A client once said: “Kate writes like someone who’s never read marketing content before.” I’ve been crowing about that ever since.
When we start fresh, peeling back all the habitual assumptions about what makes your brand matter, we become more human. We start having conversations. We tell stories with a corporate voice that's more thoughtful, resonant, and appealing. That's where white space—clarity, confidence, good composition—begins. Starting fresh. That's how it is for every industry, agency, startup, or corporate gorilla alike.
Let's begin.
shed creative is
A deeply-experienced extension of your creative team. As a writer, strategist, and author, I bring brand reinvention, strategy, and award-winning narrative to aspirational and established companies around the world from the wild shores of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.
From Fast Company to Whole Foods (noted best-in-class by the James Beard Awards and Mashable), Yoxi, Beyond, the THNK School of Creative Leadership, Telus, Blast Radius, NATIONAL Public Relations, and Vision Critical, I have had the honour of working with extraordinarily innovative, creative people for twenty years. I love my work.
services
MESSAGING STRATEGY:
YOUR brand DNA
A nimble and eminently practical messaging blueprint for your go-forward brand. For consensus and a fresh start before embarking on any new mandate, project, or business model. An iterative, living document of who you are and why what you do (and how you do it) matters. Wisely revisited and widely shared. Deliberately sparse and tight to expose gaps, redundancies, and relationships between offerings, differentiators, ideals, and audiences. We begin with a conversation.
BRAND JOURNALISM:
POPULATING THE STORY
Draw out your stories for a richer brand universe. Help audiences relate, feeling an affinity for your company and what you do. When what you present is well-expressed and well-mapped, you gain thematic confidence. Long-form interviews, thought leadership essays, or features that add value by tapping into the accumulated smarts within your brand. PR stories to pitch, web content for sites, ad copy, hooks. From social channel posts to curated shares, outsource your storytelling.
COPYWRITING:
BEST-FOOT FORWARD
Sometimes, you just need polish. Step forward with content support for every important opportunity, pitch, or presentation. You may need a jam session, or for someone else to assemble ideas, observations, and background research. Together, we can turn a conversation or your first draft into a tight, crisp, and compelling package that puts your team and its strengths in the best possible light. First, to engage your audience, speak your intentions well.
CLIENTS
Twenty years of writing for brand-new startups, established giants, and creative powerhouses; strategies and content changing as fast as the times. The best way to get a sense of me — and our potential — is to have a conversation. The only other sum-up is the whirlwind: a wildly diverse array of brilliant clients and work spanning thought leadership, brand manifestos, culture commentary, and lead generation in every possible form. Let’s work together.
"KATE'S CONCEPT DESIGN, EXPRESSION, ART DIRECTION, AND EXECUTION IS INVALUABLE. SHE HAS A WAY OF UNEARTHING THE UNEXPECTED BY MAKING LATERAL LEAPS INTO fresh TERRITORY. SO MUCH GROUND IS TRODDEN, BUT SHE CREATES A NEW PATH.
I’ve worked with Kate for years, and can’t imagine not having her at-hand for any creative or ambitious project. She’s got an incredible eye, and jumps very quickly from scribbled notes to something brilliant. As soon as I begin something new, Kate is the first person I call. She’s a must-have for truly great work.”
—Sarah Dickinson, Managing Director, THNK School of Creative Leadership
"Kate has an incredible capacity for expressing complexity in an engaging way. On top of that, she is an absolute pleasure to work with."
—Michael Fergusson, CEO, Ayogo Inc.
"Kate is fresh, engaging, conversational and incredibly creative—masterful like no other marketing writer I’ve ever worked with."
—Brian Mitchinson, SVP, Blast Radius
"Kate is undoubtedly one of the most tremendous writers I have worked with. She can jump into anything with almost immediate self-sufficiency, independence, and insight."
—Jennifer Torney, Senior Vice President & Partner, Fleishman Hillard
UP IN THE CROWSNEST
Halfway between Vancouver and Amsterdam, a grand sea captain’s house sits on the shore of Nova Scotia's North Atlantic. Faraway clients have overheard the crackle of my woodstove for fifteen years. Strategy sessions, interviews, conference calls. I am with you in my crowsnest studio, or with you on-site. It works, beautifully.