February 15, 20—

Geoff Tolley
Copy Supervisor
Blattner/Brunner
One Oxford Center
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Dear Mr. Tolley,

After our brief discussion last Friday, I assumed it would be helpful if I provided you with an insider's view of my experience before our meeting today. (You know - a kinda "crib sheet", if you will.) So, with just hours to spare, here's the skinny...

A glimpse of my experience...
I've spent the last six years calling myself an advertising copywriter (four of those with actual business cards to prove it), honing critical experience in both the consumer and business-to-business markets. From direct mail and print campaigns to radio and television, I've written for many mediums to both develop and assist clients at they prepared for market introductions, product launches and the daunting world of cyberspace. (Okay, in between interning and volunteering, freelancing and consulting, I have also spent considerable hours bartending, where I've almost perfected a wicked, but yummy Banana Chocolate Martini.)

How trade show experience puts the squeeze on my competition...
At élan communications, I had the outstanding opportunity to work for a wide range of world-class clients, both national and international. As the in-house agency of Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, the world's largest exhibit company, élan afforded me the chance to focus on the fast-paced world of trade show marketing. In addition to strategizing and conceptualizing year-long trade show campaigns, I've produced everything from journal advertisements and pre-show mailers to marketing collateral and internal correspondence. I also had the opportunity to travel, work closely with client teams and product managers, and really learn an area of "full-service marketing" most marketing professionals know little about.

Other riveting credentials...
...proficient in researching, interviewing, editing, and proofreading. My spelling-stellar, and my grammar-solid. I skim magazines for the ads, surf the web for kooky sites and play a mean game of Ad-Mania, just to marvel at my useless bank of pop-cult knowledge. (Oh, and did it mention I can dazzle you with one helluva funky martini?)

And, since you're gonna ask, "yes, I am employable"...
I'll probably begin to answer that question with some canned response about the wonderful opportunities I had working with some of our city's best creatives, possessing highly functional, detail-oriented ability and an innate proficiency for organization, but for the sake of brevity, (huh???brevity???) I'll nail it to the core: I am good at what I do because I've decided to make an "honorable" living doing what I love. But, the martini talen is always a bonus.


Look forward to meeting with you,

Victoria A. Arlia