About

My Story

I moved to Vancouver on November 29, 2012 with two suitcases and a heart full of hope. My grand idea was to work as a production assistant on Hollywood films to fund my writing and spend my down time focusing on my own creative development. I landed just as the film industry was in a downturn, worked exactly one day as a PA on Supernatural and never did it again. Later that year, I worked with a team of stellar professionals to shoot my short script the Spiral and I wrote about the experience for the Tyee.

As I searched for housing (no small feat in this town), I gained a reputation as a reliable house/dog/cat sitter so I had both housing and income. I even toiled briefly at a doggie day care (who can concentrate with all that barking?) At Cafe Cartage on Commercial Drive, I tended bar and served mussels and frites. For the first TED conference in Vancouver, I was a concierge for TOMS shoes, spending my days at the Convention Centre immersed in stories. Highlight: shaking astronaut Chris Hadfield’s hand.

I found a refuge apartment in East Vancouver on a street festooned with cherry blossoms. Conducting research for a documentary about Expo 86 for PBS was exhilarating (sadly, it was shelved) and Oh Boy Productions hired me as their marketing coordinator. It was a tremendous learning experience. As a storytelling medium, film remains important to me, so I served as the West coast editor and contributor for Northernstars.ca, a Toronto based film journal. Most recently, I enhanced my knowledge of crafting content for the screen with a Raindance writing intensive.

In early 2018, I graduated from a small business incubator program that has brought me back to my passion for storytelling. It’s always been about that, whether as a copywriter for iStockphoto or best-selling author of the Calgary Book of Everything.

The photo below was taken when I was features editor at the Weal and talked my way backstage with Order of Canada recipients Blue Rodeo.

It might seem like a random event, but it speaks volumes to my capacity for putting people at ease. Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor told me amazing stories about working as waiters on the Lower East Side of New York.  It’s always brought me tremendous joy, listening to people’s stories and sharing them on the page (or website, or film).

Supporting fellow creative professionals is important to me and I’m an elected board member for Women in Film and Television Vancouver. I’m also a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada and Canadian Media Freelance Guild.

Enough about me. Let’s talk about your goals. Whether it’s a blog for your site, marketing copy for your passion project or a bio (who doesn’t squirm when asked to sing their own praises?) I can be your fresh eyes. I also write press kits, feature articles, and creative profiles.  Maybe you’re sitting on a stellar idea you can’t wait to share with the world in a big juicy book. I can help. I offer discreet and professional writing services that will make your projects shine.

Let’s grab coffee/tea/kombucha (on me) and get started. Please choose a time that works for you here.