How do we get started?

Give me a call or send me an email and lets set up a face-to-face or phone meeting. Give me as much information about what you are trying to accomplish and any source material you can share.  Be frank and honest about what has and has not worked in the past.  After one or two exploratory meetings, I will draw up a simple contract that will include a production schedule and we should be on our way.

If it’s strictly a writing project the process will generally involve a first draft that will be submitted to you for comments and changes.  I will produce a second draft that you will be able to circulate for comments and changes and then I will produce a final version.

What are your rates?

My rates are competitive.  Most clients prefer a flat rate for a project. Once we have discussed the direction and scope, I will then be able to give you a price to complete the entire project and a delivery date. I work day and night and on weekends, so if you need something turned around quickly, I can deliver.

Once we have assessed the direction and scope of the project and agree on a production schedule and rate, I will then ask you to sign an agreement and submit a deposit that will equal 30 percent of the total cost of the project. The balance due on the project will be due within 10 days of completing the project.

What is your speciality?

That of course is a difficult question for a Renaissance person to answer, but I’ll try.  I have tons of experience writing about technology, telecommunications, global networking, for large and small corporations and for the Special Technology Section of the Star Ledger. 

I’ve been told I’m especially good at making difficult and complex topics very easy to understand for the general public and employees who are not geeks.  Of course I can speak geek when I have to. I wrote news reports and talk show intros for AT&T Internet Security News Network (ISNN) and basically had to learn a lot about network security in a little amount of time.

But I’ve also written for non-profit organizations such as Family Promise and promoted an interactive learning program that taught people about the root causes of poverty and homelessness. I also created presentations about world religions and how each view poverty and delivered these presentations to the National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY), The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and developed press releases and successfully pitched the “Just Neighbors” program to CN8 and New Jersey Network (NJN). Both news organizations aired features about Family Promise, the creator of the Just Neighbors Program, as a result of my publicity work.

My training as a news and magazine feature writer at New York University, as well as additional training as a dramatic and comedic screenwriter, has provided me with a solid foundation and the necessary skills to research and write about anything!

What have former clients said about you and your work?

  
“MaryLynn is one of those PR professionals who can handle multiple projects from start to finish, from concept to details, from idea to medium. Her approach to engaging and aligning employees within AT&T was far more complex than simply developing vehicles to convey AT&T strategy.  She recognized that many employees were fearful of the emerging technology and didn’t understand its personal benefits.  She recognized that before they could ‘hear’ the company’s strategy, they needed to be comfortable with the hurtling pace of change and the benefits it would bring them and their families. She superbly addressed this need in a mix of vehicles she developed.” Marjorie Hoffman, former PR Manager, AT&T

“MaryLynn’s most compelling quality is her ability to integrate broader    corporate goals into departmental communications programs.  She also understands that different departments within a corporate entity have unique communications challenges.  In 2002, MaryLynn created an original and engaging Communications Plan for the U.S. Information Technology department at Pharmacia Corp. (acquired by Pfizer in 2004).  Her plan aligned closely with the company’s overarching goal to be more customer-focused, by uniting colleagues from cross-functional areas such as IT, R&D, Marketing, Sales, Distribution and more. The communications programs that MaryLynn designed became a catalyst for the IT department to embrace the new corporate culture and build a high-level of collaboration and trust into their daily activities and processes.” Sandla Steinkopf, former Director, Information Management, Pharmacia Corp.

I have many more comments from clients, however many of them work for companies that do not allow them to lend their name to a vendor’s Web site. So if you would like additional comments about my work, please send me your email address and I’ll forward my kudos file to you.

What else do you do?

Well, first and foremost, I’m a communicator and I have the phones bills and broadband bills to prove it.  I love helping people understand different perspectives or possibilities that they may never have considered. I especially love launching new ventures and working toward doing the impossible. 

I’ve also written four screenplays, and many, many poems.  If you’d like to read some of my poems or screenplays, please let me know.