It's all about story.
"One of the most important moments in my life came when I realized that almost all of the things I really love to do involve one thing:
Telling a story." — Jared Putnam
Jared Putnam is an award-winning writer, editor, photojournalist and graphic designer. He earned his first bachelor's degree in psychology because he wanted to help people take control of the story of their lives. He later spent a decade in journalism telling stories, including more than 10 years as a newspaper sports editor.
Jared later returned to school to pursue new adventures in storytelling and digital communications. He graduated from the University of North Georgia in July 2017 with a B.S. in Film and Digital Media and now tells stories through a variety of media.
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The journalism years.
Jared spent a decade as a sports editor for Northeast Georgia newspapers when the industry was at its peak. Friday nights in the fall were always important because Southerners take their high school football very seriously. Jared also covered numerous state championship games over the years, ranging from basketball and baseball to soccer and lacrosse.
While high school sports were the primary emphasis of the publications that Jared worked for, he also interviewed Atlanta Falcons superstars like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, former NBA MVP Stephen Curry, and NASCAR sensation Chase Elliott.
One of Jared's favorite projects came to life in 2013, when he transformed the top football players in Northeast Georgia into superheroes for the region's High School Football Season Preview. That group included Gainesville High quarterback DeShaun Watson, who went on to win a national title at Clemson, and is now the QB for the NFL's Houston Texans. How many people can save they've made an NFL quarterback put on a cape and pretend to fly around the field for a photo shoot?
Jared's sports sections received dozens of awards for writing, photojournalism and publication excellence over the years. For five straight years, from 2009-13, his sports sections were judged No. 1 in the state among small and mid-sized dailies in the Georgia Press Association's annual Better Newspaper Contest. ​
Travels, a small dog, and the rest.
Jared was born and raised in North Georgia but developed a love of the American West during his travels, especially Arizona (where much of his family lives), Colorado and Oregon. In fact, the background image for this website is a photo that Jared took of Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Ore.
Jared's biggest fan and loyal protector is his dog Gambit, a loving but terribly misguided 8-pound Yorkie Poo who's under the delusion that he's actually a 90-pound Doberman Pinscher. Efforts to convince him otherwise have thus far proved unsuccessful.
When Jared isn't traveling or catering to Gambit's demands and verbal threats, you can often find him watching shows like "This is Us," doing something creative, exercising, or attempting to solve the world's problems.