Erica Velis

Current

Freelance Copyeditor at CoolGraySeven
Interactive Copywriter at Newport Painting and Restoration
Freelance Copyeditor, Branding Consultant at Classic Media

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Past

Co-writer, Creative Consultant at Lula Pictures
Creative Writer/Communication Strategist at EyeballNYC
Interactive Copywriter/Branding Consultant at Bella Jules Boutique

Copywriter at Edge Lab Inc.
Interactive Copywriter at Rue 57 Parisan Brasserie & Sushi Bar
Gallery Writer at Agora Gallery
Writer at The Brown Reference Group
Writer/Creative Consultant at Point A to Point B Productions (formerly Jaywalker Films)
Copywriter at CLiC (Division of Empire Beauty School)
Freelance Editor/Copywriter at Odyssey Nail Systems

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7 more...

Education

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Recommended

3 people have recommended Erica

Connections

105 connections

Industry

Writing and Editing

Websites

Portfolio: www.ericavelis.com

Erica Velis’s Summary

NYC copywriter specializing in interactive content and projects that require a deep understanding of branding, marketing and design.

Erica Velis’s Specialties:

Print + interactive copywriting
Concepting, ideation, content development, art direction
Branding + communication analysis; strategy + positioning;
deep understanding of consumer psychology/behavior
Solid understanding of visual communication; unique gift for
translating abstract design concepts into language that
enhances visual presentations
Strong editing + meticulous proofreading skills; supremely
quality-conscious.

Erica Velis’s Experience

Freelance Copyeditor

CoolGraySeven

(Design industry)

April 2009 — Present (4 months)

Copyedited/proofed a brochure (Woman to Woman) for Donna Karan's Urban Zen Initiative. Empowering and elegantly executed, the Woman to Woman brochure profiles inspiring women who have triumphed against the odds. The Urban Zen Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to patient advocacy, shifting the health care paradigm to include integrative medicine, empowering youth and preserving unique cultures in the face of globalization.

To see an online, interactive version of Woman to Woman and find out more about Urban Zen, please visit:
http://www.urbanzen.org/videos/woman_to_woman.php
Interactive Copywriter

Newport Painting and Restoration

(Construction industry)

November 2008 — Present (9 months)

Developed and wrote all content for this high-end painting and restoration firm's new website and promotional DVD. Newport's clients include Crate & Barrel, Victoria's Secret, The Brooklyn Museum, American Airlines and many more. newportgroupny.com
Freelance Copyeditor, Branding Consultant

Classic Media

(Privately Held; Entertainment industry)

August 2007 — Present (2 years)

Wrote all 78 episode synopses and much of the 80 page booklet
accompanying Classic Media’s highly praised The Lone Ranger: 75th Anniversary DVD set. Copyedited 30-70 page style guides detailing style and licensing information for major family entertainment properties such as Gumby, George of the Jungle, Casper the Ghost and Where’s Waldo? Provided recommendations and detailed usage notes to clarify language and strengthen branding.
Co-writer, Creative Consultant

Lula Pictures

(Entertainment industry)

January 2007 — April 2008 (1 year 4 months)

Contributed creative content and provided post-production assistance on 2008 documentary short, My Dinner with Andre Royo.

- Provided feedback on rhythm, pacing, and structure
- Co-wrote voice over scripts
- Co-directed voice over recording
- Wrote logline, film synopsis and other promotional material

Intimate and revelatory, My Dinner with Andre Royo is loosely inspired by Louis Malle’s cult classic, My Dinner with Andre. With a similarly unconventional narrative, a dinner conversation between Isabel Acosta, a struggling indie actress, and a more established actor, Andre Royo, challenges consensus definitions of success and squarely confronts the uncertainties of work, life, and the acting game. At turns poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, their lively discussion helps Isabel draw some unexpected but meaningful conclusions and paints an amusing portrait of Royo, best known as “Bubbles” on HBO’s hit series The Wire.
Creative Writer/Communication Strategist

EyeballNYC

(Privately Held; Animation industry)

May 2007 — August 2007 (4 months)

Articulated and shaped communication strategies, wrote commercial pitches, creative briefs, promotional content, and press releases—most notably, a key press release promoting the launch of an animated commercial for the Xbox game Bioshock. Wrote frame-by-frame descriptions translating designers' visual concepts for commercial spots into persuasive treatments that helped win bids for the following brands: Southern Comfort, Motorola, Applebee’s, Playtex, Time Warner, and Cover Girl. Analyzed the shortcomings of Eyeball’s former website and suggested numerous ways to improve usability, navigation and company branding. Laying the preliminary framework for the current site, these ideas helped Eyeball reposition
itself and gain greater visibility.
Interactive Copywriter/Branding Consultant

Bella Jules Boutique

(Apparel & Fashion industry)

May 2007 — June 2007 (2 months)

Wrote fun, flirty copy for the Bella Jules website which succeeded in targeting style-conscious young women, increasing sales, and strengthening the web presence of this upscale boutique.
Copywriter

Edge Lab Inc.

(Design industry)

June 2006 — November 2006 (6 months)

Shaped Edge Lab’s online identity by writing all web content, including rich sample descriptions, giving Edge Lab’s interactive portfolio style and verve. Provided copy for promotional cards spotlighting the best of Edge Lab's brand identity, collateral and interactive work. Edge Lab’s clients include prominent NYC restaurants, cultural institutions and established brands such as Tao Restaurant & Nightclub, The Smithsonian and Playboy.
Interactive Copywriter

Rue 57 Parisan Brasserie & Sushi Bar

(Restaurants industry)

October 2006 — November 2006 (2 months)

Elevated the tone of this popular midtown restaurant's website, rewriting all sections in deliciously descriptive language, including a flattering About section and tantalizing menu summaries.
Gallery Writer

Agora Gallery

(Fine Art industry)

July 2006 — October 2006 (4 months)

Interpreted, critiqued and praised specific works of art in articles written for Agora’s bi-annual magazine, ArtisSpectrum, to pique the interest of prospective buyers. Wrote weekly press releases to promote up-and-coming artists on Agora’s online marketplace, Art-Mine.com.
Writer

The Brown Reference Group

(Publishing industry)

December 2005 — April 2006 (5 months)

Researched and wrote biographical profiles and in-depth articles for a ten volume student reference series chronicling the lives of Hispanic
Americans who helped shape the history of the United States. Published by Scholastic, the series was described by the American Library Association as “inspirational and useful.”
Writer/Creative Consultant

Point A to Point B Productions (formerly Jaywalker Films)

(Motion Pictures and Film industry)

February 2006 — April 2006 (3 months)

•Served as creative consultant to the filmmakers during post-production.

•Wrote voiceover and promotional material for science fiction short, "Unknown Shores":

An elegiac composition that weaves dreamlike imagery and poetic narrative, Unknown Shores observes the mindscape of a dying space traveler. Transfixed by his memory of a perfect summer day, he laments the love he left behind. Inspired by the Aeneid, and influenced by the work of Andrei Tarkovsky and Chris Marker, this film contemplates the elusive quality of memory.

•Cannes Short Film Corner
•Santa Fe Film Festival
•Digital Narrative Arts Film Festival (Toronto)
•Damah Film Festival
Copywriter

CLiC (Division of Empire Beauty School)

(Publishing industry)

August 2004 — December 2005 (1 year 5 months)

Collaborated with award-winning stylist, Randy Rick and liaised with top industry professionals to develop and write a comprehensive educational textbook designed to teach cosmetology students the creative and technical aspects of manicuring.
Freelance Editor/Copywriter

Odyssey Nail Systems

(Cosmetics industry)

October 2005 — November 2005 (2 months)

Edited Vietnamese to English translation of 2006 Odyssey Nail Systems international product catalog, distributed throughout Europe and North America. Wrote founder's bio (international nail design champion,Trang Nguyen) and rewrote mistranslated product descriptions.

Erica Velis’s Education

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

B.A. , English/Professional Writing , 1996 — 2000

As a person with multiple talents (verbal, artistic, and musical), I developed all three areas of interest simultaneously as a teenager--cultivating my artistic sensibilities for several years as an art major, studying literature and writing essays in advanced English classes, and studying privately with a Julliard trained vocal coach from 1992-1994. Though I ended up focusing the bulk of my attention on writing later on--art and music continue to influence, inspire and inform my work.

Additional Information

Erica Velis’s Websites:

Portfolio: www.ericavelis.com

Erica Velis’s Interests:

•Psychology (Jung has been particularly influential); all aspects of art & design, literature, philosophy, rhetoric, linguistics and etymology; dream analysis, world religions, mythology, ritual and mysticism, shamanism, alchemy, tarot and other tools for personal transformation; symbols and archetypes, the human brain; the origins and study of emotion and intelligence; conflict resolution and social change; health, healing and the mind-body connection; film, music, history, science (particularly biology, ecology, and green technologies); recycling, sustainable living, sustainable agriculture and architecture; the slow food movement; political science, sociology, anthropolgy, animal behavior, evolution, gender studies, the birth of personality and formation of personal identity; self-development and transhumanism. •Singing, drawing, collage, bead-work, yoga, holistic living and gourmet vegetarian cooking.