Language Matters.

Copy That was born from a white-hot love of the written word and an acute belief that language matters. Words make the world go ‘round, and knowing which combination of them to use—and when—is sort of the ultimate cheat code. We’re word nerds, first and foremost, and we like to think of the alphabet as the original HTML—knowing how best to arrange it can give you the upper hand in both business and banter (and in that regard…are we hackers?).

Our team has experience in content marketing practices from SEO work, copyediting, and fact-checking to authorship of in-depth features on businesses, architecture, and critical op eds. Our approach emphasizes your narrative, and if you’re not sure what that is, we’ll find it together. Above all, we believe that just because a bit of writing is for business purposes doesn’t mean it can’t be crafted with intention and the utmost care. Composing the perfect chunk of copy is a skill, no doubt, but we also think it helps when you really, really love words.

But Language is More Than Words...

Humankind has been finding the means to communicate with one another since the days of painting caves, because language has to do with a lot more than words alone. It’s actually a bit like a toolbox (with, say, words as a flathead screwdriver), and the more tools you’ve got, the more people your message can reach. The voice of your brand extends far beyond the words on your homepage—it’s expressed in your font, colors, content, photography, and more. You want to tell the world what you do, and you want to do it in a way that informs, inspires, and has fun (or is entirely serious…that much is up to you), and that’s where our efforts shine. Whether you’re in need of getting clear on your brand’s mission, a content strategy that works for you, or a perfectly tailored client presentation, we’ve the tools to help you get your message across. You’ve got a beautiful business to run, and we just want to help you spread the word.

Now then, what would you like your brand to say?

Our Portfolio

Homeworks Property Lab

Services:

Collaborators:

Brand Direction
Content Strategy
Creative Direction
Copy Writing
‍

Stak Media
Half Pint Studio
River Stephenson
Nick Neuberger

Homeworks Property Lab

Services:

Collaborators:

Brand Direction
Content Strategy
Creative Direction
Copy Writing
‍

Stak Media
Half Pint Studio
River Stephenson
Nick Neuberger

Homeworks Property Lab

Services:

Collaborators:

Brand Direction
Content Strategy
Creative Direction
Copy Writing
‍

Stak Media
Half Pint Studio
River Stephenson
Nick Neuberger

Onomatopoeia

(n.) The naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it. Examples: tick tock, bing bong, squish, boom, ring, gurgle, belch, sizzle, splat, rattle. Basically any text found outside of a speech bubble in a comic book frame.

Synecdoche

(n.) A figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole, the whole for a part, the species for the genus, the genus for the species, or the name of the material for the thing made. Example: “Check out my new wheels.”

Palindrome

(n.) A word, verse, sentence, or number that reads the same backward or forward. Examples: “Dammit, I’m mad,” “Taco cat,” “Go hang a salami, I’m a lasagna hog,” “Racecar,” “Was it a car or a cat I saw?”

Ekphrasis

(n.) A literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art.

Finifugal

(Adj.) Hating endings; of someone who tries to avoid or prolong the final moment of a story, relationship, or some other journey. Example: “Jerry is so finifugal, he only watches tape 1 of Titanic.”

Jentacular

(adj.) Of or pertaining to a breakfast taken early in the morning, or immediately on getting up. Example: “Forget extracurriculars–I specialize in jentacular activities.”

Octothorpe

(n.) Another term for the pound or sign (and, for those born after 1996, the hashtag symbol.)

Hyperbole

(n.) Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. Example: "When I die, bury me inside the Gucci store.” - 2 Chainz

Paraklausithyron

(n.) A trope from Greek and Augustan love elegy and troubadour poetry generally accepted to mean "lament beside a door.” Example: John Cusack with a boombox over his head in Say Anything.

Who We Are & What We Like

Katie Bald (Partner)

We like to think that Katie heads up the department that produces the satisfying vim and charm-dusted vigor at this operation. Her strength lies in the unnamable “oomph” a good piece of content evokes—the certain je ne sais quoi that some call “sparkle” (but if that’s a bit pejorative for your tastes, you can simply call it “exceptional writing”). After receiving the Michelle Taysom Memorial Scholarship for Writing in 2006, Katie earned her English degree with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Utah. She thinks in prose and bon mots, and her love of words translates from the scholarly world to the real one quite naturally; in an age wherein each of us is inundated with narratives, Katie holds a patent appreciation for uncommon and intentional linguistic choices amid the chaos. That affinity—along with a sturdy finger on the fickle pulse of internet culture—served her well during an eight-year career as a Content Strategist, where she aimed to infuse every bit of writing she touched with a good deal of nutritional value. You’ll find no empty words here.

Likes:

Wordplay in rap lyrics, “Urgent” by Foreigner, piña coladas, a well-placed pop culture reference

Dislikes:

Semi-colon slander, the concept of “guilty pleasures”

Favorite
Books:

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, The Story by A’Ziah King, Little Weirds by Jenny Slate, White Noise by Don DeLillo, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Amy Tibbals (Partner)

To simply say that Amy has experience in the creation and maintenance of a successful brand voice would be nearing criminal levels of understatement. After obtaining a degree in English from the University of Utah, she spearheaded the establishment of a brand voice for a Salt Lake City real estate brokerage and design firm that was industry-disrupting in both its singularity and success. Over the subsequent decade, Amy managed the adaptation and growth of the content strategy, marketing, and advertising of said brokerage and ensured that every piece of copy stayed smart, clean, and effortlessly on-point. An editor to her core, she finds disproportionate joy in finding typos in everything from published novels to billboards and texts, but she also relishes in the daft humor of an intentional misspell and basks in the glory of a well-timed pun. Paronomasia and wordplay aside, she prides herself on knowing all the ins, outs, and grammatical intricacies of the Thunderdome that is the English language. If you’ve a comma out of place or a mismatched verb tense, she’ll find it before you can look up “paronomasia”.

Likes:

Wine, wit, yacht rock, cheeseburgers, New Order, park walks, "the lake," southbound flights

Dislikes:

Beets, reckless driving, tradition, magpies, spiritual “influencers,” unsanctioned fireworks, hunting, Beatles music

Favorite
Books:

Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner,
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson, Less by Andrew Sean Greer, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Ryan Holbrook (Partner)

Ryan’s interests run the cultural gamut, and he’s uniquely fond of works from Rick Owens and Jacques Derrida to Ricardo Bofill and Virginia Woolf. His passions are varied, but there’s a method to this madness: Ryan revels in works that emphasize care in craft and a deft hand in composition—with a heavy-handed dash of “good taste” mixed in. Technical writing is his bread and butter, but he’s also got a great eye for design, both of the graphic and fabric varieties (the latter comes thanks to a stint at Parsons School of Design). A ceaseless seeker of knowledge, Ryan began his undergrad education at UC Berkeley before finishing off an English Degree from the University of Utah with a minor in economics. Professionally speaking, he’s held positions in copywriting, content strategy, and brand strategy, and we’ve yet to toss at him a marketing-oriented task he hasn’t knocked clear over the fences. If you’re looking to have every word selected with style in mind and placed with the utmost attention, Ryan’s one seriously smart match.

Likes:

Reading, listening to The Ezra Klein Show, gardening

Dislikes:

Spiders

Favorite
Books:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Ulysses by James Joyce, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard, Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert

10 Things We're Currently Enjoying

Jeremy Strong in "So It Goes" Magazine