View My VisualCV Online: http://www.visualcv.com/elissagjertson

let's be frank

Hello friends. I'm frank. It's not my name, it's who I am.

And, after working with me, it's who you + your organization could become as well.

Here's how: Through frank conversation via Enterprise 2.0, my colleagues and I at frank have helped organizations large and small connect, converse and collaborate through social media-based marketing, branding,community development, org effectiveness and employee engagement.

 

What do I bring to the party?

 

14+ years of copywriting, strategic marketing, branding and creative problem solving through online, social, print, TV, direct, radio, video, outdoor and sales collateral / trade shows. My projects have ranged from concepting and writing internal social networking portals for PepsiCo and ING to contributing to TV promotion for ABC, Lifetime and Lodgenet to editing an inspirational book for American teachers and co-authoring an e-book for adventurous travelers. I love to write. I love to create. I love to bring big ideas and pertinent possibilities to clients – and projects – near and far.

 

Check out more detail on my background below. And to see my writing in action, check out what I've been up to the last five years: www.areyoufrank.com.

work history

frank

Minneapolis, MN, United States
2005 - 2010
co-founder | director of brand development 

 

frank • authentic branding + organizational courage through social media

From internal employee engagement initiatives to external customer community-building, frank drives business results through internal and external social media campaigns.

We do it for a lot of great clients like:

+ PepsiCo

+ ING Financial

+ Endura Financial

+ Burns Engineering

+ Hearth Connection

+ Give Us Wings

+ Best Buy

+ Finnegan's Irish Amber

+ Optiwin Windows

+ Valamar Hotels & Resorts

And we do it with our own 2.0 products and services:

1. frank/inside: a powerful, step-by-step methodology to help you build internal conversation, community and collaboration through social media. (Find more at AreYouFrank.com)

2. Toe Jam and The Toenail Fairies: a gross, fun, graphic novel self-published for passive readers in grades 2 - 6. (Find more at ToeJamAndTheToenailFairies.com)

3. Evolution Through Vacation: a travel e-guide I co-wrote with my colleague Gretchen Carlson ... and an amazing way to transform vacation energy into everyday energy. (Find more at evolutionthroughvacation.com or check out some press here.)

Met Hodder

Minneapolis, MN, United States
2004 - 2005
Account Executive / Writer 

From managing projects to writing scripts and spots, my time at Met|Hodder was an educational one. Coming from traditional advertising, here I was introduced to television as entertainment marketing and digital out-of-home content as a value-add to business and consumers alike.

My clients included:

+ ABC

+ Lifetime Television for Women

+ Disney

+ Kerzner International

+ LodgeNet

+ Walgreens

+ Meijer

Charthouse Learning

Minneapolis, MN, United States
2004 - 2004
Senior Copywriter 

I was recruited to lead the creative team in the global re-branding of The FISH! Philosophy.

With this product, I truly learned the importance of organizational alignment and employee engagement as well as the integral nature of role and soul through the Charthouse mantra of "helping people live fully in all parts of their lives, especially the major portion they spend at work."

In addition, I assisted in the the successful, U.S. launch of the product extension, FISH! For Schools. This included an exciting and fulfilling project: editor of the book "Schools of FISH!", an incredible collection of transforming stories — from teachers to administrators, at all levels across the country — addressing the issues teachers deal with every day.

Star Tribune

Minneapolis, MN, United States
2001 - 2004
Senior Copywriter 

As an experimental initiative, I was hired to help build an internal "agency" within the Star Tribune marketing group. The goal was to offer a value-add service to customers interested in advertising with the Star Tribune through creative services. While not all campaigns were "bought", our team produced creative for clients including:

+ Nieman Marcus

 

+ Sun Country Airlines


+ Summit Beer

+ Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund

In addition, my group was the award-winning agency of record for The Roanoke Times in Roanoke Virginia. I was responsible for the creative branding and copywriting for all marketing pieces (TV, billboards, direct, inserts, etc.) as well as marketing strategy. This relationship continued as a freelance project for many years even after I left Star Tribune.

Freelance

Minneapolis, MN, United States
2001 - 2001
Copywriter 

 

After a lay-off, I relied on my talents and chutzpah to drum up some freelance work in between full-time gigs. Clients included:

+ The Hartford

+ Target

This "free" time also pushed me into the exploration of magazine work and my writing was published in Midwest Home & Garden magazine with a riveting little article about seasonal design.

Colle + McVoy

Minneapolis, MN, United States
2000 - 2001
Copywriter 

Copywriter for CODE50, Colle+McVoy's niche agency specializing in marketing to consumers aged 50 and better, I co-created campaigns for clients including:

+ American Express

+ Johnson & Johnson / Merck

+ Turkish Tourism Board

+ Winnebago

+ Onan

In addition, I spoke as a Subject Matter Expert on Boomer Marketing to groups including the Aruba Certified Travel Agent Conference and more.

Finally, I also co-led the first redesign and rewrite of C+M's corporate website. While the site has been updated since then, this was my first exciting taste of the power of the web through user functionality, inspiring content and innovative technology.

The Sandcastle Group

Minneapolis, MN, United States
1997 - 2000
Copywriter 

My first official job out of college, The Sandcastle Group taught me so much about marketing, advertising and PR.

A niche agency focused on "Mature Marketing" -- marketing to consumers aged 50 and better -- I learned the true meaning of "target audience" and the importance of speaking a target's language and meeting consumers where they are.

Participating in multiple aging research studies and building off Sandcastle's proprietary "Mature Excitement" themes, I co-created award-winning campaigns for clients including:

+ American Express

+ New Balance

+ Minnesota Department of Health

+ United Health Group

+ Jones Harrison Residence

+ AdvoLife

+ Omron

+ Starkey Labs

Education

University of Saint Thomas

St. Paul, MN, United States
1992 - 1997
Advertising, Women's Studies

let's connect

Follow Me!

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who is frank?

frank friends

Brian, John, etc

Check out the frank flickr photo stream. Shots and snaps from conferences, frankFESTS and more.

 

(Psst: want your FREE frank name tag? Email me and I'll be sure to get one to you! elissa@areyoufrank.com)

frankFEST!

name tags

Join us every quarter (give or take!) for frankFEST. Check out the video here for a sneak peek. Then, email me at elissa@areyoufrank.com for your invitation!

frank in the news

frank goes green!

EcoHive

Buzz through EcoHive: Our new social-media portal for companies ready to inspire employee education, engagement and action based on their sustainability goals.

references

Amy Walsh

(Client)
Communications Manager PepsiCo

“I have worked with Elissa for several years now in my role in internal communications at PepsiCo. I love working with Elissa because of her positive attitude, responsiveness, creative and fun ideas, and good old-fashioned top-notch writing and editing skills. The campaigns she helped us develop and implement as long as 18 months ago have legs and are gaining new attention and fans as we move onto new audiences. I highly recommend Elissa as a creative and strategic business partner who is also a real joy to work with."

Tim Sumption

(Professional)
Director, Brand & Consumer Marketing Tribune Media / Sun-Sentinel

"I had the pleasure of working with Elissa both as a colleague and as a business partner. She is amazingly creative, bright, intuitive and crazy savvy when it comes to all things advertising, marketing and promotion. Her passion for marketing will come through loud and clear in any conversation as well as her wonderful personality. I can't rave enough about Elissa!"

Jane Messenger

(Superior)
Creative Director, Brand & Promotion Star Tribune

"Working with Elissa was a wonderful charge of electricity every day. She is full of energy and optimism and possesses an exceptional creative mind. Elissa has a smart business sense and her collaborative approach and cheerful exuberance make working with her a pleasure."

Jon Osmond

(Professional)
Owner Osmond Interactive

"Elissa is extremely enthusiastic about her work which is infectious. She is a terrific collaborator with exceptional knowledge of how best to harness the power of the web. As a web developer, it's fantastic to watch her share her creative visions and empower people in areas they may not otherwise venture into online while keeping projects focused and on task. I appreciate her intelligence, judgment, creativity, and sense of humor and look forward to working with her again and again."

Brian Bjerketvedt

(Professional)
Principal Designer Form and Logic

“A talented writer, strategist and entrepreneur, Elissa always brings a high level of energy and ideas to a client's brand. She is also one of the most upbeat, authentic, courageous souls I know. Now if only her clients would follow suit more often!” 

my personal passion project

e>v book

You know that feeling of aliveness you have when on vacation? Get it –– and keep it –– every day with Evolution Through Vacation, the free, downloadable e-guide that helps you transform your travel experiences into personal growth über-adventures.

 

(Did I mention I'm a co-author? And that frank is a strategic partner? Oh yeah, we're doin' all sorts of fun stuff.)