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Communications | Thought Leadership

Elevating Brands with Engaging storytelling 

 

What sets Matt apart

Your story has power. It’s unique. People need to hear it. Your stories help your business elevate your brand and reach new customers and audiences.

Tell your story well and you’ll influence. You’ll persuade. You’ll elevate.

I’ll help you with all of that. I’ll tell your story like no one else.

Things I believe:

—Write less, not more

—White space is your friend

—Make it easy to read and understand

—Smiling is infectious 

Things I do

I’m a strategic communications manager who has led award-winning, client-pleasing teams in the public and private sectors. I’m also storytelling. And freelance writing. So many stories to tell … it’s a good life.

Based In

Gloucester Point, Va. Think Chesapeake Bay, the place where Pocahontas lived, saltwater, and blue crabs. And killer sunsets on the York River.

But Available In

Wherever. Thank you phone and internet.

Things I've said at Work. A lot.

"Less is more." | "Blessed are the flexible." | “We can do anything.”

Contact

jmatthewsabo@gmail.com 

 

 

Quote I love:

“What we need are men and women who will dare to break the mold of tired thinking–who just won’t buy somebody saying, ‘We’ve always done it this way. This way is good enough.’” 

—William Zinsser

 

My clients have included industry-leading businesses in asset management, tech, augmented reality, cybersecurity, and information technology. My clients include restaurants, museums, nonprofits, health, and government organizations. I write and edit press releases, blog posts, website and social media content and thought leadership content. I ghostwrite and contribute articles for trade publications. 

I’m a creative director on projects that 

include website builds, marketing and ad campaigns, and social media strategies and campaigns.

I've also handled strategic media outreach and relations, provided creative direction on client photo shoots, and shot photos and videos.

And I provide comic relief. Often at my own expense.

My work 

Behind the Scenes With Me

On a video shoot with a Veteran: A tough interview with a twist at the end — https://www.aptiveresources.com/resource/news/their-stories-our-purpose/

A long but productive day of interviews, photos, and videos in Idaho — https://www.aptiveresources.com/resource/news/boise-unfiltered-our-media-teams-journey/

Column Writing

It’s electric! The electrifying world of gardening electro culture — https://localscoopmagazine.com/arts-culture/the-garden-guy-summer-2024/

There’s new changes to the USDA hardiness zone map, but it’s still all about microclimates — https://localscoopmagazine.com/arts-culture/the-garden-guy-spring-2024/

Feature Writing

The talented craftsmen of the Rappahannock River region who practice the ancient art of duck decoy carving — https://localscoopmagazine.com/arts-culture/the-decoy-carvers-of-the-rappahannock/

Protecting the way of life in the Chesapeake Bay region with living shorelines — https://localscoopmagazine.com/community/living-shorelines/

Website Copy & Tagline

Copy for the website for Nix, a startup out of the Harvard Innovation Lab developing a single-use biosensor patch to measure hydration levels, including the tagline of "Taking the guessing out of hydration." nixbiosensors.com

Content & creative strategist and wrote the website copy and tagline for three museums in rural Middlesex County, Va., that banded together. http://museumsofmiddlesex.com

Content & creative strategist and copywriter on a nonprofit website highlighting a historic Main Street popular with local residents and tourists alike. https://gloucestervillage.com

Blog Post: Informative

For the Department of Veterans Affairs’ blog VAntage Point, wrote a post about the GI Bill Comparison Tool that lets Veterans see if their college allows priority enrollment. http://bit.ly/FGIBBlogPost

Blog Post: Capitalizing On Media Publicity

For a leading client in the augmented reality sector, wrote a blog post on coverage of Pokemon Go in MIT Sloan Management Review and how it cast a bright spotlight on the power of AR. http://bit.ly/IndexARSolutions

Blog Post: Humorous

Here’s a creative use of humor — with an unexpected twist — to let people know about critical upcoming deadlines and how people like Victor Hugo, Herman Melville, and others dealt with deadlines. http://bit.ly/DeadlinesAreDeadly

Feature Business Article

Wes Seigler is an avid Northern Neck fisherman and entrepreneur who thought he could build a better fishing reel than the ones he kept breaking. He did. And then he got sued. Twice. This is the fisherman's tale. http://bit.ly/SeiglerReels

Thought Leadership Newsletter: Creative Idea and Execution

Created, helped design and wrote a monthly thought leadership newsletter for an asset management firm called "The Currency of Savvy" that generated numerous earned media placements.  

News Writing: The Execution of Jerry Terrell Jackson

Writing for the Daily Press, I was a witness to and reported on the execution of Virginia inmate Jerry Terrell Jackson. http://bit.ly/DailyPressExecution

Moonshine, guns, argument over a woman … what could go wrong? Motorcycles and moonshine

Great white sharks in Chesapeake Bay! No foolin’! (Well, maybe …) Gonna need a bigger boat

Nuttall’s is the last country store in Gloucester, Virginia. The locals in Ware Neck are making sure it remains a beloved gathering place. The last country store in Gloucester

Freelance Magazine Articles

For Portland Magazine, the alumni magazine of my alma mater, the University of Portland, tracked down several men who played football for UP before the sport was disbanded in 1950. http://bit.ly/UofPFootball

For Johns Hopkins Magazine, wrote an article about a rural Virginia community’s effort to restore recently discovered films documenting life on the Northern Neck from 1927-38. http://bit.ly/WhartonFilmsProject

For Archaeology Magazine, wrote an article about the Fairfield Foundations innovative 3D printing project that is bringing one of Virginia’s signature 17th century plantations to life. http://bit.ly/Fairfield3DPrinting

Environmental Reporting: The Costs of Slaking Hampton Roads' Thirst

Writing for the Daily Press, I wrote about the implications of draining Virginia's deep coastal aquifers. http://bit.ly/HamptonRoadsSinking

 

 

Social Matt

Follow @jm_sabo