What are your pronouns? 

She/Her

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Where’s your hometown? 

Originally from Miami, FL but currently residing in San Francisco, CA

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Tell us a little about your current role. 

Founder and CEO of the Oxford Comma Collective / Copy Director at Uber

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How did you get into copywriting? 

This is a very long story, but I'll try my best to keep it brief. When I started college, I knew one thing–I loved words. I entered the University of Florida as an English major. However, back in my day, if you were an English major you were required to pick a track: creative writing, film, or pre-law. But when the counselor explained it, it sounded more like "starving artist, starving artist, or lawyer." And there was something about my child-of-immigrant guilt that wouldn't let me willingly choose to be a starving artist, so I chose law.

And I spent the next four years preparing for law school.

I did all the right things, got all the right LSAT scores, got into the right programs. But when the time came, life happened, and I chose to take some time before starting school. In that time, I went back to work in a place where I worked with...you guessed it...lawyers. And one thing was clear: I did not want to be one of them.

So there I was, caught in a classic, "WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO WITH MY LIFE" situation, when my brother-in-law, who worked at an advertising agency, suggested I look into copywriting.

Naturally, I thought he was talking about copyrights -- and I wanted nothing to do with it. But then he explained more about copywriting, and marketing, and advertising, And he told me about a local program that could help me get a foot in the door: Miami Ad School.

So I looked into it. And I went to sit in for a class, just to confirm that I was really interested. The class was called Short and Sweet, and I was in there about five minutes before it hit me: THIS WAS IT.
And the rest is herstory.

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When you’re not writing, what are you up to? 

I'm reaaalllll homebody, and I love watching TV with my husband. So 9 times out of 10, we're chilling at home, watching some show or another.

If not, I'm cuddling with my dog, traveling, hunting for dope vinyls, making my way through every baseball park in the country, hanging out with family or trying to find my new favorite restaurant.

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What do you consider the most overused word(s)? The most underused?

I actually hate the concept of overused words. Instead, I like to call them misused words. Because words are limitless. The problem happens when people hear a word that is resonating with people, and they try to find ways to infuse it into their copy, despite it being completely unaligned with their brand.

This is when we see lots of people using words, just for the sake of using them. And that's when words start to feel "overused".

But if there's a word that I would be okay with never hearing again, it's "scale".

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What are you reading, listening to, and watching these days? 

I'm a huge TV watcher. And I am an equal opportunity watcher, so my list is ALWAYS long. But currently:

Reading: Untamed by Glennon Doyle (for project research)

Listening: I'm such a creature of habit so I'm always jamming to John Mayer, Bad Bunny, Florence and the Machine, my rotation of fave pop divas and really powerful Spanish ballads. But my current listening obsession: Renee Rapp.

Watching: Succession (UGHHH, so good), Mandalorian, Dave, Abbot Elementary, Ru Paul's Drag Race, Love is Blind and patiently awaiting the return of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

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What is your most-wanted client or project? 

At this point in my career, I just want to work with dope Latinx and Black-owned businesses. Anyone who saw a gap and said "we need to create something like this, but FOR US" and then did it, THOSE ARE MY PEOPLE.

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What do you wish more people knew about copywriting? 

Design without copy, ain't shit. Truly. Design is powerful and captivating. But if it's not rooted in a strong voice and a gripping story, it lacks substance.
This is in every single aspect. Design is intended to convey and support your message, not lead it.
Anyone who is letting design lead, or who believes that design should be created in a silo, is doing it wrong.
So don't let the flashy imagery fool you, you should never back your copy into someone else's design. It will never be as strong.

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Where can The Subtext readers keep up with you? 

@oxfordcomma.co on all socials and www.oxfordcomma.co

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