Copywriter CV - 20 years as a copywriter
1992-present. Freelance Copywriter working on a wide variety of brands across a universal range of industries
Iin 1992 I moved from Yorkshire to Kent. So I made the decision to leave my full-time copywriting job and become a freelance copywriter.
In those days freelance copywriters worked in-house for local advertising & marketing agencies. No copywriters had a website and few copywriters, if any, did business over the Net.
I quickly established a thriving freelance copywriting business in the Kent area working as a copywriter for some fantastic local advertising agencies, many of whom I still keep in touch with today.
Resident freelance copywriter for Judith Donovans, RP&F and more
In 1996 I moved back to Yorkshire where I spent a number of years as the resident freelance copywriter for top direct marketing agencies, Judith Donovans (JDA), RP&F and Direct Relations, plus a number of other leading advertising & direct marketing agencies and design studios.
I also continued to work with former colleagues from my full time advertising agency days who were delighted to welcome me back on a freelance basis.
Freelancing for top agencies enabled me to work on a wide range of accounts from insurance (Pearl, Direct Line and Royal Liver) and consumer (Royal Mint, Hawkshead, Tesco Direct, Halfords, Empire Stores, Damart, Onken Yoghurt and Tradex) to travel (Thomson and JMC), business to business (Parcelforce), charities (Mencap and PDSA), various VISA affinity cards and many more.
"A freelance copywriting website? It'll never work! "
Creativecopy.co.uk was launched in 2000. My ad agency colleagues said it would never work; freelance copywriters couldn't possibly make a living on the Net! But I proved them wrong. Very wrong!
Since its launch Creative Copy has grown from strength to strength. So much so that the 'credit crunch' years of 2008 and (so far) 2009 have been my best ever - even though there are now hundreds of freelance copywriters on the Net.
In 2002 I launched profitpullingsalesletters.co.uk, a website specialising in sales letters. Initially this was a shot in the dark; I had no idea if it would work. However it's gone on to become just as successful as Creative Copy.
Through both websites I work direct with businesses of all types and sizes across the UK plus many advertising agencies and design studios. Some of my clients have been with me almost since the start and most return to me again and again.
1991-1992. Senior Copywriter, Charles Walls Advertising, Leeds
Here I produced response-driven copywriting for everything from Maxfli golfing products through to Masonite Doors, Coalite, furniture, industrial products and chemicals.
1989-1991. Senior Direct Marketing Copywriter, Poulter plc, Leeds
I produced copywriting for a vast range of accounts from cars (Lada), public utilities (Yorkshire Electricity) and children's sweets (Trebor Bassett) through to electronics (Sharp), industrial products (Yorkshire Fittings), breweries (Bass and Stones), breakdown cover (Green Flag) and finance (various banks and building societies).
It was whilst working here that - in partnership with David Oddy, my art director / designer - I won a number of copywriting awards.
1988-1989. Copywriter, BRAHM, Leeds
Again, a wide variety of accounts from cars (Porsche and Yugo), knitting yarn (Wendy Wools), public utilities (British Gas and British Telecom) and food products (Rank Hovis MacDougall) through to finance (various banks) and breweries (Tetleys).
This really was a case of being thrown in at the deep end as a Junior Copywriter. But within days I was working on exciting projects like video scripts for British Telecom, double-page advertisements for Wendy Wools and direct mail packs for British Telecom, British Gas and Yugo Cars. I even did a bit of work for Porsche!
1987-1988. PA to Director/Part-time Copywriter, Clarendon Advertising, Leeds
Here I was lucky enough to work for an excellent advertising agency that encouraged me to build a small copywriting portfolio. This enabled me to land my first job as a fully-fledged copywriter at BRAHM (see above).
1985-1987. PA to Company Secretary. Collett, Dickenson, Pearce & Partners Ltd (Advertising), London.
My first insight into the world of advertising in one of the Top Five advertising agencies in the UK. Here I worked alongside the creative teams and copywriters responsible for memorable TV commercials like the Hamlet Cigars ads, etc.
Before 1985?
After graduating from university in 1980 and taking a post-graduate PA / business administration diploma I worked as a senior management PA:
PA to Pro Rector (Vice Principal), Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminister)
PA to Finance Director / Department, RTZ Oil & Gas, London (part of Rio Tinto Zinc)
PA to Human Resource Director, The Burton Group plc, Leeds
