LESLIE HOWARD / RESUME                          www.lesliehowardportfolio.com

OBJECTIVE

To attain a position that utilizes my 10-plus years experience as a writer and editorial manager for small, medium, and large companies in a wide variety of industries.

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Highly skilled in helping companies sell product and build their brand with marketing writing that educates, motivates, and entertains. Experienced building and managing productive, creative, and loyal staffs who are motivated to produce copy that works. With a degree in journalism and a career that’s had me creating everything from articles to ads to DM to web marketing, I am a key asset to any company that needs writing that swims through all of its marketing channels.

EXPERIENCE

ALIGN TECHNOLOGY,  Santa Clara, CA 2007 to 2009
Editorial Lead, Marketing

Lead the marketing-writing efforts of Align Technology, makers of Invisalign: The Clear Alternative to Braces.

• Wrote, edited, and managed writing of web, direct marketing, print, email, video, broadcast, and other marketing materials.
• Oversaw editorial production for advertising, marketing, and PR efforts.
• Wrote, edited, and managed production of feature articles for business, trade, and consumer publications.
• Recruited and managed writing and design contractors.

EDITORIAL AND MARKETING CONSULTANT 2004 to 2007
Worked with small, medium, and large companies in high-tech, med-tech, consumer, and non-profit. Helped clients develop marcom programs that built sales and enhanced brand awareness.

VERITAS SOFTWARE, Mountain View, CA | 2002 to 2004

Built and managed three divisions of VERITAS Marketing: Web Marketing, Customer References, and Publishing. Recruited and managed a staff of 13 project managers, designers, writers, and editors, as well as 18 contract writers, editors, designers, and project managers.

1. Web Marketing:

• Managed marketing content on www.veritas.com, a 20,000-plus page website, and oversaw content that came out of each of the company’s departments representing 100-plus products. Also managed the company’s intranet site.
• Recruited and managed a staff of 13 project managers, designers, writers, and editors as well as a staff of 18 contract writers, editors, designers, and project managers.
• Oversaw global redesign of company’s Internet and intranet sites, resulting in consistent, information-rich, easy-to-navigate web tools that supported the company’s sales and communication strategies.
• Oversaw the web globalization program, resulting in consistent branding, messaging, and processes in 36 countries and 15 languages.
• Wrote editorial style guide and implemented editorial standards for all web properties.

2. Customer References:

• Recruited and organized the Customer References team from zero to three employees plus a staff of 10 contract writers.
• Wrote and edited customer success stories, oversaw freelance writers, and published two books for Sales: “How the Deal was Done” and “VERITAS Customer Success Stories”.
• Built the CR program from the ground up. Developed CR’s webcast program and set standards and processes for the VERITAS Customer Success Story program.
• Grew the CR program from zero to 800 viable references the first year.

3. Publishing:

• Established the book-publishing division of VERITAS and developed the strategy for offering a series of books that position VERITAS as a thought leader in the storage-management industry and supported the company’s marketing campaign objectives.
• Oversaw editorial and design development and distribution strategy of VERITAS Magazine. This business-facing magazine focused on highlighting VERITAS customers’ product implementations worldwide, and served as a source of product and storage management industry information for customers, prospects, the business press, and the general public.

EDITORIAL AND MARKETING CONSULTANT | 2000 to 2002

Worked as editorial and marketing consultant for companies in high-tech B2B and B2C, retail, and non-profit. Helped clients develop marcom programs that build sales and enhance brand awareness.

ORACLE CORPORATION, Redwood Shores, CA | 1996 to 2000
www.Oracle.com 1998 to 2000

Managed and oversaw execution of content and design for www.oracle.com, as well as Oracle’s intranet site. Recruited and managed a staff of nine content managers.

• Helped build a web-development framework that supported Oracle’s marketing and e-commerce goals. Worked with senior management to develop editorial strategies that delivered Oracle’s corporate messaging. Worked with product and line-of-business teams to assemble and deliver content in a consistent, information-rich manner.
• Handled inquiries and addressed issues about www.oracle.com for the public and corporate customers.
• Spoke to various national and international groups at Oracle as well as to companies throughout the Silicon Valley about best practices in website management.

Editor 1996 to 1998

• Strategized, wrote, and edited high-level print and web marketing materials produced in Oracle’s Creative Programs department.
• Recruited and managed a staff of eight contractors who wrote customer success stories for Oracle’s Customer Reference program.

QUARK, INC., Denver, CO | 1994 to 1996

• Wrote, edited, and produced marketing campaigns for the headquarters office of Quark, Inc., a desktop-publishing software developer and manufacturer.
• Worked with Quark in the development stages of www.quark.com.
• Recruited and managed staff of three writers, and oversaw content created by product managers and executive staff.

OTHER STUFF I DO

• Blogger/online community member on Blogspot, Yelp, and Facebook.
• Weekly volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo County.

EDUCATION

B.S. News/Editorial Journalism, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.