Hi! I’m Kate. I love words. I especially love using words to help people get things done. That’s why I’m a UX writer. I’ve worked with companies like TrueCar, Acura, ZipRecruiter, Microsoft, Southern California Edison, and DIRECTV. I find the narrative at the heart of a product, then use that narrative to tell customers what the product is for, how it works, and how to use it — while, if possible, adding a bit of surprise and delight along the way.
You’ll also see that my portfolio includes marketing writing. In my opinion, UX and marketing writing go hand in hand. My favorite roles have involved lots of collaboration between the marketing and UX teams. Both teams create a detailed picture of their audience, so that the UX writers can then tell them how to use the product, and the marketing writers can tell them how it’ll make their lives better. Great landing pages always balance marketing pizzazz with UX common sense. Kind of like peanut butter and chocolate, they just go together. (Shoutout to Dove Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter Promises. Why’d they have to stop making you? I miss you.)
So how did I get here? Let me tell you my story. I was born in London, England. I lived there until I was 11, when my family and I moved to sunny Los Angeles, California, and I gazed out the taxi window at all the palm trees, like Balki Bartokomous seeing Chicago for the first time.
In high school, I refused to give up my English sartorial style of vintage Levi's 501s and big black Doc Marten boots, and the kids decided I must be some sort of a goth drug addict. In truth, I was a nice girl with a funny accent who liked to write. And while goth music is awesome, I was much more of a metalhead. When I wasn't studying, I spent my time going to concerts: my first show was Aerosmith and Skid Row at the Coliseum. I threw my devil horns with conviction; I waved my lighter with fervor.
For college, I decided I wanted to see what the East Coast was all about. I went to Vassar College, where I took on a double major in English and Film. I had two senior thesis projects: a literary theory essay written as a hypertext story (I knew the Internet back when it was knee-high to a grasshopper!) and a short black-and-white film that I edited — and by that, I mean I took a razorblade and physically chopped out chunks of the film, then spliced it back together with special tape. Those were the days! I supported myself by hostessing at a restaurant; manning the front desk in the dorms on weekend mornings (and having hilarious chats with students who were still high from the night before); and, like every '90s kid, working at Blockbuster Video.
After college, I moved back to Los Angeles and earned my MFA in screenwriting from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. I also worked as a writer's assistant on the CBS TV drama shows JAG, The Agency, and Century City. It was my job to research each episode and make sure it was factually accurate, which meant I spent a lot of the time on the phone with retired Navy Admirals and the DC Police Department. I loved it.
Next I took on an eclectic array of projects, including: ghostwriting a business psychology book; creating and curating content for a news website; copy editing for FLEX, a bodybuilding magazine; and editing editor for four lifestyle magazines aimed at gay men. (Favorite job ever. So many reasons why.) I went where my interests led me: if a project fascinated me, and if it let me do my favorite thing in the world —writing, obvs — then I was there.
After my two sons were born, I looked for projects and positions that were both intellectually engaging and flexible. I spent two years as a technical writer for Acquia, crafting documentation for Lift, their content personalization software. Then, I finally broke into copywriting — a longtime goal of mine — when I began working for Wunderman Thompson on their Acura conquesting and Microsoft B2B campaigns. Shortly after that, I got into UX writing, and knew I was among my people. I spent three years at TrueCar as a product and UX writer.
In my free time (I'm a mom, so "free time" means 4 minutes a day, and even then, I have to hide in the bathroom), I like to play guitar and bass, go to concerts, hang out with my family, read, cook, and write about music. In fact, I wrote a book! It’s a middle-grade book, which means it’s for kids aged 8-13, and it tells the stories of epic music legends like Led Zeppelin, Run DMC, Bjork, Aretha Franklin, Blondie, and many more. Its name is For Those About to Rock: A Kid’s Guide to 50 Legendary Musical Acts. You can find it here.
If you'd like, you can check out my resume.
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