Copy. Content. Comedy.
To promote Skype’s newly-free-of-charge Group Video Calling feature, we made this documentary-style film profiling an actual two-man startup who used it to keep their business lean, mean, and profitable. I served as co-creative lead and script supervisor on this piece.
For a person as passionate about music and branding as I am — and a fan of SPIN Magazine since high school — this was a dream gig. In SPIN ON BRAND, we tracked music/brand partnerships, technology, and other culture issues important to the marketing community.
My goal was to make SPIN ON BRAND a useful B2B newsletter that was actually entertaining to read. I did this by finding and writing stories about brands and experiences that appealed to both marketers and pop culture aficionados. Then, I wrote it in SPIN’s famously irreverent-but-impactful editorial tone.
Not sure what APIs are? Watch the first twenty seconds of this and wonder no more.
The first video in a partnership between Visa and MuleSoft, “The ABCs of APIs” explained API tech to the layperson using fun metaphors and simple language. I added humor to keep the viewer engaged. My estimable art director/animator, Chris Payne, added another layer or two of creative flair on top. An accompanying infographic quickly followed.
My favorite thing about working with Poly was (1) I got to set their brand tone (more about that here), then (2) spend a couple of years crafting marketing copy in that tone.
This teleconferencing-hardware company (now a part of HP) had undergone a high-level brand refresh, but a lack of verbal branding left their copy efforts in limbo until they brought me on.
First, I extrapolated their brand voice from their high-level strategy (see samples here), gaining consensus from multiple higher-ups. After that, I overhauled their marketing copy, a product at a time.
I developed reams of marketing copy for Poly: comprehensive decks containing multiple headlines and blocks of text — all at specific word counts to be used for product launches, updates, web content (as seen here), packaging, and campaigns.
I'm pouring one out for Skype as I write this. One of the last things I wrote for them was the VO script and text screens in this how-to video for Skype’s B2B product, Skype Meetings.
The visuals were adapted from a fantastic case study about a small aerospace company who used Skype to collaborate on and test solar-powered planes.
Side note: since Microsoft purchased Skype back in 2011 and folded Skype into the MS brand some years later, I suspect that much of Skype Meetings made its way into Microsoft Teams.
International electric vehicle (EV) charging company FLO brought me on to run all things copy for their comprehensive site redesign.
Over the three-month project, I coordinated with the entire marketing department, a half-dozen product managers, and a SEO consultant, ramping up quickly on all things EV and writing and editing dozens of pages. I've written a couple of case studies for them as well.
We’re talking stacks of content written or re-voiced for this robust site. Here’s the top third of the home page:
…and here’s the middle third. Over the three-month project, I coordinated with the entire marketing department, a half-dozen product managers, the design studio, and a SEO consultant, ramping up quickly on all things EV and writing and editing dozens of pages.
…And finally, here’s the final third of the home page. FLO has 10-20 pages this length, and another two dozen around half this long. Anything I didn’t write, I edited. Anything I didn’t edit, my work set the tone for. Great people, great product, great project.
An ad I scripted and co-concepted, supporting the release of MuleSoft's 2016 Benchmark report. We used a friendly visual conceit to convey the difficulty of enterprise digital transformation, and presented APIs as the saving grace.
Am I an expert on fleet management and safety? Sadly, no. But I AM an expert in working with subject matter leaders to turn their deep knowledge into accessible, engaging content.
The experts at Samsara and I collaborated on an eBook about how AI-powered video systems can benefit company warehouses, garages, and other supply-chain touchpoints.
I applied my editorial skills and acumen in matching brand voice to create a structure and tone that provided clear, relevant information and conveyed Samsara's industry-leading expertise.
I also pitched a series of sidebars that surfaced success stories of Samsara clients using this technology.
An animated campaign I wrote & directed for private social network provider NationalField. I also storyboarded the pieces and cast & directed the voice actors. Fun stuff.
