Oh… Where to Begin?

I’ll try not to bore you too much, but I guess if you’re going to work with me (and.. why wouldn’t you???), then it’s probably good to get a sense of who I am, and why I’m the bees knees when it comes to producing creative content – both copy and video.

I’ll just start by saying I went to Temple University, majoring in Radio/TV/Film and minoring in English. Graduated with a 3.5 GPA… that’s right. I got all Magna Cum Laude up in here.

Did I have dreams of being a famous filmmaker? Yes. Did I want to take a vow of poverty? Hell

So I went into the corporate world. Now… during my time in college, I recall a professor telling the class, “Work on your writing. Companies always need people who can write.” I was always a good writer, but heeded this advice and developed my skills so that I would have a marketable skill on which to fall back.

Now to my post-college life:

QVC, Inc.

Yes… the shopping channel. I began in the Broadcasting department and eventually found my way to the Email Marketing area as a copywriter. I wrote email content for targeted emails promoting a variety of products. I also produced and managed six monthly e-newsletters.

I think the most challenging aspect of this job was capturing the voice of different hosts and on-air guests, but I was amazed at how good at it I was. I mean, not to toot my own horn, but writing content as Jeanne Bice (the creator of the Quacker Factory clothing line, may she rest in peace) was quite a feather in the cap… no pun intended.

From Email Marketing, I was offered the opportunity to become a Senior Communications Specialist in the Internal Communications department. While there I wrote a variety of communications aimed at providing employees with organizational updates, as well as engaging them in the mission and identity of the company. My greatest achievement was assuming the role of Editor for the employee newsletter, QVC Ink. Shortly after becoming Editor, I took the initiative to change the design from a four-page, newspaper-like publication to a magazine format, renaming it iQ. I also added more people-oriented articles and interviews, including some of the celebrities who appeared on QVC.

Independence Blue Cross

After 12 years it was time to move on to the sexy world of health insurance! I joined Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia, PA as a Senior Communications Specialist in the Associate Communications department. Along with writing, I was able to use my film/video education to produce the company’s first-ever internal video series. It really helped make our employee communications more engaging, plus it was a lot of fun for me! When you see some of my videos, you’ll see what I mean. It’s not easy being creative visually in a structured environment like health insurance, but I think I pulled it off nicely.

I also took charge of content for our first digital screens, and was the editor and writer for our company blog. Even in this day and age, most of our executives were not into blogging, so more than a few times I had to ghost-write for our dear leaders (not Kim Jong Un, in case you were confused).

Jefferson Health

So, I got my first management job in the Marketing department for Aria Health (now Jefferson Health) – a hospital system in Northeast Philadelphia. I tell ya… it was just like Mad Men: A bar in my office, cigarettes, perfumed secretaries… oh wait. No it wasn’t.

But I did get to work on a variety of different marketing materials, and continued my video production work. And since the organization had no dedicated Internal Communications department, that responsibility primarily fell on me. In addition to other internal messaging, I ghost-wrote the CEO’s newsletter, Making the Rounds.

Independence (without the Blue Cross)

As much as I like the steady do-re-mi that comes from having a 9-to-5 corporate gig, I have to say, it can be unfulfilling. There’s less autonomy to do what I’ve wanted to do when it came to communication.

Luckily, I’ve had a few connections that have led me to some pretty interesting jobs – ones that required my creative input, and made good use of my technical skills.

I’ve done videos for a big accounting firm, fitness coach, martial arts school, and a wine podcast. I’ve also written professional bios for entrepreneurs.

I’m versatile, passionate, flexible, and best of all, affordable. Let’s make something great happen for your business!