Hi! My name is Sara Judson Brown. I am the new copywriter and content strategist at Gaslight Creative. At various times, I’ve been called a writer, a copywriter, a comma jockey, a communications specialist, a communications consultant, a content writer, a content specialist, a content creator, and even an über writer content specialist consültant.
Just kidding on that last one, but I do think the umlauts make me seem more powerful.
I’m a writer and I write stuff. I’ve been with Gaslight a little more than a week happily proofing copy and writing content and headlines for websites, collateral and branding.
I am new to Gaslight, but I am also new to the St. Cloud area. The family and I moved from Des Moines, Iowa, in 2014 so my husband, John, could start his new job at St. Cloud State University. We now live in Sauk Rapids with our two kids.
Finding a job was high on my list of things to do after the move. After a few months, a fellow über writer told me that Gaslight was looking for a copywriter. I tossed them my resume, Jodie and Kelly contacted me for an interview, and in what had to be a new land-speed hiring record, they offered me the job. It’s been great getting to know the creative team. I know I’m going to like it here.
I’m not sure what else to include in this post so here are a few more tidbits of note:
Are you a native Iowan?
Nope. I moved to Iowa to go to Drake University in Des Moines. Before that I lived in Colorado where I graduated from high school and in New Mexico for a brief time while I was in college. My family is originally from New Jersey (this explains my weird accent). I also lived on Guam when my dad was in the Navy. It always gets complicated when people ask me about my hometown.
What do you think of Minnesota winters?
I always thought Iowa winters were tough. Moving here has shown me we have now stepped up to the major leagues. For the record, Colorado winters are warmer by comparison.
You mentioned kids. Names?
Emma and Hayden. They are adjusting well after the move and looking forward to exploring their new state. Emma plays the violin and Hayden has fallen in love with hockey.
Do you ever get writer’s block?
I don’t believe in writer’s block, but I do sometimes have trouble writing. So what’s the difference? If you believe there is a mystical force blocking you from putting words on a page, you are doomed. Don’t wait for your muse to show up. Sit. Write. Work through it.
First real world job after college?
Scriptwriter for the custom video training industry. I still tend to think in terms of scenes and dialogue when I write.
What is the strangest training video script you’ve ever had to write?
It’s a tie between how to perform a pig necropsy (pig autopsy) and sexual harassment training for people who work in amusement parks.
When did you know you would end up as a writer?
I think the first time I realized I could write was in the eighth grade. I wrote a short story for an English assignment that my teacher liked so much she read to the class. My classmates looked at me strangely for about a week (the story was a bit dark). It wasn’t until I was interviewing for college that writing became a serious career option.
Brushes with celebrities?
I once wrote a training video starring Jonathan Winters. I also got to meet Tim Conway.
Hobbies and other interests?
I like to read and write in my spare time (occupational hazard). Movies – Star Trek and Star Wars will always be favorites and comedies like Mel Brooks and Monty Python still make me giggle. And, yes, I will randomly throw movie quotes into every day conversation, so be warned. I love to play volleyball, but haven’t had a team to play with for several years. I also used to do volunteer work as a clown – balloon animals and magic tricks – and was a member of a local clown alley in Des Moines.
There’s a lot more I could write about in this first post – exploding turkeys, police reports on missing wagons, and adventures in video production – but I’ll hold onto those for another time. If you want to read some of my adventures in fiction writing, click here for a micro-story I wrote for Everyday Weirdness.