Jamie is a copywriter in NYC. First, check out his work. Then, check out his rez. Since graduating from Miami Ad School in 2005, he’s worked at a couple of shops, freelanced at a bunch, and is now about to launch an eco-denim company. Which, to MC, seems to perfectly align with the CWs coming out of Miami Ad School (influenced by CP+B), which Jamie attended. Entrepreneurs, idea factories, world tours.
Portfolio: jaimeschwarz.com
Ladies and gentlemen, MC is honored to present the portfolio sites of the 2011 VCU Brandcenter graduating copywriters (in alphabetical order):
Adam Aceino – aceino.com
Bill Carlson – wrcarlson.com
Scott Cleveland – scottrcleveland.com
Ryan Contillo – ryancontillo.com
Sam Dolphin – samdolph.in
Jeff Hornung – jeffreyhornung.com
Lane Karczewski – lanekarczewski.com
Richard Langhorne – richardlanghorne.com
Brian Naujelis – briannaujelis.com
Simon Philion – simonphilion.com
Samantha Ridgway – samridgway.com
Lauren Simon – llsimon.com
David Sloan – meamdavid.com
Jennifer Stopka – jenniferstopka.com
Julian Tippins – juliantippins.com
Rebecca Ullman – rebeccaullman.com
Adam Wolinsky – heckvetica.com
Claire Wyckoff – clairewyckoff.com
Another stand-up comic. Another affiliation with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Another killer student book proving that: #1 Comedians make awesome copywriters and #2 VCU is one of the top copywriting schools for comedians on the planet.
Portfolio: simonphilion.com
Lane is one of the lucky VCU Brandcenter grads who’s already landed a gig. He’ll be ripping it up at AKQA in San Francisco on Audi. How fun is that? So fun. Look out SoMa. Here comes Lane.
Portfolio: lanekarczewski.com
Check out Rebecca’s cool campaigns for Foursquare, Hanes, Mini Thrill Rides, and Carfax. Love the writing of her site, too. Rebecca’s got a wicked smart, snappy voice that’s just fun to read. Almost as fun as her Visual Addendum page, featuring the above photo. Quality.
Portfolio: rebeccaullman.com
VCU is so hooked into the industry, you know that themes in VCU student books are themes agencies are asking to see. In Adam’s, one of those themes is loud and clear: crazy innovation. Or, outlandish entrepreneurial strategic grenades. Something like that. He’s got an end-of-the-world campaign for Costco, Get Gay Married human rights campaign, one for an even faster version of Ramen, and a New Balance race for seniors called The Geriathlon.
Portfolio: heckvetica.com
MC has often said that surfers make good copywriters. Surfers and drummers. Got another one to add to that list: comedians. Don’t know if she surfs or drums, but Claire is funny. Before VCU, she studied improv at Middlebury College, and at Improv Olympic and Upright Citizen’s Brigade. It shows. Smart, hilarious, fantastic writing all over her portfolio.
Portfolio: clairewyckoff.com
Craig is a copywriter/CD at CP+B. The work on his site is presented as a simple reel, or downloadable reel/book. If you’re like MC, you see copywriter/CD at CP+B and you’re like, “Oh damn. This one’s going to kill.” Guess what? It kills.
Portfolio: craigmillercreative.com
Ryan is a copywriter at CP+B. As David Roth, copywriter and friend of MC put it, “probably no person with 2.5 years of experience with more work to show for it.” (Thanks for the heads-up, David.) Wow.
Portfolio: ryanraab.virb.com
Will is a copywriter at Venables Bell in SF. Been there four years, after graduating from Circus. Check out his ComedyFetish.com campaign. Sick. In PRINT/OOH, check out his Slim Jim T-shirt. Brilliant.
Portfolio: thebookofgorman.com
Jeff is a copywriter at Saatchi in Los Angeles. Sometimes you see a piece in someone’s portfolio and you’re just like, “Oh wow, check out that salad car. Dangit, I want to make a salad car!”
Portfolio: stop7workshop.com
Jane is a freelance copywriter in Madison, formerly at Leo Burnett. Her portfolio is classic Burnett, featuring work for Special K, Go-Tarts and Secret. Click into Broadcast and then scroll down to Go-Tarts. Casting is priceless.
Portfolio: copybyjanekoh.com
Jim is a copywriter/CD in Los Angeles. His site is hosted on Krop. Love how the horizontal slider lets you nav through integrated campaigns quick and easy. Each starts with a simple set-up card, then goes big pieces to outer reaches. He’s also got a deep radio selection, which has become a rarity on writer sites. Tip o’ the Hat.
Portfolio: jimrealcreative.com
Greg is a copywriter/ACD at Firehouse in Dallas. He’s got a brand new site that’s loaded with killer work. Don’t misses: Spike TV, Full Throttle + NHRA, K-Y, and Mother Candles.
Portfolio: cargocollective.com/greghunter
Jose is a copywriter/ACD at CP+B in Boulder. Check out the above spot for Pepto Bismol, which Jose wrote at Leo Burnett Lapiz in Chicago for the U.S. Hispanic market. Burrito, mobster, burrito, Frankenstein, burrito, alien, burrito. Oh, and the burrito is a romantic burrito. Now that’s a script.
Portfolio: josefunegra.com
Steven is a copywriter/CD/VP at McCann NYC. You know what’s awesome? When a CD with the credentials, portfolio and experience that Steven’s got includes a campaign on his site that’s all about making “the 5th floor of Ogilvy’s old office a livelier place.” Love it.
Portfolio: stevennasi.tumblr.com
Jeff is a copywriter/ACD at Cramer-Krasselt in Milwaukee. (Brand new gig, big congrats Jeff.) Check out this note to Jeff from Jason Alexander, after Jason received Jeff’s first script for his Jenny Craig Video Blog, “Jeff, I am literally blown away. Brilliant. I couldn’t have said it better. You truly got my voice down. I have no notes and anyone who knows me knows that is a first. It’s perfect. Go with it and thank you. If I ever run for office you are hired as my official speechwriter. Happy holidays. I’m telling my wife that I am blown away or in the words of George, ‘I am speechless. I am without speech’.” Nice.
Portfolio: vzcreative.com
Carol is a copywriter in São Paulo, Brazil. Sometimes you see an ad or a spot and you think to yourself, “How the heck have I not thought of doing that before?” Check out Carol’s Crazy About Ketchup spot for Hellman’s. How the heck have you not thought of doing that before?
Portfolio: cargocollective.com/carolsaraiva
Howard is a senior copywriter in NYC. His site features integrated work for six clients, plus a one-shots page, plus a page of outtakes. I recommend you click into DIRECTV and watch the Wayne’s World brand spot. Then go down to Outtakes and watch the Wayne stand-in just melt under the pressure of trying to say a lead-in line to Kim Basigner. Who wouldn’t?!
Portfolio: krop.com/howardhill
Thomas is a junior copywriter at BBDO Germany. How much does MC enjoy posting sites from outside the States? Lots. (Hint: Send ’em!) So cool to see what kind of opportunities junior writers get at BBDO Germany. Don’t miss: Sharpie Extra Fine. Dig it.
Portfolio: thomas-kuhn.com
James is a copywriter/CD in Tampa. Lots to click around and explore on his site. I went into Digital and then Sleepsonian Institute, where I watched a video called Dust Mites. Apparently, they can excrete 200 times their body weight. Which, naturally, reminded me of one of the greatest things about being a copywriter. The accumulation of brilliant trivia about a completely random assortment of topics.
Portfolio: jamesrosene.com
Michael is a copywriter/CD at Noise Digital in Vancouver. He’s got a new site that’s super clean and loaded with killer work. Don’t miss his Be Remarkable Videos for Credit Unions of BC. Smart writing and awesome animation. Had to be so fun to make. Good times.
Portfolio: michaelmilardo.com
David is a copywriter in NYC. Tons of work for some serious brands on his site. Check out Digital/360 for three case studies, including a cool one about updating the Vlasic Stork. Love seeing the progression of the character from old to new. Love it when creatives take the time to demo creative dev like that. Nice.
Portfolio: davidmcmillanwriter.com
Adam is a recent Miami Ad School grad in NYC, looking for his first copywriting gig. You know what you don’t see much of in student portfolios these days? Good radio. Check out “Peet’s Coffee” on Adam’s site, which landed him a 2nd Place Student Mercury Award. Nice.
Portfolio: gothelf.tv
John is a copywriter/CD in Minneapolis, formerly at Martin Williams and Carmichael Lynch. In Television, click on Staples and watch the second spot. One of my all-time faves.
Portfolio: neumannsod.com
Kevin is a copywriter at WONGDOODY in Los Angeles, been there since May 2010 after graduating from Circus. What a great shop to land at right out of school. Such an awesome time in the career. Getting killer work produced, swapping out student campaigns for real stuff in the book, staying at Shutters when you’re like 25 years old and two nights’ hotel bill is equal to one month’s paycheck. But who cares? You thought up a giant skeleton outdoor board while you were peeing in the shower one morning and someone paid $200k to build the thing. (Just made that up. Not Kevin’s actual story.) Love it.
Portfolio: cargocollective.com/kevinsteele
Steven is a copywriter/ACD at AKQA. He’s got a shiny new site that begins with an absolutely hilarious Website Orientation Video Program. Love it love it love it.
Portfolio: steveohville.com
Gene is a senior copywriter/ACD at Anson-Stoner in Orlando. Most copywriters, it’s probably fair to say, enjoy the “writer” portion of the word “copywriter” more than the “copy” portion. Advertising is good, but writing is what it’s all about. Take a stroll through Gene’s site, you’ll see.
Portfolio: genealbamonte.com
Ted is a copywriter/ACD at R/GA in San Francisco. He’s written and illustrated a hilarious book called Paper Doll Orgy, which features a quote from Conan O’Brien on the front, “Ted McCagg is a truly original thinker who really makes me laugh. And for that, I hate him.”
Washington Post Review: Click here
Ryan is a senior copywriter in San Francisco, previously at McCann and GSP (as an account guy). His site is based on a stack of paper. In his words, “One day I started cleaning out my files because they were moving us. So I started to stack up all my old briefs, dead ads, scripts, etc. into a neat little 8.5×11 pile. By the time I cleared out two years of shit, the stack was about three feet high. It looked too interesting to throw it away, so I taped it up. It became an art piece as a joke. I found a stand and put a $3000 price tag on it. I held a contest for names: “Dead Weight,” “Tower of Futility,” and the overly pretentious “Work” are some of my favorites. I settled on “The Other 96%” because it represents all the bullshit we have to go through to make something that shouldn’t be as hard as it really is. Later I realized some of the better things I’ve done aren’t (theoretically) in the stack, so I turned the it into a site idea. And I suppose, in some way, made use of all the good n’ bad things in the pile that never came to be.” Love it.
Portfolio: ryanhartsfield.com