Copywriter/Content Manager, Cash App; Remote — 2020 – Present
I joined Cash App in 2020 to help build foundational documentation for more than 5,000 customer support agents. I worked with advocates, product specialists, marketing teams, workforce management teams, learning & development specialists, and legal teams to craft internal support documentation and articles for the Cash App Help Center.
I also created an internal style guide, technical article templates, and instructional videos to help advocates communicate clearly and concisely. Lastly, I helped manage the construction of an internal website of resources for customer success advocates using Contentful.
Now I help up-and-coming copywriters hone their craft, editing their prose and offering one-on-one coaching. I also audit and maintain internal and external help documentation, create new internal web pages, and manage some internal communications.
My work at Cash App has helped streamline the customer service experience, reducing call times, increasing the number of solved cases, and building trust with Cash App users. These are all crucial as Cash App moves from a fun peer-to-peer payment app to a full-on financial solutions provider.
Writer, Apple; Remote — 2005 – 2020
Around 1987 my aunt let us borrow her Macintosh computer. I was about 10 at the time and it pretty much sealed my fate. I spent hours drawing, designing, and writing on that thing. Creating spacecraft diagrams, magazine covers, silly made-up newspapers, you name it. Apple computers became the locus of my creativity. I wrote with them, designed with them, made art with them. I even tried to make music with them. So, naturally, when the Apple Careers website went live I bookmarked that sucker and visited it every. single. day.
In 2005 an absolute master writer/editor named Pete Johnson posted a job description looking for a “superhero writer” and I lost my mind. I applied, writing something silly about having recently the subject of an experiment that granted me . . . well, it’s not important. But Pete called me right away. “Nobody else got it. Not a single person,” he said.
Pete hired me to help build the Apple Pro site, an online magazine about artists who used Apple computers to make their art. For the next five years I wrote profiles about photographers, musicians, filmmakers, and designers. We talked about creativity, the struggles of being creative in this humdrum world, and geeked out about Apple hardware and software. It was glorious.
Unfortunately, someone at Apple lost their damn mind and cancelled the Pro site. I never learned exactly who it was, but I think they made a tremendous mistake. Sure, they probably made the company a whole lot more money promoting the iPhone and consumption culture, but they burned down something that made Apple really special. The magic at the heart of the “Think Different” campaign that brought Apple out of the beige monotony of the 90s and early 2000s. Steve loved the iPhone, but I think he would’ve been sad to see the Pro Site go. Apple really should bring it back. Now is the time for creators. We need them more than ever.
After the Pro site shut down I moved on to other projects at Apple. I wrote for the Education and Science teams for a while, then the Apple News team, and finally for the Apple Enterprise sales team.
In 2018 I joined the Enterprise Sales team as a staff writer. I helped build an internal publication for international sales teams that featured success stories and other valuable sales collateral. I worked directly with Apple sales team members around the world to tell their stories and to help them revolutionize the way their customers do business. I’m not exaggerating. The sales team helped place iPhone and iPad in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail, aerospace—pretty much everywhere. In every case iPhone and iPad helped businesses work more efficiently, more accurately, and more creatively. I saw hundreds of companies transformed by Apple technology.
As you can tell, I’m an Apple stan. So if anyone at Apple ever wants to hire me to tell stories, I’m in.
All my work demonstrated Apple’s ability to completely transform the way people work and create. My Apple Pro profiles inspired millions of creatives to pursue their dreams and my work with the Apple Enterprise sales team helped thousands of businesses work better.
Writer, Adobe; Remote — 2012 – 2020
I still remember the first time I recognized Adobe’s ability to warp reality. Somewhere around 2000 I was working in a computer lab in the SFSU Journalism department. I watched a colleague transform a digital photo into a piece of surreal art. I had played around with Photoshop before then, but that experience really struck me. I spent the next few months devouring all of the Adobe tutorials I could. From then on Adobe became a pillar of my creativity.
I learned how to build and engineer websites at SFSU and Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver (okay back then it was Macromedia but still) were key. Later Adobe software became indispensable to me as a journalist and web publisher.
So when one of my colleagues at Apple asked if I’d be interested in writing artist profiles for the Adobe Discover online magazine (then Adobe Create) I couldn’t say no. Over the next eight years I wrote profiles for the magazine and wrote web copy for Adobe.com.
I helped with the launch of Adobe Muse, a great web publishing suite, and wrote web copy for Photoshop and Lightroom releases.
Again, my work with Adobe helped to inspire creative people across the globe. Adobe Discover has millions of daily active users and adobe.com is viewed by even more people who want to explore new ways to create their art.
Writer/Video Producer, Mozilla; Portland, OR — 2017 – 2019
Firefox and Mozilla are foundational to the internet. I was lucky enough to join the developer marketing team in Portland to help promote Firefox Developer Edition and the Mozilla Developer Network. I have a background in web design and development, along with years’ experience writing and producing videos. At Mozilla I used my talents to write articles for the Mozilla Hacks Blog, working with developers to learn about the latest web development trends and tools. I also produced a series of local videos promoting Firefox as the safest, most private open-source web browser.
My work at Mozilla helped inspire up-and-coming web developers to explore the latest tools and techniques for building tomorrow’s internet.
Writer/Video Producer, Puppet; Portland, OR — 2016 – 2017
I moved to Portland, OR in 2016 to explore the city’s thriving software industry. No, I moved to be close to family and to pig out on food cart food. But Portland does have a unique and thriving software industry. Soon after I arrived I was lucky enough to work with Puppet as a freelance writer and video producer. Puppet makes open-source IT automation software. Essentially it’s a programming language IT pros use to manage all the computer infrastructure in an organization. It makes their job a lot easier and keeps businesses and organizations around the world operate smoothly. It’s serious stuff—foundational software that many people rely on every day.
I wrote white papers, blog posts, and web copy for Puppet. I also produced a series of educational videos for Puppet users and filmed user interviews at Puppet Conference. I learned a tremendous amount about IT automation, DevOps, and the Puppet language. I helped the company transition from a small founder-run startup to a large investor-led company.
Marketing Content Manager, BendBroadband; Bend, OR — 2012 – 2014
BendBroadband built the backbone of Central Oregon’s internet. In the early 2000s the family-owned company laid high-speed fiber throughout the region when major providers wouldn’t bother. I joined the company in 2012 as a marketing content manager to help rebrand its business services and fine-tune its consumer marketing efforts. I worked with a small team to rebuild the BendBroadband business website, create print and online ads for BendBroadband internet and cable TV services, and produce local television commercials.
At BendBroadband I learned about television commercial production. I worked with their in-house video producer to script and film a series of commercials about local businesses. I also managed online, print, and radio marketing campaigns. Our work reached hundreds of thousands of Central Oregon residents and drove new signups and upgrades worth millions of dollars in monthly revenue.
Marketing Content Manager, Alchemy Solutions; Bend, OR — 2011 – 2012
Alchemy Solutions made software that let legacy COBOL programs run on modern web servers. It sounds obscure, but it’s incredibly important to the everyday lives of, well, everyone. Many foundational businesses—banks, insurance providers, healthcare providers, logistics companies—still use legacy programs written during the dawn of the Information Age in COBOL. Trouble is that code is really only meant to run on IBM mainframe computers, which are incredibly expensive and rare. If you’re a foundational business running legacy CODE, you’re stuck renting time/space on IBM mainframes. You can rewrite everything, which is insanely expensive and disruptive to vital day-to-day business, or you can wrap your old code in a translation layer that lets it run on much cheaper and scalable web server architecture. That’s what Alchemy did and it was one of the first companies in the space.
I helped rebrand Alchemy Solutions, shifting the company’s focus from technological solutions to business benefits. We worked with a local branding agency to redesign all marketing materials and messaging. I rewrote all company marketing materials, focusing on business benefits over technical specs. I managed the development of the company’s website and worked with my team to manage online advertising. The rebrand was a success and made waves in the industry. The company was transformed and went from the old guy on the block to an industry leader. The rebrand was so successful that a leading competitor purchased Alchemy within a year. We were just too fierce to contend with and the only option was a buy out.
Writer, B+H Photo; Remote — 2007 – 2009
Journalists have to do everything because there is no money in journalism. As a small-town reporter I had to learn how to be a photographer and then videographer to keep up with the competition. I fell in love with photography and videography early on, becoming obsessed with the newly emerging DSLR craze. In 2007 I applied for and was accepted as a freelance writer for B+H Photo. I wrote profiles about creators using DSLR cameras to tell their stories, web copy about how to use DSLRs to shoot photos and video, and product guides. I also crafted a comprehensive photography lighting guide to help new photographers set up studios for portraits, product shots, and videos. The lighting guide was available in print at B+H stores and online.
I learned a great deal about photography and videography at B+H. My work helped thousands of B+H customers set up their own studios and create art with DSLR cameras. I hope it also inspired them to make more art and to capture the beauty of everyday life.
Writer, Logitech; Remote — 2006 – 2007
I firmly believe that Logitech makes the best computer peripherals out there. Their mice and keyboards are unparalleled and their gaming equipment is top-notch. Way back in 2006 I applied for a position on the Logitech marketing team and ended up working as a freelancer for the team. I worked with the Logitech Gaming team, which was just way too cool if I’m honest. These people had a full racing simulator set up in the office and multiple gaming computers to test new gear. It was amazing.
I wrote press releases, product copy for the Logitech website, and feature-length technical articles. I would have loved working full-time for Logitech, but in 2008 the economy collapsed and hiring was frozen.
Still, I’m fortunate I had the opportunity to work with Logitech and learn about writing product copy for the web.
Staff Writer/Photographer, Solano Magazine; Fairfield, CA — 2005 – 2006
At Solano Magazine I flew a plane, paddled a canoe, rode the Wine Train, spelunked an abandoned coal mine with a miner, and learned how to brew bacteria to make blood thinners. I roamed Solano County (where I grew up), venturing into parts unknown to report what I found. I took a camera with me and also helped build the page layout using Adobe InDesign.
Besides having a great time, I improved my interviewing skills, explored long-form creative nonfiction writing, fine-tuned my digital photography chops, and learned how to layout a color print magazine.
Reporter, Benicia Herald Newspaper; Benicia, CA — 2002 – 2004
Two stories a day, plus n
Did you know that Benicia was briefly California’s state capitol? And during WWII it had one of the largest arsenals of weaponry on the west coast? And when the Army decommissioned it they just dumped bombs in a field and buried them with bulldozers? Kids blew up all the time in Benicia. Look it up. I spent two years covering schools, local politics, and the arts at the Benicia Herald. I broke the story of the school district finance manager’s double books that bankrupted the district for several years.
I wrote at least two stories a day, every day, except Christmas and New Years Day. Every evening we’d print columns on a laser printer and actually paste them onto a broadsheet to send to the printer. I wrote on a Macintosh II color computer.
At the Benicia Herald I learned how to write quickly and clearly, and how to work with a tough editor. I learned how to interview anyone about almost anything. I was forged, tempered, and honed into a sharp writer.
ews briefs. Covered schools, local politics, and the arts. Also assisted with design and print production.
EDUCATION
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA — BA Journalism, 2000
I got my first newspaper job in 8th grade. I interviewed my favorite biology teacher for a profile piece and I was hooked. He told me about his hopes and dreams, his inspiration, and his love of science. It was incredible to learn so much about someone in such a short amount of time. I knew then that, just like Captain America, I could do this all day—or for a career, anyway.
At SFSU I wrote for Xpress print magazine and helped launch the Xpress online magazine. The web was still scary back then and we learned how to code pages in HTML and built the site from scratch. Javascript mouseovers were a pretty big deal. I covered science, technology, and the environment for both publications. I learned the basics of how to put an article together, memorized a lot of the AP Stylebook, and drastically improved my typing speed.
Solano Community College, Suisun, CA — AA Liberal Arts, 1997
You know how much college costs. Plus Solano has a gorgeous campus. I got a 98% in Biology.
SKILLS
Writing/editing (25y), journalism (20y), digital video/photography (15y), video editing (15y), project management (10y), digital marketing (10y), SEO (15y)
SOFTWARE
Google suite, Microsoft suite, Adobe Creative suite, WordPress, HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript, Jira, Salesforce, Contentful, Asana, Pardot, Eloqua, and many more.