Cowboy State Daily is happy to announce two new members of our ever-expanding newsroom.
Justin George and Reilly Strand have both joined our team and are making immediate impacts.
Justin has been named our News Editor. In that role, he will focus on quality of Cowboy State Daily’s journalism including story assignment, story development, reporter development, long-term projects, as well as assisting Managing Editor Greg Johnson in the daily editing of stories.
Justin is a Colorado native who grew up in Littleton, Colo., and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
In his 25-year career, he has worked for several news organizations, including the Boulder Daily Camera and Tampa Bay Times.
He last worked for the Washington Post as a beat reporter covering national transit and transportation issues.
Before that, he covered criminal justice for seven years at the Marshall Project and the Baltimore Sun. In 2015, George embedded with the Baltimore Police Department during the internal investigation of the death of Freddie Gray.
His coverage contributed to the Baltimore Sun being named a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist.
After working for 24 years on the East Coast, he is back in the West, learning how to be an outdoorsman again.
Reilly Strand has been named Cowboy State Daily’s chief videographer.
You’ve already seen his work in the Little Siberia project and the Wyoming State Pumpkin Growing contest. Behind the scenes, he works on the daily editing of the Cowboy State Daily video news.
Originally from Wisconsin, Reilly spent seven years as a merchant marine, working on everything from super yachts to submersible motherships and research vessels.
During that time, he collaborated with the Discovery Channel on several offshore expeditions.
Reilly transitioned to camera work in Odessa, Texas, where he worked for the local CBS affiliate as chief photographer.
There, he led special projects and traveled for various assignments, covering everything from human interest stories to oilfield investigations.
Now based in Cheyenne, Reilly is excited to tell the stories of the Cowboy State through his lens. If you have a story that needs telling, feel free to reach out at reilly@cowboystatedaily.com.
Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
