the backstory
I'm a proud Syracuse Uinversity Orangewoman (Newhouse graduate) with over 15 years of experience as a strategic creative, spanning individual contributor and management level roles, in-house and at advertising agencies, working on B2B and B2C brands.
I enjoy crafting complex technical language to sound human as much as I love researching and strategizing how to stand out amongst a sea of CPG competitors.
Advertising and marketing are more than a job for me. I was on the AAF Greater Rochester board for six years, serving as VP, President, and Immediate Past President for three of them.
Currently, I'm working remotely at Helen + Gertrude (the agency is based in Rochester, NY, and I live in Jacksonville, FL). As a Creative Services Supervisor there, I specialize in digital marketing, especially social media.
word on the street
"Powerhouse pillar within the creative department - clear communicator, flexible collaborator, vision caster, empathic and advocate for all team members, always willing to roll up her sleeves and deliver stellar, above and beyond work."
—Kirsten VandenBout, Creative Director, Helen + Gertrude
"Jill is a Creative Director’s dream, possessing the passion, energy, drive and potent curiosity that strong ideas are made of. She takes research seriously, but does not allow it to be a crutch. She understands her place on a team, but is not afraid to challenge - respectfully - the best minds in the room. She embraces all that is new in media and communication while at the same time honoring the past. In short, for Jill, advertising is a lifestyle and an adventure – not a job."
—Greg Meadows, Creative Director, Greg Meadows Design
"Jill frequently says that her main client is the copy team, and she is truly a great manager. She not only manages our workload/resourcing/the nitty-gritty project management tasks well, but she also manages people well because she comes from a place of empathy and a true willingness to have hard conversations which is a rare skill. Jill has fostered a copy team that supports each other and prioritizes bonding. She is also an amazing writer and her style and functional expertise is irreplaceable. Thanks for being you, Jill! We're so lucky to have you."
—Claire O'Reilly, Copywriter, Helen + Gertrude
"Copywriting is more than just words on paper or persuasive wordsmithing. The best copywriters have an insightful curiosity about them that drives them to seek out human experiences ...When asked to write copy for vitaminwater, she drew upon her own experiences, nostalgia and clever associations to write some truly human and relatable bottle label copy. She was also assigned to many other accounts where she demonstrated an intense fire for her craft. As a person, Jill is intelligent but humble, easygoing yet professional and the kind of employee that acts as glue for the rest of the team."
—Carla Madden, Creative Director, Consultant
where to put me in, coach
• managing the making of cool, creative based on data and performance
• wowing clients with presentations
• mentoring minds and nurturing their talents
• stepping up to the tough conversations
• bringing burstiness to a brainstorm
• short, long, traditional, and non-traditional writing
• influencing teams to collaborate better together
• when you need an eagle eye; I love all the little details and care a lot about process
• leading with energy, enthusiasm, humor, and compassion
• staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest technologies and trends
• reading all the things; doing all the research