Dennis S. Dawson

 
Experience
 
January 2001 - Digital Turbulence, San Jose, CA
 Present Writer/Creative Consultant
 
 Script segments and create storyboards for video projects,
 particularly educational programming for children. Digital
 Turbulence won a local Emmy in 2003 for segments produced
 for the Tech Now! television show.
 
November 1992 - Metropolis Software, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
 April 1996 Training and Technical Documentation
 
  Developed user manuals, tutorials, live training guides 
 and on-line help for customizable opportunity management
 software (Macintosh & Windows 95). Developed web
 pages and .gif animations for website used in demonstra-
 tions of our Internet interface. Consolidated technical
 notes into detailed software designs. Ongoing projects
 included developing in-house technical documentation
 explaining operation and maintenance of our core distri-
 bution engine technology. Also provided in-house
 training and support for word processing, spreadsheet
  and graphics software.
 
April 1991 - ComputerWare, Palo Alto, CA
 November 1992 Training
 
 Developed and delivered small group training for a
 wide range of Macintosh application packages,
 including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
 Aldus Freehand, PageMaker and Persuasion; Claris
 FileMaker; Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; and 
  introductory and advanced Macintosh skills. Developed
 and maintained a scheduling and client tracking
 database using ACIUS 4th Dimension.
 
March 1989 - Ernst & Young (was Arthur Young & Co.), New York, NY
 March 1991 Manager, Training and User Support, National
 Technology Department
 
 Prepared computer-based training products and written 
 user manuals for internally developed and third-party
 software. Coordinated training and user support for
 120 offices nationwide in Windows 3.0 and Macintosh
 environments. Managed three people in high-volume
 telephone support function. Created templates and
 small applications for use across the firm.
 
April 1984 - Arthur Young & Company, San Jose, CA
 March 1989 Micro Systems Specialist (May 1985 - March 1989)
 
 Provided training and user support for 250 Macintosh 
 users in a networked environment. Taught and assisted
 20 offices with migration from PC and dedicated
  word processing environments to the Macintosh computer
 platform. Designed layout and creation process for
 complex financial statement formats. Created
 HyperCard desktop presentations (before the term
 desktop presentation was coined). Coordinated
 information exchange via newsletters and disk
 distributions between Arthur Young offices within 
  the western region.
 
December 1983 - Wollberg-Michelson Temporary Services, San Francisco, CA
 April, 1984 Clerical duties
 
 Clerk/typist in Bank of America's Bonds and Dividends
 office, typing checks and reviewing computer printouts
 for accuracy.
 
January 1981- Coordinators' Sightseeing Tours, Long Beach, CA
 December 1983 Tour Guide/Driver
 
 Provided transportation and running commentary to tourists
 visiting points of interest in Southern California and
 Tijuana, Mexico, including Universal Studios, the Queen
 Mary, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and shopping areas in 
 Tijuana. Responsible for escorting international guests 
 into and out of Mexico safely. This experience was extremely 
  valuable in my later career, as I learned to responsibly 
 handle large groups of people, while still ensuring that all 
 had a good time.
 
December 1977 - Disneyland, Anaheim, CA 
 December 1980 Parades and Special Events
 
 Performer in a variety of parades, shows and character events
 including the Very Merry Christmas Parade, the Main Street 
 Electrical Parade, Easter Parade, Tournament of Roses Parade,
 Riverboat shows and spot entertainment within the park. 
 Performed as a dancer, clown and costumed characters (yes,
 including an elephant's hindquarters). This was a great job.
 
February 1979 -  Poppy's Star Restaurant, Newport Beach, CA
 July 1980 Singing Waiter
 
 Waited tables and performed for guests, singing novelty songs
 while playing the ukulele. Twisted balloon animals and hosted 
  special parties. Fun and good tips.
 
January 1978 - Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, Orange, CA
 February 1979 Waiter/Entertainer
 
 Waited tables and performed for guests. One of my songs even
 made it into the official national songbook.
 
November 1977 - Kelly Services, Orange and Los Angeles, CA
 January 1981 Light Industrial and clerical duties
 
 Performed temporary jobs lasting from four hours to six 
 months. Received Excellent evaluations from all assignments. I 
 value my temporary service experience because it taught me
 about the various personalities one encounters in all types of
 jobs and how to work with them effectively.
 
February 1976 - Marriott's Great America, Santa Clara, CA
 October 1977 Entertainer
 
 Performed in the Snowshow Saloon Review, and in a medicine
 show as Dr. Woodworth T. Featherflower. Also "meet & greet"
 host, twisting balloon sculptures. My first real job.
 
December 1976 - Carl's Junior Restaurant, Santa Clara, CA
 April 1977 Burger flipper
 
 Flipped burgers. Everyone should have to work in a fast-food
 restaurant at least once in their lives to see what it's like 
 on the other side of the counter.
 
Education
 
January 1979 - Fullerton Community College, Fullerton, CA
 June, 1981 AA, Liberal Arts
 Campus Man of Distinction Award
 Conrad Lang Scholarship recipient
 Lena & Faye Reynolds Scholarship recipient
 
January 1977 - DeAnza Community College, Cupertino, CA
 June 1977 Theatre Arts Major
 
September 1972 - Cupertino High School, Cupertino, CA
 June 1976 State finalist, Speech & Debate
 Senior Participation Award

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Dennis Dawson

epistomolus@hotmail.com

Updated October 2007