Writing Samples

Hi, I’m Sven! If you somehow found yourself here without having seen my resume, you can check it out here. I suppose I’ll add a disclaimer that I’m in the middle of updating my resume with more of the metrics and things that hiring managers tend to look for—accumulating all of that information over a history of largely-contract work is proving time-consuming enough that I was briefly tempted to wait to publish it until it’s updated. But time waits for no man, etc. (or nonbinary person, as the case may be), So, here we are.

Because my resume can prove to be a bit confusing—given my unique career trajectory—you might like to find out more about me. That’s why in the document linked to above, there’s a page with a generic-ish cover letter that contextualizes my experience, as well as a page with references.

A few general notes about these samples:

First off, these are all the result of countless rounds of revision, both of general content and of language (especially the latter when dealing with speeches delivered by those uncomfortable with oratory). Certainly, some of the collaborators added (or added by subtraction) to my own language, but I don’t want anyone getting the idea that these words are mine and mine alone—only the best of what follows was written by me. Everything awful? Somebody else.

Each of these projects hired me on contract with a very quick turnaround (no longer than a few weeks, even for 90 minutes of speeches). Despite this fact, I was almost always heavily involved in the process of determining the scope and focus of the material, in addition to crafting and shaping the language to best highlight the agreed-upon content through multiple rounds of edits.

Also, when appropriate, I’ve tried to leave process notes and visual cues in the documents—while a little bit “insider baseball,” I do think it’s generally helpful to see how some of the sausage was made with this many cooks in the kitchen. (Did I mix enough metaphors there? Or should I slip in “design by committee,” too?)

Walmart Media Group

A prompter layout of the speeches given at Walmart’s annual upfront event to their 500 top advertisers. The concept was dictated by Walmart’s communications team, and the bulk of the text was crafted in the following ten days. The final speech was heavily influenced by Stefanie Jay, President of Walmart Media Group.

This email specifically targeted companies at the events that hadn't yet signed on, and resulted in tens of millions of advertising dollars committed (on top of the tens of millions that the event garnered before the email).

BerlinRosen | Campaigns & Creative Services

As Senior Copywriter & Editor during the 2024 election, I helped create strategy, and wrote and edited direct mail and video/digital work for candidates and PACs nationwide. While all of my work is made and remade in collaboration with clients that occasionally make the work worse, it is worth noting that sclerotic political hierarchies have a particularly potent effect on the quality of the work. That said, here’s a couple videos I worked on that went viral, and an assortment of direct mail pieces I helped devise, write and/or edit (with a list of favorites in no particularly strict order).

Team Whistle

After working on NewFronts scripts for in-person audiences (see Vudu below), 2020 gave me the chance to explore what would be possible with fully-scripted and filmed content, including suggestions for visual elements.

Vudu

CliftonLarsonAllen

For all of these articles, I edited sketches of articles written by subject matter experts into a clearer and more accessible piece while fact-checking and adhering to a strict internal style guide.

I wrote the vast majority of this report (i hated their style guide—please forgive me). The language was later repurposed (without rewriting) into multiple articles (not the ones linked above) which broke the top 10 on Google for the search terms they were targeting.

Allison Galbraith for Congress

The webpage is no longer live, but this Google Doc remnants remain. across multiple webpages, it delivered incredible SEO—without paid placement, these pages organically rose to the top of Google's search results for not only Maryland Congressional race searches (not limited to MD-01), but also the vast majority of searches related to progressive challengers on the East Coast, and Democratic House of Representative challengers seeking donations.

Both of these emails were sent in the first quarter of the campaign—which quarter rose more than any three quarters from the previous campaign. Over the course of the campaign, I wrote all of the emails—notable because 90+% of our fundraising was achieved through these email campaigns.

FRAY Media

An op-ed written in defense of universal health care. And for laughs, check out the conservative response linked at the bottom; I edited it to make it as coherent as it could be.

A newsletter for which I shared editing responsibility (including reporting, research, fact-checking, and copyediting), and wrote the progressive opinion on the established facts.

Parting Words

In addition to NDAs precluding me from sharing most of my work, there are several sensitive things I have worked on that I’ve chosen not to include on this public webpage (e.g., grant proposals, cover letters, resumes, etc.). Should you require work samples of those types of works, reach out to me, and I’ll be happy to provide them (very happy, actually, as some of my all-time great writing has been in grant proposals—but sharing them publicly is simply not an option). That said, I’ll include here a link to a critique of a dance work from 2024 that—if you set aside the lowercase aesthetic—should at least be an entertaining read: Peck’s Illinoise: Pathos At Its Most Pathetic.

Finally, if you’re curious about my music as well as writing background, you can click through to the homepage or the “Shop” tab for at least some sense of my work. If you’re more interested in the music I have been commissioned to make, whether for ad agencies, corporate clients, dance companies, podcasts, or short films, then you can check out this page for a smattering of samples of that work.

(Bonus: there’s a link at the bottom of that page to a secret page with my unreleased solo music, which you may or may not like, and may or may not make you realize that I am a fully fleshed-out human being—a potential value-add, if you’re the sort of person/company who favors colleagues hardworking colleagues whose existence is more realized and compelling than individuals who fool you and/or themselves into existing as nothing more than capitalist automatons.)

A note on the pricing of freelance work:

If you’re looking at this work because you’re considering hiring me as a freelance/contract-based writer and/or editor, a quick note about rates (particularly for political clients, but true across the board—fundraising emails, speechwriting, op-eds, executive communications, ghostwriting, white papers, social media posts, the list goes on…).

When I say that my rates are flexible, it’s not lip service or some lame business negotiation tactic to avoid saying a number first. Without knowing what you need—specifically with regards to prep work to ensure that my writing is meeting your needs and tone—any number I would provide would be disingenuous. Everything is a conversation, and I’m deeply sensitive to the budgetary realities and concerns of individual clients—to wit, I frequently push for project fees instead of hourly rates in order to avoid money running out and you being left with an incomplete or inadequate product.

All of which is to say: Get in touch with me. I’m friendly. I like having real conversations. I’ve worked for clients with spare change budgets and clients with multi-million dollar budgets. I promise we can make something work. If anything is time sensitive, text me at 727-631-2224. Otherwise, you can email me at words@hey.com. Now, onward!