gotham writers workshop
My role
I worked for Gotham as a staff member from 2016–2018, signing students up for classes and writing and editing internal and external materials. Since 2016, I’ve also taught more than 2,000 hours of grammar and business writing workshops for Gotham and wrote the curriculum for their advanced grammar workshop.
The project
Between 2016 and 2018, every other month, I interviewed a Gotham faculty member and wrote a 600ish-word profile. Gotham published these to their website and in a student newsletter with 80,000 subscribers. They also published the profiles in a quarterly print brochure distributed across New York City. These profiles were meant to persuade prospective students to sign up for classes and to drive brand awareness.
Timeline
2–3 weeks per profile
My approach
First I decided on a faculty member to interview, prioritizing those who had been teaching with Gotham for a long time or whose path to writing was unusual or especially captivating.
If a faculty member agreed (they always did!), I interviewed them in person or virtually for about an hour. I asked about more than just their writing careers. I wanted to hear about their hobbies, their childhoods, what frustrated them, what delighted them. Anything that would clue me in on their personality, which I wanted to shine through the story.
I recorded these conversations. This was pre-AI, so I had no notetaker to lean on. I then combed through recordings manually to mine each conversation for the most compelling tidbits.
Then I’d write a first draft and strike the fluff until I had a strong story that students would resonate with.
Gotham’s president checked each draft against our brand voice guidelines and proofread it. Then it was published.
What I delivered
12 faculty profiles, around 600 words each, aligned with Gotham’s brand voice.
Samples
Want story-driven content that drives brand awareness? Contact me.