William Helms - Journalist Profile | Connect with top journalists

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Biography

I’m a Corona, Queens, NYC-born and-based African American music journalist, freelance writer, editor, photographer, and founder of the D.I.Y., independent music and photography site, The Joy of Violent Movement. Over the course of the past two decades, my writing and photography has been published in Downbeat, Premier Guitar (photography), Consequence, The Inventory, Glide Magazine.com (words and photography), Publisher’s Weekly, Sheckys.com, Shecky’s Bar and Nightlife Guide, New York Press, Ins&Outs Magazine (photography and writing), Dish Du Jour Magazine, Aussie music publication Musicology.xyz (photography) and countless others, including his own site. With The Joy of Violent Movement, I specialize in covering music with an eclectic, globe-trotting and genre-defying perspective that’s deeply inspired and informed by my birthplace and home, arguably one of the most diverse places in the world. Since its founding back in 2010, The Joy of Violent Movement can claim readers across the US, Canada, the UK, The Netherlands, France, Australia, and several other countries throughout its history. As a result of my interests and the site’s reach, I’ve developed professional relationships with publicists, public relations companies, labels, bands, artists, band managers, writers, and photographers locally, nationally, and internationally. Throughout my career, whether as a freelance journalist or with The Joy of Violent Movement, I’ve told the stories of emerging and independent artists across a diverse and eclectic array of genres and styles – and from across the globe. I’ve prided myself on covering interviewing and/or photographing an increasing number of artists, who have achieved critical acclaim or differing levels of commercial success here in the States or internationally, including Grammy-nominated artists like Black Pumas (USA) and Yola (USA), Grammy Award winning artists like Brandi Carlile, Nile Rodgers and Chic and more. I’ve also interviewed artists like Homeboy Sandman (USA), Anna Rose (USA), Rene Lopez (USA), Corridor (Canada), Le Couleur’s Steeven Chouianrd (Canada), Seoul (Canada), Moonbabies’ Ola Frick (Sweden), Donna Blue (The Netherlands), Fufanu (Iceland), MANE (Australia), Nat Vazer and countless others. Concurrently, I spent a little under 15 years working in the editorial departments of three New York-based book publishing houses across both trade and academic publishing – Hippocrene Books, Inc., AMACOM Books, Inc. (now known as HarperCollins Leadership) and Springer Nature as an Editorial Assistant and Acquisitions Editor. As an Acquisitions Editor at AMACOM Books, I commissioned and edited trade titles in several business and business-related subjects, working with authors form ideation to proposal, to manuscript and final book, editing their work, guiding them through the entire publication process, and serving as the point person throughout the entire process. While at AMACOM, several of my books received positive attention from the press including Kimberly Palmer's The Economy of You, Ted Coiné and Mark Babbitt's A World Gone Social and Jason Wingard's Learning to Succeed. As an Acquisitions Editor at Springer Nature, I commissioned academic titles and managed the Cancer Research portfolio for North America. While at Springer Nature, I worked with authors from ideation to proposal, to manuscript to final book, guiding and assisting them throughout the process as the book project’s point person. All my work in book publishing heavily dependent on managing relationships, keeping projects on time and on budget as much as humanly possible – and assisting in the marketing and promotion of the project.

Content

Total articles 321

• Available on paid plans

  Photos and some thoughts from last Saturday's Hands Off NYC march.

  By William Helms

  Apr. 07, 2025

• Available on paid plans

  Heaven shares rousingly anthemic "Dream Aloud."

  By William Helms

  Apr. 04, 2025

• Available on paid plans

  William Ruben Helms

  By William Helms

  Mar. 31, 2025

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Company Info

Freelance

Freelancer.com is the largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace in the world, connecting over 81 million employers and freelancers across more than 247 countries. Founded in 2009 and based in Sydney, Australia, the platform allows employers to post jobs while freelancers can bid on these projects. It is publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN. The platform supports a variety of work categories, including software development, writing, design, and marketing. Freelancer.com also offers contests for creative work, where employers can award prize money to winning entries. Users can choose from different membership plans, including free and paid subscriptions, which provide various benefits. The mobile app enhances project management and communication for users on the go. With a diverse customer base that includes individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises, Freelancer.com plays a significant role in the global online economy.