about me
I really should update this picture
I’m a creative writer who likes his stories in print and on Playstation.
I have over 7 years’ experience as a brand marketer, writer, and translator crafting content of every kind, from billboards and socials to emails and websites.
I also taught English in Japan for 5 years, so not only am I a bit bougie about my sushi, but I also have a penchant for reading my Murakami raw and chuckle at any TV program with Matsuko Deluxe in it. If you're looking for a captivating voice with a diverse perspective, then look no further (than the rest of this website...keep looking at the website...please).
Favorite Quote
“The questions which one asks oneself begin, at last, to illuminate the world, and become one’s key to the experience of others. One can only face in others what one can face in oneself.”
Words penned when he returned from Paris after 9 years of being an expatriate, Baldwin knew that nobody questions himself better than someone far removed from his own, peculiar cultural references. Every action you take, every word you choose, every thought you entertain suddenly becomes a subject of personal scrutiny.
It is through this newfound uncertainty in which you discover questions―too many of them, almost―of enough intensity to give pause to the practiced routines, to stop the surface spinning long enough to have a real look at your own landscape. And once you yourself are thoroughly examined, you find those same questions at the center of all your observers, like a quiet light.
Brand writing
AppSumo is the best place for entrepreneurs to get lifetime deals on software. As their Senior Brand Writer, I’ve been developing their SaaS-y voice and content across all channels. That means taking technical language and translating it into fun, accessible, and informative copy for emails, landing pages, blog posts, social ads, ebooks, long-form articles, and basically anything else with words in it. You can take a look at the AppSumo site and click on any AppSumo Select deal to see examples of content that I’ve edited, but I’ve also posted a few snapshots below.
Landing page I designed to test a new potential slogan, which ended up outperforming the current on-site messaging.
Wrote this copy for our Black-Owned Business Software Fund.
A billboard I was instrumental in ideating that ran in downtown Austin, Texas
Ebook: Per My Last Email
Teamed up with my coworker and branding buddy to write this ebook, which is a collection of email templates for both freelancers and clients. We made sure to add a healthy dose of humor between templates to keep people reading, too.
Emails
Emails are big part of what I do at AppSumo. I write and edit five unique emails a week, making sure to leverage brand voice and engaging subject lines to create conversions. Below are a few recent examples that highlight our take on newsworthy events, with a healthy helping of humor.
ad campaigns
This is just a small sample of the ads campaigns that I’ve written and helped design. After working with our Creative Director, Head of Marketing, and Brand Director to redesign our ads to focus on three categories based on customer research, I began writing all the copy for our campaigns. We saw a 65% increase in overall ad revenue for search and social over the next three months, with numbers continuing to rise even now. If you see an ad from AppSumo on your Instagram or Google searches after this, I wrote it.
Articles
I wrote an article on how to make business writing way less boring. Check it out for a few laughs and quick tips you can implement today.
Gettin’ Silly Wit It
These two articles were part of a localization project commissioned by Navitime, a leading travel and navigation company in Japan. All outlines from the client were sent in Japanese, and I conducted thorough research in Japanese to corroborate and expand on the target information.
I completed over 50 articles of varying length, style, and tone for this client, always adhering to their brand voice and style guide. I never missed a deadline.
Rainy Days in Yokohama
Best Ramen in Roppongi
The next two articles were done for FluentU, and they were designed to help people study Japanese in nontraditional ways. I had to follow specific SEO guidelines, as well as work with an editor to make sure the messaging for their product came across naturally throughout the course of the article.
I chose a comedic tone to keep potential learners engaged, as well as help demystify the language learning process.
Learn Japanese with Pokemon
Learn Japanese with Video Games
Nonprofit Writing
These two samples below were for a local nonprofit, where I was tasked with creating humanizing portraits of clients struggling through homelessness. I only had access to client files listing basic information about their situation and services received, and I translated that material into short narratives displaying their many trials.
The stories were written to educate and inspire readers to meaningful action.
Sample 1
You’ve been seriously injured in a car accident. You can no longer work. You don’t have any relatives or friends able to support you. Social Security Disability Insurance will take over half a year, at the earliest, to pay your claim. This is the situation A.F. found himself in. This is what forced him into homelessness.
It had been a year and a half since A.F.’s accident. He was living at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) trying to complete physical therapy, since SSDI would not pay benefits until he finished PT. This capped a lifetime of health issues that A.F. struggled with, keeping him out of the workforce and off balance. He did not have a reliable method of making his PT appointments, so RW was able to help him by providing bus passes.
His long term goals were modest: live a healthy life in a clean environment. A.F.’s story shows just how easily these two things can be snatched away in an instant.
Accidents happen.
They shouldn’t be driving people into homelessness. We’re working to help individuals like A.F. get back on their feet. You can help by volunteering or donating at RedemptiveWork.org.
Sample 2
Ms. H is a computer scientist with over ten years of experience in her industry, 8 of which at the senior level. So when she arrived at Redemptive Work in March 2016, she was hopeful of finding similar positions. After being released for a nonviolent offense in the previous year, Ms. H was living at the ATC and making all the right moves to rejoin the workforce: revamping her resume, searching online job boards, and assembling necessary paperwork.
Two months later, she hadn’t heard back from any employers, and on top of that, her glasses had been stolen from her room at the Salvation Army, making it nearly impossible to fill out her Social Security paperwork or use the computer. RW provided Ms. H with a pair of reading glasses and the information for the Housing Authority, as well as suggested other work-related resources.
Another month of fruitless applications and Ms. H wasn’t sleeping well. A thyroid issue kept her awake at night, and new medications only seemed to complicate the issue. RW assisted her in this difficult time by supplying bus passes to help her get to her doctor’s appointments and suggesting less-technical jobs to get her back on her feet. On her most recent visit to RW in September, she was still living at the Salvation Army and seeking employment, having been turned down from positions ranging from receptionist to dishwasher.
Everybody deserves a second chance. Ms. H is but one example of how even highly-skilled professionals are kept out of the workplace after serving their time.
RW is striving to change that. Help us make a difference at RedemptiveWork.org.
Creative Projects
Super Villain Novel: Upville
Fern’s trying to hit it big as a Super Villain in Upville, the city where Supers are super paid.
But when a humiliating loss on live TV murders his solo career, he’s forced to scrape together a ragtag team to challenge the biggest names in the game.
Follow Fern, Blackout, and C.K. as they struggle through bigger fights, badder heists, and a system intent on eating them alive. What are they willing to sacrifice to seize fame and fortune? What demons are lurking in their pasts? And what awaits them on the flip-side of a city that’s not at all what it seems?
Welcome to Upville.
Double Jump
Chill with me and my friend Joe in our podcast about staying creative while navigating lives on very different ends of the professional spectrum. It was originally about making a video game together, but we’ve pivoted away to a format of funnier topics followed by semi-serious looks at what’s happening in both our inner- and outer-worlds. Plus, outtakes. Because we don’t know how to act.
Comedy Blog: The Crowned Vic
Check out my comedy blog for a quick laugh, not to mention a sneak peek at how terrible I am at cooking for myself (and really others, too).
Twine Game: “Epilogue”
I also finished the first version of my Twine game!!
It's called "Epilogue," and it's a story concerned with the emotional plights of Prince Terrance years after he's already finished his quest to save the world. None too serious, it's a story that will have you in stitches: This is what happens after you hit level 99.
*Spoiler*
You hit your Storm Slide.