Copywriter
✨
Editor
✨
Proofreader
✨
Marketer
✨
SEO Writer
✨
Copywriter ✨ Editor ✨ Proofreader ✨ Marketer ✨ SEO Writer ✨
I’m great on paper, but I’m even more impressive when you get to know me.
Sure, I’ve got 10+ years of professional experience. Yeah, I’ve got a Master’s in Strategic Marketing Communications. But what about the journey?
Scroll down 👇 to find out what I’ve done, what I’ve learned, and what I’ve taken away from each chapter of my career that led me to where I am today: working with brands like yours.
November 2014 – May 2016
Content Director | Hatchery
I found a listing on Craigslist offering an intern position with a local startup hawking mini versions of artisanal cooking ingredients through monthly subscriptions a la Birchbox. I eagerly applied, hoping to spend my future days writing up descriptions for infused sea salts and flavored nut butters instead of ringing up cranky snowbirds at my boyfriend’s family’s New York-style deli.
After establishing my dominance and winning out over all the other applicants, I hustled my butt off to prove that I was worthy of hiring after my three month internship was over. Unlike similar sites that served as a marketplace for so-called undiscovered pantry wares, I developed unique descriptions for 500+ products through my own tasting notes, research, and conversations with their makers.
During my year and a half-ish at Hatchery, I was thrown into the deep end of all things marketing. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but that’s because I suffered from not knowing enough simply due to a lack of experience and a degree in English Literature. What I did know was that I was willing to learn. I interviewed over 50 independent food makers, bloggers, and writers (looking at you, Michael Pollan) and practiced the art of informative storytelling.
Here’s some stuff I worked on:
Brand identity: Brand tone and voice to ensure that all employees could speak the language, no matter what they were working on.
Product promotion: Product descriptions, video scripts, and social media posts to educate visitors and subscribers about each ingredient and its producer.
Social media influencers: Organic outreach, templated communications, and contract management to grow the brand through trusted voices on Instagram.
Brand partnerships: Relationship management and securing monthly co-branded giveaways to expand reach and share followers.
Marketing-palooza: Email, social media, and website content (like recipes, maker stories, and product descriptions) to bring in customers who cared about the people behind their products.
Unfortunately, like many startups, Hatchery had a great idea that ultimately didn’t make it. In 2016, I was let go and went back to the drawing board. I’d have to rely on my writing skills to get me behind a brand new desk. After asking everyone I could think of for job recommendations, I secured an interview with a local PR and marketing agency thanks to a referral from a friend.
June 2016 – March 2019
Senior Copywriter | The Gab Group
After submitting my resume to the Gab Group, I got an email expressing interest and requesting that I complete the attached marketing assignment within 48 hours. As I read through the instructions, I felt like I was studying a foreign language. I knew what they were asking for, but I didn’t know whether my brain was versed in the art of hardcore marketing. At Hatchery, I’d been given wide margins to experiment and effectively get it wrong. This assignment from the Gab Group was my first hint that I had a lot more learning to do.
I still have that assignment saved in an email folder, and as cringe-worthy as it is to look at now, it was an earnest attempt at a stab in the dark. My ego was big enough to keep me confident as I muddled through the work and crossed my fingers that it would be good enough to get me in the office door. I could prove myself from there.
My in-person interview came with a PR assignment — another field I was woefully unprepared for. My naivete was my greatest asset during the 15-minute “test” asking about my media connections and how I would position various clients. I fudged my way through and explained to my interviewer that despite my lack of experience, I was a hard worker who could figure it out without too much oversight. (Micromanagers hate her for this one reason.)
For about two and a half years, I was the main copywriter for every single press release, media alert, and marketing asset that came out of the agency. I learned very quickly how intertwined public relations and marketing are, and without realizing it, became an expert at integrated marketing campaigns that garnered interest in local and national publications.
Here are some clients I worked with:
IPIC Theaters and associated restaurant brands (Tanzy, The Tuck Room, City Perch Kitchen + Bar)
My experience with the Gab Group gave me the skills and confidence to pursue a marketing role that would allow me to grow as a copywriter and editor. Without anywhere to progress within the company, I was given the gift of a job recommendation from someone on the inside…of a new-ish company looking for a marketing writer and editor. So, I took the leap.
March 2019 – January 2024
Lead Content Editor | Trilogy/2U/edX
Trilogy offered technical boot camps in partnership with universities like UC Berkeley, UPenn, Columbia, and Georgia Tech, and they were expanding their content marketing team and needed a writer who could also edit. So they hired me and I hit the ground running.
I started out primarily editing blogs and social media posts written by in-house marketers and contracted teams, writing my own pieces and contributing to the 60+ social media pages our team was in charge of managing when I had time. Think it’s easy to edit for more than 50 style guides? Think again. Some schools wouldn’t even let us use the word “student”, so we had to get creative. And I had to build out a comprehensive spreadsheet that would house all the preferences.
This was when I also learned about reputation management: our team was responsible for monitoring and responding to every. Single. Review for our school partners on the boot camp version of Yelp.
2U acquired Trilogy a few months after I was hired, and my team brought on a focused leader who had experience working across a whole slew of different kinds of marketing — and they were all tied to data and marketing strategy and real, tangible business goals. I felt like I was given the key to a lock I’d been trying to open with a dandelion stem. Our team gained momentum, giving me more opportunities to manage writers, lead and manage projects, and contribute to a full-on marketing communications transformation.
From there, I started working more closely with our SEO and design teams, and learned how to pitch link building content to get other websites to trust ours so much they’d recommend it to others. I conducted webpage audits and competitive analyses to “zhuzh” content across our university sites so users actually knew what they’d be getting from our programs. Focused, informational, and friendly content was the MO as far as I was concerned.
Oh! I also had the privilege of earning my MS in Strategic Marketing Communications from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business during my time with 2U. Yep, that’s right. Worked full-time, got a degree, graduated with a 4.0 GPA and continued to crush my performance reviews. (Spoiler: I always exceed expectations and I’m happy to prove it.)
In the last year and a half of my time with 2U (which was, by that time, known as edX), I was part of a team that handled thousands of unique landing pages. We created new pages, edited existing ones, and scrapped some to start from scratch. Always to perfection, and always ahead of deadline.
Now – Forever
Freelancer | BWINTZ
Now, I’m doing my own thing. Taking this show on the road. Going solo. Spreading my wings.
So you should hire me. For freelance work. For contract work. For full-time work. For part-time work. You tell me. You’re the boss.