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IN-HOUSE WORK.
(Click any gallery image for larger versions.)
Capital One has a reputation that precedes itself. As one of the nation's largest banks and credit card issuers, Capital One is famously what's in the wallet of millions of American credit users. Starting in 2017, I worked within several departments at the company, creating a wide variety of internal, customer-facing, and nationally published pieces of work. Recently, Capital One's Senior Vice President of Creative referred to a project on which I was the lead writer as "groundbreaking," and "a new standard." It's always nice to get feedback like that.
Kim Lighting and Architectural Area Lighting are sister companies, and the leading manufacturers of USA-made industrial lighting solutions. While there, I worked on product literature, social media campaigns, and promotional materials. The team I was a part of won a 2013 PIA Award for Outstanding Media Campaign.
The Sportsman's Guide is a catalog and Internet retailer of fine quality outdoor and sporting goods. Copy is king at "The Guide." In my five years as an in-house Copywriter, we were encouraged to emulate the casual, colloquial tone our founder Gary Olen first made famous in the mid-seventies. Every cover bears the slogan, "The Fun-To-Read Catalog!" It was just as much fun to write. While there, I received multiple awards for my work.
Video: Aqua-Vu Fish Camera
Video: Quiet Waterproof Hunting Boots
Video: Compact Bivouac Tent
Video: Cordless Cookie Press
In 2006, I applied to be the Local Content Editor of the Onion's Milwaukee A.V. Club. It came down to myself, and one other candidate. And while I didn't get the job, I was told that I had done quite well on the editing test. How well? I had found 31 legitimate errors...out of a possible 30. Evidently, I had found one error that the editors who wrote the test hadn't put in intentionally, and that no other applicant had ever spotted. Here are some examples of the freelance work I did for them in lieu of receiving a full-time offer.
A Minneapolis-based company called Compass Productions is carving out a nice niche for themselves, and proving that people still BUY music. Sold exclusively at big-box retailer Target, their bargain-priced compilation CD's occupy valuable endcap real estate in the electronics area of the store, and offer customers a lot of value for their discretionary entertainment budget. My part? To write "burst"-style packaging blurbs for the back cover that would concisely sum up the mood and content of each collection.
Milwaukee's Country Maid Salads is a manufacturer and distributor of cold-pack salads, including cole slaws, potato salads, and desserts. I was an in-house Copywriter, Web Designer and Graphic Artist at Country Maid from 2001 to 2005. If that sounds like a lot of hats to wear, it was...But the "Creative Department" only consisted of me, and one other person. Still, we had a lot of fun, and got a lot of great work done.
My high school friend Angela has an entrepreneurial streak, and owns and operates several service-centered businesses. Recently, she told me she'd woken up with another idea - a residential-based service intended to keep an eye on the summer homes of many of the area's seasonal residents. She asked for my help promoting it. We met for coffee. Eight hours later, I had written, designed, and published an entire promo package, including: a tagline, website, business cards, postcards, Facebook, Twitter and more for Good Home Check. I guess caffeine is great for ambition after all!
I was hired as Director of Creative and Web Development at Wall to Wall Media (a startup production company) in February of 2007. Unfortunately, the company folded due to the economic crash less than a year later. However, during the brief life of the company, I was able to take part in helping create some thought-provoking informational entertainment. I was responsible for writing and creating all marketing materials, as well as writing content for the screen.
Video Clip: "Blueprint for Green."
Video Clip: "Wild Again."
Video Clip: "Kent Hrbek Outdoors."
The examples above are just select samples of my work. Would you like to see more? Click here! -->
(And as your reward for sitting through all of that, click HERE for my secret Pot Roast recipe!)
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