For career details, head to my qualifications page or connect with me on LinkedIn.
I discovered my love of words and eye for detail as a voracious reader, certified it with a B.A. in Journalism and sharpened it while working in journalism, software, instructional design and marketing.
I was lucky to shoot out of J-school and onto a newspaper copydesk at the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal at the height of the early aughts advertising boom. I designed and edited the front page (A1) for years before jumping to lifestyle, real estate, and special sections. I then went on to work as a writer, columnist, copy editor, and page designer for Velocity, a weekly lifestyle magazine under the Courier-Journal in Louisville, K.Y.
As the newsprint ground began to shift, I was recruited to CCI (now STIBO DX), an international software company, to translate content management systems to media clients and train end-users on applications. This included software testing, writing and editing software training manuals, troubleshooting, and being a remote and on-site contact — as well as getting up to my eyeballs in software and systems.
After traveling the world and the U.S. for CCI, I took a telecommuting position as manager of print production/creative director for an Internet-based content provider. I oversaw workflow, delivery, editing and page design for multiple newspaper clients in San Francisco, Houston and Chicago while managing a time-zone straddling staff of eight.
Since then, I’ve been digging into instructional design editing and writing for secondary education institutions, including George Washington University and the University of Southern California. I’ve also been working as a copywriter for individual clients and ad agencies, delivering everything from web content to branding and government reports.
tl;dr For years, companies have been paying me to improve their communications.
Born in New York, I have lived all over the Empire State and beyond, including New Orleans, Atlanta, and the Island of Lana’i in Hawai’i. Today, I live in Louisville, K.Y., home of the Kentucky Derby and a wonderland of bourbon.
Being a full-time telecommuter has translated into a strong understanding of remote tools and independent troubleshooting. I enjoy exploring emerging technology and projects related to it. I’m full of wonder and excitement about the miraculous pace of science and technology during my lifetime; it’s as close to a time machine as we’re likely to get.
I am a proud word nerd and lucky to have found my niche as the world is undergoing a dramatic shift from analog to digital. I am passionate and conscientious about my work. I don’t make excuses, I make deadlines. I love what I do and it shows.
Danielle B. Hayden 