What do you do at Celtic?
I’m a copywriter in our creative department. I write everything from TV and radio scripts to copy for web and print ads. Basically, anything coming out of our creative department that needs copy. I’m also involved in branding and some broadcast production, which is a lot of fun.
Tell us about a recent project you worked on that you’re proud of.
We just wrapped up work on a TV spot for Educators Credit Union that I just love. The credit union’s new tagline is “For the teacher in you.” Our job was to bring the Educators mission and the tagline to life in a way that shows the credit union is open to everyone in southeastern Wisconsin, and not limited to the kind of teacher who stands in front of a classroom. Everyone who worked on it is really happy with how it came together.
See the final TV spot here.
How did you end up working in the industry?
I always wanted to, but it took a while to accomplish. My mom was a copywriter and later a TV producer here in town too, so I guess it just seemed like the thing to do. The first job I had that was at all related to advertising was with the marketing department at Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops. I’d had an internship at a local agency during college, so I kept in touch with some of those folks over the years hoping one day they’d have a copywriter job open. After lots of patience and gentle pestering, they did. I’ve been on the agency side of things for about 6 years now.
What’s the strangest food you have ever eaten?
Haggis. But it was American haggis, which is not technically speaking the real deal. Oh, and I once had a haggis kringle, which is to say good old Wisconsin kringle with haggis filling. It was exactly as nasty as you imagine. (Sorry to anyone who’s into that culinary abomination but just…no. It is terrible.)
Do you have any weird phobias?
Getting hit in the face by a bird. Tell me that’s never crossed your mind. It would be awful.
What is the best concert you ever went to?
I don’t even know. I’ve gotten to see so many great shows over the years. The White Stripes first show in Milwaukee at Cactus stands out as a great night. That was back when the stage was in the corner and the drop ceiling was still in there, so it was really tiny and cramped when it was busy. Greg Cartwright’s solo show at Circle A was amazing. A local label put that show out as a live record, which I think you can still get as a digital download, so check it out if you like things that are great. King Khan is always really, really fun. I saw him with his Shrines play with the Black Lips in Madison a few years ago and it was excellent – a total dance party, as it should be. Any Bill Callahan show, just because he’s such a weirdo. And a little more recently, Thee Oh Sees with The Blind Shake in Chicago was a great show, as was the Gories New Year’s Eve show in 2016. That was cool because I never thought I’d get to see them. Anyway, am I humble-bragging a little bit here? No. I am actual-bragging a little bit here, and I’ve made peace with that.