I'm a senior copywriter and content specialist based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. I help organisations of all sizes, and from sectors that span healthcare, non-profit, tech, finance, automotive, and more.

 

I’ve done this as a freelancer, and in full-time roles including Head of Copy, Deputy Creative Director, and Associate Creative Director at agencies including Eleven Miles, Digitas/Digitas Health, MullenLowe, OgilvyOne, Grey, Stereo Creative, JWT, McCann-Erickson and more.

 

I'm currently the sole content and communications specialist at a B2B pharmaceutical company. I research, write and manage the formal sign-off process for all content. I collaborate with scientists and senior leadership to ensure everything is clinically accurate, compliant, and clear. 

 

Empathy is a writer’s best friend

I've always believed that the best copy comes from understanding the reader. This instinct led me to complete a Professional Diploma in User Experience Design (SCQF Level 8, 87%) with the UXDI and Glasgow Caledonian University. 

 

I picked up my first digital brief in 1993. ‘One day’, said Midland Bank (now HSBC), ‘all banking will be done online’. They were right, only it wasn’t going to happen with 28.8k dial-up speeds. But, I was intrigued by this new medium, and found myself thinking about security, logins, and how the internet could display information.

 

Fast-forward three decades and I’ve finally formalised my UX skills. User tests, data analysis, affinity diagrams, forms, micro-copy, and more, have given me a more detailed picture of all things digital.

 

Better still, I was able to put my learning to good use before I graduated. In the same week I graduated, I became a named researcher on a peer-reviewed scientific paper about accessibility for neurodiverse people, produced in partnership with Oxford University. 

 

And I'm not done with learning: I’m now completing a Certificate in Professional Content Design, also with UXDI/Glasgow Caledonian University.  

 

Finally, a use for the ai in my name

I use AI to speed up my workflow. It’s helpful for research and initial drafts, but it’s also helped me find new ways to solve business problems, from auto-updating sales materials to creating SEO/GEO strategies and outlining thought leadership articles for senior stakeholders in niche industries.

 

As useful as that is, AI can’t think laterally. It wouldn’t think to make MPs wait a moment to view content, an idea that triggered an emergency debate in Parliament and a change in the law that helped people diagnosed with cancer. 

 

Nor would it think to cover Manchester city centre in public health stickers, turning a £5k budget into £380k of free media.

 

And it certainly wouldn’t think to take the p*** out of footballers, turning a viral film into a TV spot aired in full on the BBC and Sky Sports (and ensuring it was shown at every England home game at Twickenham for ages). 

 

For that kind of thinking, drop me a line.