Let's find what you haven't noticed.
I'm pretty easy to get in touch with. Happy to buy you a coffee or a beer and talk about how I can help.
The questions I get asked a lot.
What if we don't know what we need yet?
Cool. Honestly, that's where most of my best work starts. "We know something's off, but we can't name it" is a great place to start. A tidy brief usually just means someone already decided on an answer and wants a writer to make it sound pretty.
The first conversation costs nothing. If it turns out you need something I don't do, I'll tell you straight up and usually point you toward whoever does.
How much do you charge?
Wow! Getting personal right away, aren't we?
Look, I charge by the project wherever possible. Hourly billing is a scam that punishes the most valuable part of the job. The thinking. The ideas. The messy but meaningful stuff. Once we talk through what you're actually trying to solve, I can give you a better idea of costs.
In the end, I never want budget to be the reason a project does or doesn't happen.
Are you available now?
Yes.
Wow. Really, that simple?
Look, I have a ridiculously understanding family, a low tolerance for overcomplicating things, and a hyper-realized sense of get-it-done. If you've read this far down the page, you're serious. So if the fit is right, I'll make the time.
Do you know a good [role]?
Yeah, I do. You don't stay in this business for 20+ years without collecting some really talented friends. If your project needs design, dev, media, or video production, I can plug in trusted partners who hit the ground running. Or happy to be part of your team. I play nice in a variety of sandboxes.
Can you travel?
Yep. I'm based in Minnesota, but I travel whenever a project actually calls for it. Coffee, whiteboard sessions, or sitting in a room to get everyone on the same page. I'll jump on a plane. Just don't make me travel for a meeting that could've been an email. Unless it's winter in Minnesota and you're somewhere warm.
Have you ever worked in [specific hyper-niche industry]?
Almost certainly. After 20+ years in this business, I've written for everything from craft spirits and tech startups to heavy machinery, healthcare, and plus-size women's exercise clothing. You can browse a slice of it on my projects page.
That said, I'm routinely reminded that the most interesting, successful projects rarely look that way from the start. What matters isn't whether I've written for your exact zip code before. It's whether we can figure out what makes you different and say it in a way humans actually care about.
We just need a writer to clear this up…
That's not a question, but I'll answer it anyway. Because I get this a lot.
Usually, when the message fails, it's not a word choice problem. It's a strategy problem. "Creative" writing can't save a core idea that nobody thought through. If the core message is clear, sharpening the copy is easy. If the thinking is muddy, we should fix that first. Otherwise, we're just putting paper over a pothole.
Can you lead a project?
Yep! I've been the copywriter, creative director, VP of creative, and the person on the hook for making sure the whole project ships. All fill my bucket, and all are roles I'm willing to play.
The writing is just how I prove the strategic thinking is real. It isn't the ceiling.
Do you work with agencies?
All the time. I've worked alongside BBDO, Wolff Olins, an alarmingly large number of Publicis Groupe shops, Fallon, Colle McVoy, ChappellRoberts, and a few dozen others. Sometimes I'm brought in as the strategist, sometimes as the writer who makes sure the strategy survives the concept.
I know how to fit into an existing workflow. I can be client-facing or I'm totally comfortable being completely invisible to your client. All part of the job.
What does a typical engagement look like?
Honestly, there isn't one. It could be a three-day rush to fix a launch campaign, a two-week sprint to nail your brand's positioning, or a multi-month overhaul building a messaging system your team will love and use for years.
What doesn't change: I'm going to poke around and ask a lot of questions right away, I'll show you raw thinking before polished decks, and if an idea isn't landing, I'll revise and rework until it does.
What's the smallest project worth calling you about?
A sentence. Genuinely. Some of my favorite client relationships started with a frantic request to fix a single line. We did that. And then turned out to be a symptom of a larger positioning problem nobody had touched in six years.
If it really is just the one line, I'll fix it, and we can both get on with our day.