L.C. Spotlight: Kelsey Lundstrom

Welcome back to The Literary Copywriter spotlight where I feature professional writers with literary pursuits. Today I spoke with Kelsey Lundstrom, an emerging copywriter and memoirist based in New York.

Let’s hear from Kelsey!

Literary Copywriter: Tell me about your writing journey. When did you first realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you want to make a living off of your writing?

Kelsey Lundstrom: I've been a writer and storyteller my entire life, but I haven't always called myself one* (more on this below). It started when I was a kid and I would send letters and cards to anyone around me (aka my neighbor and grandma). I would ask my childhood mailman to walk my letters across the street to my neighborhood best friend or fill every inch of space with words in a card to my grandma. I had no idea back then, that there was actually a career out there for people like myself. People who wanted to tell stories and capture people's attention, beyond just my neighborhood bubble.

*I don't know what it is, but I have struggled to call myself a writer until this last year. Even though I've been doing it my whole life, I would always just dismiss it with, "oh yeah, I can write" but never actually called myself a writer. Well, guess what world? I'm a writer, nice to meet you!

L.C. Please describe your writing career. How did you get started? Who are your ideal clients.? Do you freelance or work for an agency?, etc.

K.L. After I grew up a little, learned how to spell, read, and actually write, I then studied English (writing/publication studies) as an undergrad. When I graduated (back in 2012) I wasn't exactly sure what to do with that degree, though. The first * real * job I had was writing marketing emails for webinars while wondering what the heck I was going to do with this degree.

I then took a leap, moved to NYC, and worked in the B2B media world for a few years. It wasn't always on the editorial side, but I was always around writers and immersed in media. Even if I didn't consider myself a writer. It wasn't until last year when I woke up and realized that I had let my writing passion burn. And not in a good way. I was angry with myself that I had gotten so far away from the one thing that mattered the most to me, and I was determined to get that back.

I spent a few months thinking more about the kind of writing I wanted to do and poked around in advertising. I then realized there is a role for us creative writers in this world, and it goes by the name of copywriter. I then also realized that there's something known as portfolio school, which I had never heard about. I had just turned 30 and going to a 1 or 2-year portfolio school wasn't really in the cards for me. So I worked my tail off the past 9+ months to build a spec portfolio without portfolio school. (Side note: yes, you still need a spec portfolio if you want to work in advertising, even if you've been working for 8 years.) Thank you, Linkedin, Fishbowl, Reddit, and an online class at the Denver Ad School for getting me to where I am today.

I recently "finished" my portfolio (I say "finished" because is it ever really done?!) and just got a copywriter internship at an ad agency in ATL. I had to swallow my pride and realize that it was okay to take a step backward (at least title-wise) to take a few steps in the direction you really want to go in. I'm not sure what tomorrow or next week brings, but I know that I've finally found the writing career that I can't stop thinking about. It's that can't eat, can't sleep, wake up in the middle of the night with ideas kinda feeling.

To anyone considering a career pivot, do it. You don't want to look back in 10 years and say, "I wish I had done that."

L.C. I see you're writing a memoir about a car accident you were in a few years ago. If comfortable, I'd love to learn more about this project and what you hope to gain from the experience (book deal, more publications, career change, personal growth, etc.).

K.L. Yes! Besides focusing on my new copywriting career, I'm also writing a book. I was in a life-threatening car accident a few years ago that has forever changed my outlook on life. I truly believe that from this tragedy emerged my story to tell. A story that I not only want to tell, but I know other people need to hear. It focuses a lot on learning to see the silver linings, and when all you can do is cry, why not at least laugh first until you cry?

Of course, I would love a book deal at the end of all this, but I am doing this for myself. Writing and sharing (even the little that I have) has been such a healing and wonderful process. If you want to check out a little about my story, you can read the article here.

L.C. Feel free to share how you balance work, life, and writing. It’s okay if you’re struggling with this. It’s all part of the process!

K.L. I would say that I am 100% still figuring this out. Some weeks I'm able to focus a lot on writing my book along with everything else, and others I'm not. This is okay. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself and realize that I'm doing this in a timeline that makes sense for my process. After all, it is my process. I also find it difficult after working as a copywriter all day, to even find the energy to form sentences/words sometimes, so that's always fun. Thankfully, I'd have an editor if I got a book deal. (Sorry to my future editor.)

L.C. Say someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer, but I’m afraid I won’t succeed.” What would you tell them?

K.L. If it's something that comes naturally to you and you're passionate about, pursue it anyway. Don't let fear hold you back. One of my favorite quotes is that "nothing ever grows in your comfort zone." It's okay to be afraid. It's okay to be uncomfortable. You're growing.

Also, everyone has their own definition of "success" and you can define what that word means for your own career. As a writer, it's easy to compare yourself to other writers and what their version of success may look like. Try not to fall into this trap and always remember why you started, because success will always look different for every single person. I'm a 30-year-old intern, and to some people that might not look like "success." But for me and my story, it does.

Connect with Kelsey

Bio.

Kelsey Lundstrom is an emerging copywriter who is getting her first taste of agency life as a copywriter intern at Fitzco. She is based in New York and has spent most of her career in the B2B media world, before discovering... she should have been a copywriter.

Website: https://www.kelseylundstrom.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseylundstrom/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelseylundst

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L.C. Spotlight: John Vasiliades

John Vasiliades

L.C. Spotlight 11/9/20

Welcome back to the Literary Copywriter spotlight where I feature professional writers with creative pursuits. Today I interviewed John Vasiliades, an award-winning copywriter who’s also reimagining how and where we read fiction. John works as a junior copywriter for Giant Spoon and has worked as a legal assistant and news intern for WFUV Public Radio

Let’s hear from John!

Literary Copywriter (L.C): Tell me about your writing journey. When did you first realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you want to make a living off of your writing?

John Vasiliades (J.V.): I studied political science in undergrad — on my way to becoming a lawyer. I Interned for a firm. Took the LSAT. Got my recommendations. But at the tail end of my senior year, I realized going into law would be settling. I had a few TV pilots and screenplays I had written for fun, tucked in my hard drive. And this weird daydream that I’d become a lawyer-turned-writer, like John Grisham. 

That dream just became a lot simpler when I removed the lawyer part. 

L.C. Please describe your writing career. How did you get started? Who are your ideal clients.? Do you freelance or work for an agency?, etc.  

J.V. I took a screenwriting elective my senior year of college. My teacher was Jim Jennewein — who wrote classics like Richie Rich and The Flintstones. He not only inspired my childhood Blockbuster picks, but was also an amazing mentor. Professor Jim taught me how to write, not just for myself, but for an audience. The craft that comes with discipline. To treat the art of writing like plumbing as much as painting. 

Which was exactly what I needed to flourish, and really push myself creatively. 

After college, I went to the Creative Circus, an ad school in Atlanta. It was there that I learned about advertising specifically. I landed my first internship, and from that internship — I landed another at Giant Spoon. 

My partner and I were the first creative interns in Giant Spoon’s history. And as of this moment, the only junior team in New York. This has given us the opportunity to really learn from all the amazingly smart people in our office, whether they’re in strategy, account, or creative. And it’s also given us the ability to step up to the plate. Working on everything from social posts to big pitches.

 I love entertainment, so my ideal clients would be within that category. Which is why Giant Spoon is perfect. I’ve gotten to work on briefs for Netflix, HBO, Discovery, and BBC. 

L.C. I love supporting writers who are also hard at work on a creative, personal project. This could be a novel, memoir, poetry collection etc. Tell me more about what you’re working on and what you hope to gain from the experience (book deal, more publications, career change, personal growth, etc.). I see you’re writing a series that explores a world where the public sector is dead. What inspired you to write this series, and who/what are some go to creative influences?

J.V. Agora is a Substack I created. Substack is for newsletters, but I wanted to see if I could reimagine the medium, and create five minute fiction — made for your inbox.

I write super short stories every Friday, all set in this world called Agora. It’s a universe where the public sector is dead. Where we’re governed, not by ineffective politicians, but faceless corporations.

This world was created out of anxiety. I love my industry — creative advertising is super fulfilling, challenging, and fun. It’s full of the smartest people I’ve ever met. 

But 2020 was a dire wake up call for me, as I’m sure it was for a lot of us. Basically we’ve undergone decades of change in the matter of weeks. We are still processing it. 

I think we have two options going forward. Stay on our course, which maybe wasn’t the most ideal to begin with. Or reimagine a new way. One where people like me in the private sector aren’t supposed to solve all of society’s ills. One where we’re expected to be good citizens as much as we are consumers. Where our choices aren’t made so deliberately for us.

My two inspirations for this project were A Brave New World and Black Mirror. 

Our world gets compared to 1984 a lot, but in my view, it’s a lot closer to Huxley’s vision than Orwell’s. A Brave New World is just genius, and it’s super impressive that it was written in 1931.

Black Mirror poses the right questions. It hits you with a gut wrenching twist every time. That’s something I wanted to emulate with my stories.

I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself with this one — Substack is great because every email signup means something. It’s another person reading my stories. Unlike a “like” or a “retweet” there’s a permanence I admire. So as long as I keep getting one more email signup, I’m happy. 

L.C. Feel free to share how you balance work, life, and writing. It’s okay, if you’re struggling with this. It’s all part of the process!

J.V. There’s no perfect answer to this. But putting everything on my Google Calendar (personal and work-related) helps a lot. And waking up early. My brain just works better. It’s like drugs. I like to think that one hour of morning time is worth three hours of afternoon time.

L.C. Say someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer, but I’m afraid I won’t succeed.” What would you tell them?

J.V. I’d say Google “impostor syndrome” and you might feel better. Everyone feels that way. My strategy is to fail, and fail so fast and with so much volume that by the time anyone realizes, I’m doing my next great thing. 

Click to learn more about Agora

Connect with John

Website: johnvasiliades.com

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Literary Copywriter Spotlight: Evan Brown

Welcome back to The Literary Copywriter Spotlight where I feature professional writers and copywriters with creative pursuits. Today I interviewed Evan Brown, an award-winning copywriter and creative director. Evan has developed iconic advertising for some of the most well-known brands in the world. He is also the author of New Roman Times, a novel based on a Camper Van Beethoven album of the same name, and a short story collection called A-Sides & B-Sides. With a second science fiction novel currently forthcoming, Evan took advantage of the pandemic downtime to write his first cookbook. He currently lives on the west coast with his wife, daughter and two rambunctious cats. Let’s hear from Evan!

Literary Copywriter: Tell me about your writing journey. When did you first realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you want to make a living off of your writing?

Evan Brown: I owe a debt of gratitude to two people. The first was my copywriter mom. For some reason around the age of five or six, all I heard from her was that I had the personality for advertising and would have a ball if I ever got in to it. She explained what she did and how fun it was. To my ears, it sounded like she worked with a group of artistic adults who somehow kept their imagination from atrophying. Neat as that was, I was more interested in stuff like toys and video games at that age.

 The second person was my tenth grade creative writing teacher, Marilyn Bates. She was a fantastic writer and a gifted poet in her own right. She taught the basics of storytelling and imagery. But she also did something incredibly significant for me personally. She saw the writer inside that I didn’t see at the time. Treating me as an equal even if I was a diamond in the rough had a huge impact on me, although I didn’t realize it until much later.

 I spent two summers in high school attending the Young Writer’s Institute program at the University of Pittsburgh. I don’t know why I decided to rebel against my creative nature by studying journalism at Ithaca College but it only lasted a semester. I quickly transferred to Pitt because the creative writing department was highly regarded at the time. I never looked back.

 After publishing a few poems and short stories here and there and attempting a novel during college, I realized there was no way I was going to make a living off that kind of writing. I didn’t have the temperament or patience to be a teacher which is what most of the poets I knew were doing. Somewhere along the line I recalled what my mom said and decided to give this advertising thing a try.

 After fits and starts and a lot of rejection, I sucked it up and went to the Creative Circus to get a decent student portfolio. After that, it started to fall into place.

 L.C. Please describe your copywriting career. How did you get started? Who are your ideal clients.? Do you freelance or work for an agency?, etc.

 I landed an internship at BBDO in Atlanta which turned into a full-time job. Five years later, I moved sight unseen to Montreal to work on adidas for a shop called Sid Lee. I’ve spent the past ten years in Los Angeles working at places like 72andSunny, Chiat Day, Saatchi, and Media Arts Lab. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on brands like Apple, Activision, and adidas, but to me there’s no such thing as a bad brand. Only a bad brief.

 In 2018 I decided to take time off and write a novel. While I did write the novel, I never took any time off. I’ve been permalancing as a creative director ever since. I’ve been on seven and eight month contracts working at Garage Team Mazda and Faceboook. It’s the best of both worlds as I’m there long enough to make a mark, but I still have enough time to write.

L.C. I love supporting copywriters who are also hard at work on a creative, personal project. This could be a novel, memoir, poetry collection etc. Tell me more about what you’re working on and what you hope to gain from the experience (book deal, more publications, career change, personal growth, etc.). Feel free to share how you balance work, life, and writing. It’s okay, if you’re struggling with this. It’s all part of the process!

 I often feel like I had to wait for my ability to catch up with my purpose. After a decade and a half of cranking out scripts and headlines and decks, probably writing tens of thousands of words in the process, the ad industry forced me to get better, often at a frenetic (and usually unhealthy) pace.

 The day David Bowie died, I was laid up on the sofa with pneumonia and a high fever. In that weird state I wrote a short story, the first since I lived in Atlanta. Then an idea took hold to take the titles of my favorite songs and use them as inspiration to create something new. The result was a short story collection called A-Sides & B-Sides. One of the titles of the story came from a friend of mine, who then asked if I’d be interested in turning his band’s album into a novel. With that brief, I wrote my debut, New Roman Times. Finally, in March, during month one of California’s pandemic lockdown, I wrote a dark-humored cookbook called Joy of Pandemic Cooking. And since last month, I’ve started publishing articles for sites like Spectator and Splice Today, so in a sense I’ve even come full circle on the journalism route, too. I’ve been more prolific in the past four years than at any other time in my life.

 While all of my books have been self-published by choice I’ve managed to find an audience that has been receptive to my work. Now that I’ve finished a final draft of novel number two, I’m exploring the traditional publishing route, and with it the barrage of form-letter rejection slips from literary agents that come with it. But it’s all part of the process.

 As for work-life balance, I have a routine of getting up at five in the morning and writing for a few solid hours before work and family time. Sometimes it’s seven days a week. Once I’m involved, it is total immersion. If anything, my wife will sometimes have to force me to take a day or two off.

 L.C. Writers are needed but often undermined/unappreciated. Especially those of us with literary goals in mind! If applicable, could you speak to how you’ve faced/overcome challenges in your career? It’s okay if these challenges are ongoing (they often are). Feel free to share any words of wisdom you may have from mentors, literary heroes, etc.

 It comes down to knowing your creative worth. I once worked for a horrible creative director. The kind who thinks they are the only one in the agency who can write and will rewrite everything anyone else rather than actually direct the creative as their name would imply. At first his snide and patronizing comments like “you’re just not really getting it,” or “the voice of this brand is hard, not everyone can do it,” made me question my ability and my worth. And by this time, I was an ACD.

 I was really disheartened about it. But it gradually dawned on me that I was being gaslit by an arrogant jerk. I found out later I was the seventh copywriter in his group in two years to feel that way. That validated my opinion of him and of myself.

 Having said that though, it is important to keep learning, and never rest on your laurels. You can always get better. You just have to know who to learn from.

 Whether it’s advertising or literary work, if you can surround yourself with a support group of people who will read your work and give you honest and straightforward feedback, fantastic. You only need one person you can trust. Their value is immense.

 L.C. Say someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer, but I’m afraid I won’t succeed.” What would you tell them?

 I would tell them nobody comes out of the womb a fully-formed writer. Published authors work with editors all the time. Writing will always be a work in progress and this is something to embrace not fear. The only way someone doesn’t succeed is if they never begin.

 On that note, I would also ask them to define what success looks like. Obviously, very few of us will ever make Stephen King money. But if you can support ourselves with your words, year after year? I’d call that a success.

 Connect with Evan

Portfolio

Twitter

Amazon

Interested in being featured in the L.C. Spotlight? I’d love to hear from you.

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Literary Copywriter Spotlight: Jessica Leibe

Jessica Leibe

Literary Copywriter Spotlight 8/31/20

Welcome back to the L.C. Copywriter Spotlight where I feature professional writers and copywriters with literary pursuits. Today I interviewed Jessica Leibe, a Productivity & Organization Copywriter based out of New Jersey. She also writes about Personal Growth & Wellness. When she isn't reading, watching horror movies, or earning her next belt in taekwondo, she can be found running, playing with her nephews, and daydreaming. She is currently working on a memoir.

Let’s hear from Jessica!

L.C. Tell me about your writing journey. When did you first realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you want to make a living off of your writing?

 J.L: I knew I wanted to be a writer when, in first grade, I wrote two very short stories. Literally, they were one page each. I showed them to my teacher and she told me to “never stop writing.” I’ve always loved stories. Hearing them, telling them. There’s nothing more cathartic than listening to a story that touches you. When I realized I could make a living as a writer, I was thrilled. It was probably in middle school. I finally figured it out that the authors of all those books I devour get paid to do this. Well, if they can, I can, I thought.  

 E.C.: Please describe your copywriting career. How did you get started? Who are your ideal clients.? Do you freelance or work for an agency?

 J.L. I got started in copywriting when I was scrolling through Instagram and came across Sarah Turner’s “Write Your Way to Freedom” course. Dubious at first, I kept scrolling. When the ad kept showing up, I finally did some research and signed up for the free videos. In the first one, I swore Sarah was talking to me. She got that the 9-5 was not the life I wanted. She got that I wanted the freedom to write whenever and wherever. As storytellers, being stuck under fluorescent lights eight hours a day is draining. I always kept a notebook on my desk when creativity arose. After the free videos, I officially signed up for her course in June 2020. I put in the work, followed her steps, and have since landed three clients in three months.

 My ideal clients are people in the Productivity, Time Management, Organizing, and Project Management field. I am a planner by nature and love talking about the many methods people use to be productive. Coaches and consultants are my primary clients, though I also work with planner companies. I freelance. Still doing it part-time, but hoping that come 2021, I can officially switch to full-time.

 L.C. I love supporting copywriters who are also hard at work on a creative, personal project. This could be a novel, memoir, poetry collection etc. Tell me more about what you’re working on and what you hope to gain from the experience (book deal, more publications, career change, personal growth, etc.). Feel free to share how you balance work, life, and writing. It’s okay, if you’re struggling with this. It’s all part of the process!

J.L.: I’ve written fiction for as long as I can remember. But presently, I am working on a memoir. I don’t like giving away too many details, but I will say writing non-fiction is definitely a different beast. Starting my copywriting journey has helped a great deal because it put me in the right mindset. I still love reading and writing fiction, but my memoir is the story that needs to be told now.

 I hope to get it published. I’ll actually be submitting proposals to agents soon. Already I’m gaining a deeper understanding of myself. This story is about self-acceptance in an area of my life I wasn’t always comfortable with. Looking back on my experiences and writing about them have been therapeutic and eye-opening. 

 I balance work, life, and writing by implementing the productivity hacks I’ve picked up along the way. I do my best to work on each thing at least 25-30 minutes a day with a five-minute break before starting the next task. I prioritize projects per their due date. My weekdays are usually the time I work on my copywriting and the weekend is when I focus on my writing projects, though I often dedicate time to work on both everyday.

 Of course there are days I don’t follow my plan exactly or at all. Some days my brain just says, “Time for a break,” and I listen to it. A few years ago I burned myself out trying to do too many things at once. I made myself sick. Now I’ve learned to listen to my body and mind. All it takes is one day of rest and I am ready to go. 

L.C. Writers are needed but often undermined/unappreciated. Especially those of us with literary goals in mind! If applicable, could you speak to how you’ve faced/overcome challenges in your career? It’s okay if these challenges are ongoing (they often are). Feel free to share any words of wisdom you may have from mentors, literary heroes, etc.

 J.L.: Whew! I’ve been kicked down so much. I started pitching fiction (novels) to agents since I was in college. I had a lot of projects that garnered interest from agents but while they would read the whole manuscript, they always came back with, “Thank you, but no.” That’s been going on for ten plus years so I’ve bounced back from a lot of setbacks. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of rejections for my memoir as well. But no matter what I will keep going. In this business it’s all about timing.

 I love Ray Bradbury’s quote, “You fail only if you stop writing.”

 The trick is knowing that your time will come. People say all the time in this industry, it’s subjective. And it’s true. We’re not all going to like or feel passionately about the same thing. You can’t beat yourself up if a few people don’t prefer your story. The right one will come along. A practice I do to keep my head clear of negative thoughts is journaling. I don’t try to write profound prose. Sometimes I may just write a bullet list of things that bothered me that day. By getting all frustrating and negative thoughts out, I can greet the next day with a better attitude and clean slate. A motto I often repeat to myself is, “the struggle is worth making.” I can’t remember where I heard it, but it’s one I swear by. 

 L.C.: Say someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer, but I’m afraid I won’t succeed.” What would you tell them?

 I’ll quote what Sarah Turner tells us in her course: Success is what YOU make it to be. Don’t try to emulate someone else’s success because then you are setting yourself up for failure. The most important thing I learned in my twenty-something years of writing is that everyone’s journey is different. “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

 I would also say don’t be afraid to declare yourself a writer. I think people are afraid to say “I’m a writer” to people because they’ll get the third degree. But if you claim it with confidence and pride, no one will doubt you. If they ask you more, answer their questions with confidence. “Yeah, I write short stories. I write poems. I love it.” You don’t have to justify what you do to anyone other than yourself.

 And know that your success is not going to look like someone else’s. Success for you might be finishing that manuscript you’ve had sitting on your computer for years. Success may be reading a poem at an open mic night. It’s important to sit down and decide what you want and not copy what someone else has because it’ll only drive you crazy when you don’t get it.

 Be yourself and the success you gain will be worth it.

Connect with Jessica

Copywriting Website

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn 

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