twenty-seven letters

Professional writing and communications strategy with a little something extra


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Richard Clayton

A veteran writer and communications strategist with more than 20 years of combined public relations, marketing and journalism experience.

Praise

“A superb writer…” Andrea Carlos, Owner, Carlos Communications; former Writing Services manager, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide  

“ I have always been impressed by his skills as a writer and editor, and by his ability to work constructively and collaboratively with a wide range of people to locate the heart of every project, stay on track, and get the job done well.”    Larry West, former managing editor, Microsoft Corporate Communications

“High integrity…collaborative and easy to work with.” Annette Nemetz, assistant professor of management, George Fox University

“An insightful editor who could always find ways to make my writing tighter, clearer and better organized.”  Michael Fisher, senior writer, Katz Communications Group

Strengths

  • Versatility. Experience writing online and offline content, technical and consumer copy, and new and traditional media.
  • Leadership. Extensive client and project management experience. Successful team manager and writing coach. 
  • Collaboration. Turns ideas that clients jot on napkins or blurt out at brainstorming sessions into compelling copy and campaigns. 
  • Story sleuth. Dissects PR and marketing plans to uncover compelling stories and tell them via the most appropriate commuications channel. 
  • Babble killer. Translates marketing speak into language anyone can understand. Breathes life into complex concepts and technology with real-world anecdotes and customer stories.
  • Results. Consistently exceeds client expectations, while remaining on time and on budget. Helped Microsoft increase unique users and reader satisfaction for five years running on its media information Web site.

Experience

OWNER

Twenty-seven Letters, Vancouver, WA, 2010 to present

  • Content development.  Provide one-stop writing services for businesses and PR/marketing agencies. Content and materials include white papers, press releases, books, Web copy and messaging.
  • Communications strategy. Help agencies and clients develop strategy and messaging.
  • Editing.  Fine tune or revamp client materials. Line editing and developmental rewriting services offered.  

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SENIOR WRITER/EDITOR

Webtrends, Portland, OR, 2008 to 2010

  • Marketing, PR materials.  Crafted solution briefs, brochures, white papers and other documents that recast nebulous “end-to-end analytics solutions” into essential business tools with quantifiable business value.    
  • Web content.  Captured the attention of marketers and IT developers alike with engaging Web site, blog and advertising copy.
  • Presentations. Developed scripts, talking points and PowerPoint presentations for product marketing teams and executives.
  • Executive communications. Created e-mails, blog postings and other communications that helped a new executive team build its standing with employees and the analytics industry.
  • Multimedia. Provided storylines, scripts and visual direction forvideos and online Flash presentations.
  • Branding. Helped create brand architecture and naming for products and services.

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­­­­­­­­­­WRITING TEAM & PROJECT MANAGER 

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Portland, OR, 2000 to 2008

  • Leadership.  Managed and coached a team of eight writers in North America and Asia.
  • Content strategy. Cultivated stories, maintained the editorial calendar and wrote copy for Microsoft’s media information Web site.
  • Project management. Managed about 10 writing projects a month, in addition to a $100,000 annual account with Microsoft Corporate Communications.  
  • Writing standards. Drafted PR writing guidelines for Microsoft Corporate Communications.
  • Messaging. Collaborated with PR teams and clients to develop messaging frameworks for Microsoft products and services.
  • Trainer.  Presented writing trainings to account teams and clients.

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REPORTER

The Columbian, Vancouver, WA, 1997 to 2000

  • Education. Worked closely with local educators, school districts and state government agencies to explain the effects of education reform, taxpayer funding, enrollment growth and other complicated issues.
  • Police and courts.  Wrote deadline-driven stories about crime and law enforcement.
  • State government. Covered state legislative session from the state capital, Olympia.

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REPORTER 

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Walla Walla, WA, 1991 to 1997

  • Education. Explainedthe impact of cultural and economic diversity and other challenges on schools and the community. 
  • Police and courts.  Covered daily law enforcement, criminal trends and high-profile legal trials.
  • Arts and entertainment. Wrote features detailing a thriving visual, dramatic and literary arts scene.

Portfolio

Web sites

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Presentations

  • Introductory video for a live roundtable with two members of the Obama campaign’s data management team. Presented at Webtrends’ annual customer conference. (Apologies for the poor audio)

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Feature stories, Q&As

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White papers

Case Studies

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 Data Sheets

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Executive Communications

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Press Releases

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Fact Sheets