Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

Marketing & Social Media Director

Madison, Wisconsin

Aside from coffee, writing has always been my passion. Since I won my first award from my peers in the fifth grade, I've been determined to put words on a page that will engage, inspire and motivate the reader. I love people, I love their stories, and I love sharing those stories with the world. Now I've evolved from a page to a screen as a social media professional and content creator, still doing what I love in a modern, digital format.

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

Marketing & Social Media Director

Madison, Wisconsin

Featured
New Atlanta Shop Finca to Filter Pursues Equity and Inclusion from Seed to Cup
Inside a tight 8-by-8-foot coffee shop space in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood hang two large flags — a rainbow pride flag and a Black Lives Matter flag — that firmly signal the little shop’s big ambitions toward inclusion and equity. The shop is called Finca to Filter and it was recently opened by Kayla Bellman, a queer woman leading a small but diverse staff of five.
Featured
Bikes, coffee and Beastie Boys
Black Saddle Bike Shop, Madison’s newest bike shop, opened in February at 601 N. Sherman Ave. Just about a month later, the state started shutting down businesses and ordering people to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily for owner Mitch Pilon, bicycle shops are deemed an essential business in the Wisconsin Essential Business Declaration and can remain open for sales and repairs.
Featured
The final step
Sandra Jones (who requested that we not use her real name) had a double mastectomy and double breast reconstruction at UW Health University Hospital after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Now three years cancer-free, she’s ready for the final step — areola pigmentation, a tattoo designed to recreate or enhance the color and shape of the areola and nipple.
Featured
Inking outside the lines
A neighborhood doesn’t seem complete without a coffee shop, a brewery and, lately, a tattoo shop — or at least that’s how it feels sometimes in Madison. The number of tattoo shops has been growing steadily in the area in recent years. According to Public Health Madison and Dane County, Dane County had 31 licensed tattoo shops in 2010 (these include permanent make-up facilities).
Featured
Pushing the limits
It’s tough to overstate Frank Stella’s impact on the art world. The celebrated artist was at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art on Feb. 5 to open his first retrospective since 1982.
Isthmus
Madison Gets Inked: Tattoo Shops That Make Madison Buzz
Thought I would drop a line. The simple sentence, in my grandfathers handwriting, is tattooed on my left forearm in black ink. Its from a letter he wrote in 1945 while at sea serving for the United States Navy. The sentence is placed next to the stamp used on the envelope for the letter. There are plenty of reasons why someone gets a tattoosad, funny, beautiful reasons, such as remembering your grandfather.
Local Flare and Individual Attitude Puts the "Zip" in Zip-Dang
You know it: that local boutique or shop you can enter and feel like every item was ordered specifically for you. Its quirky. Its different. Its full of character and a creative energy that seems to remind you to express yourself. Its the kind of space Zip-Dang owners Natalie and Mike Bass set out to create on Monroe Street, and they did it without really creating a plan to do so.
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Celebrates 20 Years of Getting Wisconsin Outside
Lace up your shoes and feel the crisp breeze at your back. Summer may be coming to an end, but your outdoor adventures dont have to. Its time to explore Wisconsins many fine state parks. Friends of Wisconsin State Parks (FWSP), headquartered at 101 S. Webster Street in Madison, is the nonprofit to thank for keeping our parks in such fine condition.
Meet the Madison Mounted Horse Patrol
Madison is unique in many ways: its isthmus, its Badger fans, and its pride in supporting local businesses, just to name a few. Add to this list the Madison Mounted Horse Patrol. Many might not know Madison has one, but since 2008, five dutiful steeds have been supported through the nonprofit Friends of Madison Mounted Horse Patrol.
Not so freewheeling
Masks and no-contact are the policy at Revolution Cycles, owned by Jeff Fitzgerald, left. Madison has always had a strong biking community. But throw in a pandemic and more people are turning to biking for transportation, exercise and a way to be outside while maintaining social distance. According to a national survey by Trek Bicycle Corporation, 85% of Americans see cycling as safer than taking public transportation while social distancing.
It’s a vodka and a hand sanitizer
Yahara Bay employees bottle and label Just Vodka 140 proof vodka at the Fitchburg distillery on Wednesday. Fitchburg’s Yahara Bay Distillery has made a sudden change in its business in light of the scarcity of hand sanitizer during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Hand sanitizers are made mostly of alcohol.
“Fashion” forward
You may have heard about the sustainable clothing movement — it calls for consumers to use pieces longer (more mending); buy used items; refrain from purchasing clothes made of raw materials that are bad for the environment; and avoid “fast fashion.”. Invest in well-made classics instead, say proponents of “slow clothing,” some of whom avoid the use of the word “fashion” altogether.
Adaptive reuse
Founder Sasha Stone: “I wanted to find things that people can actually use.” Ready for a beeswax wrap? Nope, it’s not the latest in wrinkle-eliminating facials. It’s a substitute for common kitchen plastic wrap. But it’s not plastic. There are a host of alternative kitchen and bathroom supplies that people can re-use instead of toss, or that come in sustainable (or no) packaging.
Tokeativity blows into Madison
“The hemp industry is male-dominated, and so is the cannabis industry in legal states,” says Samantha Montanaro. Many women work in the industry, but “they aren’t owners. They aren’t the ones with the money.”. Montanaro, a Wisconsin native, is co-founder of a group called Tokeativity, which terms itself “a global cannabis community for women.”.
The canvas is waiting
With nearly 100 life-size Bucky Badgers ready to be painted and paraded around Madison, we know Dane County has the means to support public art. And we know the community interest is there, because every time a new mural goes up on Willy Street, photos flood Instagram. But most of us agree that when it comes to public art, Madison should step up its game.
All too real
David Gold slams his hands on the table as he rises from his chair, demanding his parents answer his question. David needs to know the fate of his kind. Walter Gold looks his openly gay son in the eyes and responds: “You’re diseased, and you need a cure.”. The audience gasps. The moment is enough to make your eyes fill with water.

About

Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek

AP Style

Photography

Newsletter Production

Sales

Adobe InDesign

Copy Editing

Journalism

Editorial Writing

Storytelling

Copywriting

WordPress

News Writing

Microsoft Office

Adobe Creative Suite

Mailchimp

Constant Contact

Media Relations

Public Speaking

Live Videos

Live Interviews

Strategic Communications

Managing Budgets

Project Management

Content Creation

Problem Solving

Creative Thinking

Social Media Management

Meeting Deadlines

Prioritizing

After receiving my bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May 2012, I began my professional career as a corporate journalist and photographer for News Link in Lincoln, Nebraska. In March 2015, I took a step forward in my career and began as an assistant editor for Cheese Market News, a weekly publication with national reach based in Madison, Wisconsin. At Cheese Market News, I gained experience writing editorials and news stories, layout and design, website updates, social media management, and working under tight deadlines. That same year I also began as a freelance writer for Madison Essentials, a quarterly magazine that highlights Dane County nonprofits, events and businesses.

In February 2016, I began as an arts and cultures contributor for Isthmus, an independent alt-weekly newspaper based in Madison. Writing for Isthmus allowed me to explore my writing style, push boundaries and write outside my comfort zone. Today, I still contribute to the features section.

In May 2016, I began at designCraft Advertising as a social media/community specialist and was promoted to director of social media strategy, helping local businesses and nonprofits maintain a strategic online presence. My main areas of focus included strategic social media management, content creation, data tracking, event promotion, public relations, client support, and web development support for designCraft and its clients.

In April 2018, my relationship with Isthmus came full circle as a I joined the team full time as their first ever social media director. Over the last two years I also took on the role of marketing director. I'm responsible for the social media management and data tracking of all things Isthmus, including editorial, sales and events. I maintain an online presence through Facebook and Instagram Live videos, interviewing everyone from local business owners to brewers and chefs. I was also responsible for newsletter creation and digital marketing for events. The role continued to evolve as I remained on the team after most of the staff was laid off to COVID-19.

In July 2020, I joined the team at The Capital Times in Madison as an audience strategist. After just one year I was promoted to marketing and social media director. Now my mission is to help make a more than 100-year-old newspaper even stronger through a captivating, creative and forward-thinking online presence.