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THOM
SCHOENBORN
Portland, Oregon
971-235-7884
thomschoenborn@gmail.com
Copywriter. Strategist. Mischief-maker.
SPARQ — June, 2005 to July, 2006
Content Manager, Etc. The scariest thing in the world is a small
company filled with can-do attitudes. Write, manage
and publish a 120-page glossy quarterly magazine with a staff
of three. "Can do!" Publish weekly stories, stats and photos
online. "Great!" Don't forget the email blasts! "No problem!"
And could figure out how to put video on the website. "Sure!"
We do more amazing work with fewer resources than any tight
band of creatives ever could. Ever. Bar none. Leonardo Da Vinci,
Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles? We'd run circles around
them, perhaps even if they were alive.
FREELANCE — December, 2000 to
June, 2005
Writer for Hire. Small business owners always amaze me with their
passion and creativity. And yet they call me in, flustered, because
they "don't know what to say." I talk to them for 20
minutes on the phone and they've told me 90 percent of what will
be in their ad, Website or brochure. Usually, all their idea needs
is a little polish and direction, which is why it's their turn
to be amazed when they get such an itsy-bitsy copywriting invoice.
CURIOSITY
GROUP — March, 2002 to June, 2003
Copy Writer and Co-Emcee
of the Holiday Talent Show. If I may toot my own horn, I was "The
Man" for MacForce, our sister company and my primary client.
My team took what had been a chore account and turned it into the
best, most envied team in the agency with a campaign that was out
of this world. Sales rocketed. If these stellar puns seems alien,
get in on the gag by looking at the MacForce
site. Also worked on HP's consumer newsletter and Web site,
but managed to keep my head from exploding by writing everything
on my iBook.
ARNERICH
MASSENA & ASSOC. — September to November, 2001
Marketing and Education Writer. Like most people, you'd probably
rather juggle flaming chainsaws than read about 401(k) plan details
and IRA rollovers. But what if it were interesting? What
if someone could explain it to you so that you were actually excited
about your future, instead of counting the seconds until the mandatory
retirement plan meeting were over? I considered that my challenge
at AM & A:
I was responsible for writing financial education material aimed
at regular people who had real jobs and couldn't care less about
mutual-fund betas and asset allocation. I also helped launch marketing
campaigns for Arnerich Massena, including client letters, new product
kick-offs and the company brochure. It was a short stint after
six months of freelancing, but we did some good work.
WHITE
HORSE — November, 2000 to September, 2001
Advertising Copywriter and Web Content Provider. White Horse gave me my first taste
of "real" advertising, primarily banner ads and landing
pages for various MSN and AT&T Wireless promotions. We were wacky, zany, and not just a little racy as we targeted their online teen and college customers. I mean, we created an ad with a flaccid cell phone! And they still paid me that week! Plus I helped write copy for Web sites and Flash movies for clients like Cotelligent, Model Technology,
CyberCash, MSN Music, and more. And as the dot-bomb fell, when the dash
for cash became a panicked sprint, I directed and wrote copy for
several new business presentations and proposals.
COMMUNI(K)
— June, 1999 to November, 2000
Marketing and Education Writer. Ah, my first job in marketing after
being raised in the Ivory Tower of Journalism. But it was a blast,
and I soaked up everything I could. The real fun came from the creative
direction I provided for several in-house marketing initiatives.
But mostly, I parlayed my financial education into easy-to-understand
articles for 401(k) plan participants. I also created materials
for plan enrollment, IRA rollovers, stock purchase plans, executive
deferred compensation plans, and more. Snooz-erific topics for most people, but
I tried to keep the copy lively. My major clients included E*TRADE,
SunTrust Bank, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS
DAILY — September, 1997 to June, 1999
Reporter. Life in Los Angeles was pretty good. Except for the rampant
crime, absence of personal space, and sickening pollution. Here
I learned all about financial markets, something for which I'll
be forever indebted to the editors. I wrote a few feature stories
about executives and companies, but nothing ground-breaking. Mostly
I compiled news from wire reports. I became a master of the blurb,
which seemed a cruel torture at the time but has turned into a valuable
skill during my agency years.
BACHELOR OF ARTS
School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon |