words | stories | ideas

ABOUT

I’m a copywriter and creative director.
Yes, actually, I was named after Otis Redding.

Otis_Proofs-6.jpg
 
 

The best way to make someone feel is with a story.

 

I'm a copywriter who likes to ask questions, listen closely to the answers and then dig into the process of making things come alive. I can flex from Sr. Writer to ACD to CD with a quickness, and am equally at home making the work or leading a team into the thick of it.

I have more than 15 years of experience spanning creative copy, brand voice development and journalism. For the last ten years, I’ve been focused on strategic and creative copywriting for brands, including campaign development, script writing and social media copy and content.

I’ve worked with brands like Google, REI, Nike, Adidas, Nest, PayPal, Sonos, Stouffer’s, Buitoni, SweeTARTS, Outshine, and Columbia Sportswear to bring brand stories, large and small, to life. Agencies I’ve partnered with include Swift, Nemo, Cinco Design, Ziba Design, Wieden + Kennedy, Possible and others who choose to remain Top Secret (not kidding). 

Journalism of mine has appeared in a range of publications both print and online, including Bicycling Magazine, Bon AppétitSaveur, Epicurious, and Portland Monthly. My poems have appeared in Poetry International, Washington Square, Inkwell, The Clackamas Literary Review and elsewhere. 

I grew up surfing, climbing and riding BMX bikes in San Diego, moved to Portland, OR for college and have been here ever since. There were a few years at New York University, where I was a University Fellow and earned an MFA in poetry, ate a lot of ramen, and generally fell in love with things. I miss New York all the time, but she understands. 

 
 
 
 

Nice things
about me

 

New York University Fellow, MFA Program, Poetry 1997-99

Bronze Lion, Cannes 2017

Can drive a forklift. Mad knife skills. Good with a cocktail shaker.  

Master Sommelier dropout—but still pretty strong with a wine list.