Posted on by Arica Clauson

Meet Alumna Katie Flanagan ’19, Copywriter at Superbolt

Name: Katie Flanagan

Class Year: 2019

Title: Copywriter

Organization: Superbolt

 

1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?

I work with different clients across industries to write advertising copy for their Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok channels, as well as the occasional webpage and blog!

 

2. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?

Like many English majors, I initially wanted to go into publishing (and eventually become an author). When I was searching for internships my junior year, I had such a hard time both finding publishing internships outside of NYC and also even just getting interviews since it’s such an overcrowded field. I had never really considered copywriting (to be honest, I didn’t even really know it was a thing!) until my mom sent me a copywriting internship job posting. I applied, accepted, and ended up loving the craft and day-to-day of copywriting.

I got my first job after Holy Cross – a junior copywriter position at Rue Gilt Groupe – with the help of another HC alum! When I applied, I searched for HC alumni at the company on LinkedIn, connected with one, and she turned out to be the hiring manager for the job I had applied for! She helped me get my foot in the door and learn more about the company, and after a *long* interview process, I was hired!

 

3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?

I was a stage manager for Alternate College Theatre, played for the women’s rugby team, was a Calculus Workshop tutor (random for an English major, I know, but I just really love calculus), worked for the Office of Alumni Relations, and was a Peer Career Assistant for the Center of Career Development!

 

4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?

I was an English major, Computer Science minor, and had a concentration in Creative Writing. After graduating, I was deciding between pursuing writing or pursuing computer science. I ultimately chose copywriting, because I love getting to be creative and write every day.

 

5. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?

This sounds stereotypical, but it’s absolutely true – having a liberal arts background I truly believe prepared me better for advertising jobs than people with an advertising or marketing degree. English/Creative Writing and Computer Science are two sides of the same coin – in both, you have to be highly analytical, pay attention to the details, and have enough creativity to think of outside-of-the-box solutions. Getting to explore and strengthen those skills in two different mediums at Holy Cross made me stronger overall.

And of course, the high-stress, high-pressure nature of Holy Cross academics prepared me SO WELL for the deadline-driven, super fast pace of working at an advertising agency.

 

6. What advice do you have for students on campus today?

Don’t pigeonhole yourself based on your major or previous experience or what you wanted to be when you were younger – be open to all the different possibilities and career paths you may have never even thought of!
Also, believe the hype when people talk about the HC alumni community – every alum I’ve reached out to on LinkedIn has given me invaluable career advice and even helped bring my resume to the top of the pile when I was job hunting. (And I’d love to pay it forward – please reach out to me on LinkedIn if you ever want to talk copywriting!)