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Skills Overview

 

COPYWRITER FOR CORPORATE AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING, ONLINE-DIRECT-GENERAL ADVERTISING

Seasoned professional with a proven combination of creative and strategic expertise. Extensive experience creating and writing customer-facing communications (especially website content) and internal communications, employee benefits communications, marketing/advertising (online, mini-sites, interactive, email, banners, and traditional direct mail), traditional print and broadcast advertising, company newsletters (online, print), sales collateral, promotions, merchandising, in-house educational materials, branding programs, community affairs, and public relations communications.

 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Experience managing a wide variety of projects with different clients simultaneously. Comfortable making presentations and articulating strategy and rationale behind creative work.

 

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

Experience working with other creative professionals and inspiring high-level performance among cross-functional teams. Enjoy working collaboratively with account managers, art directors, web designers, brand managers, and account planners. Served as intermediary between in-house departments. Have managed creatives at ad agencies.

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CLIENT RELATIONS

Skilled at external and internal client management.

 

JOURNALIST

Staff writer for The Los Angeles Times and Oakland Tribune and freelance author of articles on a variety of subjects including first-person columns. Author of business book. Blogger.

 

VERY STRONG CREATIVE THINKER

Skilled at generating multiple creative concepts quickly. An exciting, original, versatile, inventive writer who inspires and motivates those around him. Keen visual sense.

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Creative Expertise

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EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING/ADVERTISING

Experience in all aspects of external and internal corporate communications. Specialist in online marketing for branding, customer acquisition, retention, awareness, cross-selling, and education. Online experience includes website content, emails, banners, newsletters, user experience, and in-house Intranet content.

 

PRINT

General advertising space ads, printed collateral in all formats (long and short copy), brochures, letters, newsletters, sales kits, point-of-purchase, training, and incentive materials.

 

MERCHANDISING

Both tangible packaged goods and intangible consumer services.

 

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Customer and in-house education and training materials to support newly launched and reinvigorated products and services.

 

BRANDING CONTINUITY

Experienced in sustaining brand voice and extending it across different media, using different writing styles, to diverse target audiences.

 

STRATEGIZING AND CONCEPTING

Proven ability to conceive of and execute creative concepts that fuel effective solutions, within budget, and on time.

 

CONTEST ENTRIES

Experienced writing content for professional competitions for corporate recognition, creative excellence, and outstanding achievements.

 

INDUSTRY FOCUS

Banking and financial services, technology, packaged goods, food & wine.

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Professional History

 

Freelance copywriter (February 15, 2016 – Present)

  • Online marketing, advertising, internal and employee communications

  • Emails, banners, jump pages for PayPal targeting small business customers

  • Newsletters and journalism

 

Wells Fargo Bank (June 16, 2013 – February 12, 2016)

Copywriter (FTE) – Digital Channels Group

  • Copy for Wells Fargo public-facing website and “WIB” or website for customers after they log on

  • Responsible for creating outbound emails, banners, jump pages, and website content about products and services for small business and consumers

  • Creative concepts for promotions, sweepstakes, events, brand promotions

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Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (February 19 – June 1, 2013)

Senior Communications Consultant (FTE, copywriter)

  • Internet and Intranet copy about the Cash Product Office of the Federal Reserve

  • Internal communications reports

  • National marketing campaigns of Federal Reserve Bank consumer-facing initiatives

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Union Bank (March 5, 2012 – January 8, 2013)

Copywriter – Internal Communications (Contractor)

  • Intranet content about company news, policies, and programs

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Salesforce.com (December 2010 – October 31, 2011)

Copywriter – Internal Communications (Contractor)

  • Website and Intranet content, employee emails, copy for presentations, social networking content

  • Promotion of “Chatter” social media SaaS product

  • Copy for employee rewards & acknowledgment programs

  • Co-wrote company’s entry in the Fortune Magazine “Best Companies To Work For” competition

 

Freelance Copywriter  (April – December 2010)

  • Bank of the West (Intranet content)

  • Sharecare (healthcare website content)

  • Sylk Cellars Winery, Napa (website content, collateral)

 

Wells Fargo & Company (July 2007 – April 2010)

Writer (FTE) – Internal Corporate Communications Copywriter, Team Member Marketing

  • Copywriter within Corporate Human Resources in the creative agency-modeled, internal communications group called Team Member Marketing (TMM).

  • Provided creative leadership in the development, writing, and execution of award-winning internal communications, and human resources communications.

  • Wrote Intranet content, banners, jump pages for Teamworks (company Intranet), Team Member Announcements (emails), HR Communications (emails), and employee benefits content for various sections of Teamworks.

  • Responsible for editing Intranet content using Vignette Web Content Management (WCM) software.

  • Creative concepts and content for Annual Benefits Enrollment and Community Support Campaign (website, emails, print, direct mail, banners, promotions).

  • Contributor to company in-house Diversity newsletter.

 

Freelance Copywriter  (June 1997 – July 2007)

Website content, email messaging, banners, interactive advertising, online newsletters,

direct mail, print advertising, sales collateral, and catalog copy for:

 

AAA (CSAA)

Adobe

Alta Bates Med Ctr

Autodesk

Bank of America

Bank of the West

Barclays Global Investors

Beaulieu Vineyards

Beringer Winery

Charles Schwab & Company

Dixie Paper

Driveway.com

Fetzer Winery

Fleetbank Boston

Gilroy Foods

Intuit

Leapfrog

Lipton.com

McAfee (Network Assoc.)

Meridian Winery

Microsoft

Olivegarden.com

Oracle

Pacific Bell Internet

Pacific Gas & Electric

Peet’s Coffee + Tea

Robert Mondavi Winery

Safeway.com

Salesforce.com

Silicon Graphics

StubHub

Sun Microsystems

Union Bank of California
Veritas

Visa International

Visa USA

Wachovia Bank

Wells Fargo Bank
Williams-Sonoma Catalog
Wolf Blass Winery

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Ketchum Direct Advertising, San Francisco, CA (1991 – 1997)

Vice President, Senior Copywriter

  • Provided creative leadership in the development and execution of award-winning direct advertising for consumer and business-to-business target audiences. Responsible for creative execution of strategies for customer acquisition and retention programs.

  • Traveled extensively to interview clients’ customers nationwide to develop greater understanding of customer needs and attitudes.

  • Wrote the agency’s business development collateral.

  • Participated in the industry’s earliest implementations of interactive marketing.

Accounts: Bank of America, Southwestern, Bell Pacific Bell Internet, Kikkoman, Strong Mutual Funds, Beef Industry Council, Robert Mondavi Winery, Ciba-Geigy

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Ogilvy & Mather Direct Advertising, San Francisco, CA (1989 – 1991)

Senior Copywriter

 

The Los Angeles Times (1987 – 1988)

Promotions Coordinator, Senior Copywriter

Internal communications, marketing, advertising, journalism, contributing journalist

 

Oakland Tribune, Oakland, CA (1982 – 1987)

Marketing Copywriter, Creative Coordinator, Journalist

Internal communications, marketing, advertising, employee benefits, contributing journalist

 

Education

University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, Iowa City, IA   MFA Creative Writing

Miami University, Oxford, OH   BA English

 

Publications

Book: The Mission Statement Book: 301 Corporate Mission Statements from America’s Top Companies

(1995, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA; 2nd Ed. 2000, 3rd Ed. Spring 2007)

 

Newspaper and magazine articles: San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Oakland Tribune, Orange County Register, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Denver Post, York (PA) Dispatch, AAA Magazine, Northwest Airlines Magazine, Downbeat Magazine

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Awards

MarCom Awards

  • 2010 Marketing/Promotion Campaign Social Responsibility, Platinum Award, Wells Fargo Community Support and United Way Campaign

  • 2008 Marketing/Promotion Campaign, Internal Benefits, Gold Award for Wells Fargo & Company 401(k) Plan Promotion

 

International Association of Business Communicators

  • 2009 Gold Quill Award, Award of Excellence, Wells Fargo Annual Benefits Enrollment

  • 2009 Gold Quill Award, Award of Excellence, Wells Fargo Community Support and United Way Campaign 

 

Ragan Communications Excellence Awards for Employee Communications

  • 2009 Awards (2) for Annual Benefits Enrollment Campaign and Community Support Campaign.

 

I have also won national and regional awards for direct marketing and general advertising campaigns at Ketchum Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, the Oakland Tribune, and other employers.

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