CHAD J. MCNEELEY

Photojournalist | Producer | Filmmaker | Cinematographer | Editor

Baltimore, MD • 240‑328‑0059 • chadmcneeley@gmail.com • www.chadmcneeley.com • LinkedIn

skills

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Photoshop, Lightroom, Media Encoder, DaVinci Resolve, InDesign, Microsoft Office Suite, Studio and on-location audio and Lighting, Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems.

professional experience and contributions

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA August 2024 - April 2025

Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

· Led strategy, planning, and day-to-day execution for DoD cross-platform video, including YouTube, shaping editorial direction for national audiences.

· Directed visual storytelling products to support DoD policy agenda with documentary still photography and video, POV reporting pieces, motion graphics and animations. Responsible for ensuring accuracy, clarity, and journalistic integrity on all visual products.

· Managed production teams, workflows, and multi-platform distribution systems to ensure consistent, high-quality weekly content.

· Evaluated emerging social media tools and platform trends to optimize performance and reach. Grew followers on all social platforms quarter over quarter for four years.

SENIOR MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST April 2021 - August 2024

Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

• Principal visual communications specialist to the Secretary of Defense.

• Chief photographer, cinematographer, consultant and expert advisor responsible for creating and overseeing all digital video and still photography productions.

· Spearheaded global visual communications, producing, directing, and editing high-impact photography and video content distributed worldwide.

· Supervised a team of ten content creators, photographers, videographers and graphic designers in creative development, scripting, field production, and post-production, guided teams through complex workflows and tight deadlines.

· Translated hundreds of intricate policy reports into accessible, engaging narrative formats across digital video platforms.

education

Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography (B.S.) • Full Sail University, Winter Park, FL

February 2026

· Graduated with a 3.98 GPA

Military Photojournalism Program• Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse, N.Y.

June 2002

· Hand-picked as one of six within the DoD to attend the Advanced Military Photojournalism Program, a rigorous 30-credit hour curriculum over a 10-month semester with graduate-level courses in photojournalism, news writing, communications, studio lighting and photography, ethics, and graphic and magazine design.