Best of Photojournalism
2009 1st Best Use of Multimedia
Best of Photojournalism
2009 1st News or Feature Multimedia Package

LENSThe New York Times

Lens is the photojournalism blog of The New York Times, presenting the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting — photographs, videos and slide shows. A showcase for Times photographers, it also seeks to highlight the best work of other newspapers, magazines and news and picture agencies; in print, in books, in galleries, in museums and on the Web.

Local News InitiativeKnight Lab

With local journalism in crisis, Northwestern University has assembled a team of experts in digital innovation, audience understanding and business strategy. The goal: reinvent the relationship between news organizations and audiences to elevate enterprises that empower citizens.

OrangelineKnight Lab

Orangeline is a style guide and design framework to build and publish in the Knight Lab.

Documentary Film


A Financial House Advantage The New York Times

An animated explanation of how banks use securities lending to make a profit, while their customers cover the losses.

Probing the Parliament of Neurons The New York Times

Clay Reid and colleagues are going deep into the mouse brain to decipher the conversations and decisions of neurons.

Mapping the Highways of the Brain The New York Times

Deanna Barch and her colleagues are trying to map connections in the human brain. The study is part of the...

Shaking It to New Orleans Bounce The New York Times Magazine

Bounce is a raunchy, local hip-hop style that developed in the 1990s but is only now escaping its hometown with...

Eli “Paperboy” Reed The New York Times Magazine

The singer-guitarist performs the title track from his new album.

Chasing a Police Scanner The New York Times

Reporter Corey Kilgannon, Marcus Yam and myself chased calls over a police scanner for around 16hrs straight. What we found...

The Burning Man Experience Las Vegas Sun

2007’s festival featured approx. 47,000 people from Las Vegas, the U.S. and the world, who all traveled to an ancient...

BT.com Facebook Industrial Facebook

AT&T Facebook Industrial Facebook

Fueling Mexico's Drug Trade The New York Times

This series examines the impact of Mexican drug cartels on both sides of the border.

Road Trip: Asti Hernandez Yahoo! News

LAS VEGAS — This city has seen more political commercials than anywhere else in 2012, more than anywhere else in...

The Flight of the Fly The New York Times

Michael Dickinson has spent his career studying how flies fly and researchers in his lab have invented new devices to...

Backstage at the First Fashion Week Show The New York Times

Experience the frenzy and interconnectivity of backstage at the first show at Lincoln Center during New York Fashion Week.

Wreckless Willie Las Vegas Sun

Willie Chapman has 10 children in 3 states and he’s 40 years old. Professional boxing matches are still his main...