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Welcome! This portfolio is still fairly new, so there are more writing samples on the way. In the meantime, here are a few pieces to get started with.

WHAT I DO: I'm a writer, editor, content developer, and project manager for both print and electronic media. I work with publications of all kinds, including books, catalogs, magazines and brochures, as well as Web sites, CD-ROMs, and applications. I also help refine information architecture and do basic HTML coding. I'm based in Chicago but I work remotely for clients across the country, from New York to San Francisco (and I even have one client in London).

My résumé and references are available on request.
You can contact me at dave@ocelotfactory.com.

1. Chicago Tribune Holiday Campaign. A mailer brochure for The Chicago Tribune's holiday fundraising campaign for local charities. This brochure was sent to donors from the previous year's campaign. Writing the copy included researching and writing profiles of several of the charities supported by the campaign.

2. Equity Rewards. The introduction to an employee benefits brochure for Equity Residential, an apartment-leasing firm. Equity wanted a conversational writing style with a light and friendly tone that avoided sounding formal or bureaucratic.

1. Chefwear. Eight pages from the 2002 Chefwear catalog, for which I wrote all copy, including headlines, feature copy and body copy. Chefwear sells high-quality clothing and accessories for professionals in the culinary industry. The tone and voice for the copy are upbeat and playful, with fun, clever headlines.

2. ULTA. Three pages from tab books and mailers I wrote for the ULTA cosmetics account while freelancing at Ambrosi. The headlines and descriptive copy are written to emphasize style and sophistication.

1. Sterigenics: "Everyone Loves a Quick Turnaround." An email advertisement for Sterigenics, a company that sterilizes medical equipment. This particular email blast was targeted to Sterigenics' European market, so you may notice a few British spellings. Working with Evolution Point, I concepted and wrote all copy for this campaign, which used humorous photo and headline combinations to grab attention.

2. Sterigenics: "Accuracy Matters." Another email promotion for Sterigenics' European market, this time highlighting Sterigenics' extremely accurate Compact Cell irradiator.

3. CCH Wall Street: "Changing Landscape." An email advertisement for CCH Wall Street, a company that supplies a range of compliance tools to investment brokers. I concepted and wrote all copy for this campaign, working with Evolution Point. The ad uses an eye-catching image and headline to convey the value of CCH Wall Street's compliance products, which simplify the process of keeping up with complex and constantly changing regulations.

1. "What's New in Illustrator CS." The first two pages from a special section on new features in Adobe Illustrator CS. From The Illustrator CS Wow! Book, a guide to using Adobe's Illustrator software for artists and graphic designers, published by Peachpit Press. I've been on lead author Sharon Steuer's writing team for the last three editions of The Illustrator Wow! Book.

2. "Intro to Chapter 6: Type." Six pages from the introduction to Chapter 6 of The Illustrator CS Wow! Book. This chapter focuses on explaining Adobe Illustrator's features for designing type and text. As a member of the Illustrator Wow! Book writing team, I wrote or revised the intros to most of the chapters in this edition, including Chapter 6.

1. BCU (Baxter Credit Union). Three pages from BCU's Web site for credit union members and prospective customers, showing page content on the first two pages and pop-up Help content on the third. In the fall of 2004, BCU launched a complete redesign and content revision of its Web site. Working with Tanagram Partners, I managed all content for the new version of the site, which included writing content for many pages, writing all Help content, and copyediting every page on the site.

2. The Plexus Group. Several pages of content written for the Web site of The Plexus Group, a healthcare management and consulting firm. I developed and wrote all content for this iteration of the company's site in 2002.

3. Illinois Facilities Fund. A page from the Web site of the Illinois Facilities Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance and training to nonprofits throughout Illinois. I developed and wrote all content for the 2003 iteration of the IFF's Web site, working with Tanagram Partners.

 

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