laura holland belk content strategy & creation
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A work in progress, I humbly present my résumé


1985/1986. Spent a year or two, straight out of grad school, working in PG&E's Rate Communication Department doing desktop publishing and translating CPUC rulings into easily digestible sound bytes suitable for rate-payer consumption.

1986/1987. Did a year as a Desktop Publishing Copywriter at Golden Bear Travel. In case you didn't know, Golden Bear Travel was the largest cruise-only, direct-mail travel agency in the United States. I wrote a lot of balmy, tropical, bridge-oriented copy and designed and produced about a billion travel brochures targeted at 70-year-old widows.

1987/1997. Spent the next 10 years immersed in the creative process of a 20-person advertising, sales promotion, and direct response agency known as Pickett Communications. There, I worked as a Desktop Publishing Editor, Senior Copywriter, and finally Associate Creative Director. Like most San Francisco agencies, we specialized in High Tech, Finance, Wine and Spirits, and Entertainment. Over the years, I worked on everything -- from initial proposals, concepts, schedules, and bids through final copy, press checks, and delivery. Some of the accounts I worked on included Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Wells Fargo Bank, Sterling Vineyards, Berkeley Systems, Bank of America, Seagram's, Levi's, Guinness, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and tons more.

1997/2000. Leaving the stress, insanity, and extreme hours of agency life behind, I scored a job at Autodesk -- makers of design software for architects, engineers, game developers, and movie special effects experts. As a Senior Writer and Copy Development Manager, I wrote a lot of website content, scripts for online demos, an annual report, some great pieces for the education department, a nice collection of Powerpoints for the sales force, a bunch of box copy, data sheets, brochures, corporate branding messages, and one extremely controversial party invitation.

2000 and beyond. For the past decade, I've enjoyed a flourishing freelance career helping huge Fortune 100 companies, modest NGOs, and unknown start-ups turn their messages into captivating stories that attract interest, inspire loyalty, and ultimately seal the deal.
   

Some of my beloved clients, past and present

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of working for tons of cool companies and with scores of professional, focused, absolutely brilliant people who have been fun, inspiring collaborators. Can't list every company or every person, but a wide range of faves are listed below.
  • Adobe
  • Animated Speech Corporation
  • Autodesk
  • Big Sky Communications
  • Bourgeois Gypsies
  • Business Objects
  • Envision Technology Marketing
  • Esalen
  • Hewlett-Packard
  • Ingres
  • Joe Fajen Technical Writing
  • KAI2 Communications
  • Kimpton Hotels
  • Kipchoge and the Ginger Ninjas
  • PivotLink
  • Sensua Organics
  • Sierra Hot Springs
  • Simple Medicinals
  • SolutionSet (formerly Haggin Marketing)
  • Spirit Rock Meditation Center
  • Sympathical Pharmaceuticals
  • Sutter Home Winery
  • The Tippit Network
  • Topica
  • William Salit Design
  • Xtracycle

Do you want to know about my education?

If I had my druthers, I'd remain a professional student forever and ever. Not currently an official student of anything but life these days, I do plan to go back and study all kinds of diverse subjects -- from computer programming and straw bale building to philosophy, cosmology, and consciousness -- after the kids are raised.

1981. College of Marin, AA, Behavioral Science
1983. Sonoma State University, BA, Psychological Research
1985. California Institute of Integral Studies, MA, Integral Counseling
2004. Earth Activist Training, Certificate, Permaculture Design Consulting
  

Want to know more? Email me, I'll tell you everything

email laura@laurahollandbelk.com