MY WRITING CAREER

Since 2023, I’ve been a Science Writer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As one of the world’s premiere R&D labs for science and technology — and this nation’s largest, with more than 7K people from 70+ countries — ORNL is an endlessly fascinating workplace, where there’s so much going on and plenty to learn.

Since 2010, I’ve worked as a full-time, professional writer/editor. I’ve always enjoyed both technical and creative writing and editing, but after five years as a technical writer for a state-contracted healthcare nonprofit, I craved more creativity, so I took a detour into marketing for a startup environmental-technology B2B SaaS developer. While there, I collaborated with the marketing director on a complete rebranding and web-presence overhaul to boost conversion rates and sales, writing everything from web content, blogs and social media to white papers, case studies, brochures and CEO thought leadership.

Between early 2016 and late 2022, I was on the Creative Digital Design & UX department of an award-winning, full-service, independent advertising agency with a global scope, where I was hired for my education and technical writing background primarily to help launch a new Freightliner truck for Daimler before gradually writing and editing an enormous variety of creative web content and copy for multiple industries, products, services, platforms, destinations, nonprofits, universities, federal agencies, national parks and more. I was often the go-to guy for writing and editing whatever was considered technical and/or “long form” content, but I also had plenty of opportunities to try my hand at writing brief and clever copy too, which was fun. Many examples appear on this site’s Portfolio page. This partial list below includes ad agency clients for whom I contributed writing, editing, and/or strategic input for both “content” and “copy”:

  • AUTOMOTIVE: Daimler, Detroit, Freightliner, RealTruck, Alliance Truck Parts, SelecTrucks, Thomas Built Buses, Big Tex Trailers/Sno-Way Snowplows, SeaRay, Maaco/Meineke

  • BANKING/FINANCE/INSURANCE/LEGAL: Truist, Home Federal, ENT Credit Union, First Farmers, Education Loan Finance, Farm Bureau, Protective, Markel, Joe Baker Law

  • BEER/WINE/SPIRITS/LUXURY: Yee-Haw, Warsteiner, Highland Manor, Josh Cellars, WindRacer, Paddy’s Irish Whiskey, Sazerac, Ekornes/Stressless (luxury furniture), LeMond Bikes

  • CPG/FOODSERVICE/RETAIL/GROCERY: Coca-Cola, Dole, Bush’s, Krusteaz, MoonPie, Lodge, Steak-umm, Uncle Ray’s, Capital Grille, Darden, Krystal, Shoney’s, Wal-Mart, Food City, Weigel’s, FiestaMart, Wills Group, Sam’s Club, Pilot Flying J, H.T. Hackney, National Retail Federation

  • DESTINATIONS/HOMEOWNER SERVICES: Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Gatlinburg, Tellico Village, Shannondale, Suntex Marinas, BMS CAT, Cinch Home Services, ServiceMaster

  • EDUCATION: University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, UTK Athletics, Rasmussen University, South College, Laurel Springs School

  • FEDERAL AGENCIES/ASSOCIATIONS/NONPROFITS: NASA, NHTSA, TVA, DOE, National Parks Service, Carteret Catch, US Travel Association; UN World Food Program, Knoxville Area Urban League of Young Professionals

  • HEALTHCARE/WELLNESS/LIFESTYLE: Atrium Health/Carolinas Healthcare, BioLife/Takeda, CHI St. Joseph Health, Mercy Health, Farm Bureau Health Plans, Quest Diagnostics, UT Medical Center, Orange Theory Fitness, Wellcore, Sun Tan City, Heart + Paw, ShareLife, Glanbia (nutrition)

  • TECHNOLOGY: Lyft (SaaS), ZorroSign (SaaS), ORKLA/BeeTIDY (SaaS), Hargray (ISP), Eastman (chemical), Rachio (smart sprinklers), Invisible Fence