Portfolio Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Julie Green, Billings, MT

November 16, 2014July 6, 2019

KOA Newsletter

Widely known as North America’s largest system of family-friendly campgrounds,

KOA, or Kampgrounds of America, is well known for its distinctive yellow signs found in more than 185 cities and towns across the U.S. and Canada. It may be surprising to some to learn, however, that KOA began right here in Billings, Montana, when entrepreneur Dave Drum created a campground to serve the needs of travelers to the 1962 World’s Fair.

I have had the opportunity to work with the remarkable folks at KOA for over 5 years on a variety of projects. Some of the most recent include crafting stories for inclusion in their camper newsletter, which is distributed to more than a half million camping guests each month. The Kompass newsletter is full of great camping tips, recipes and travel stories that capture the imaginations of campers everywhere.

A few of my favorites include having the chance to research the best camping movies ever made, finding out what makes up a great kid-friendly travel kit and interviewing campground owners to find out what their average days are like (I learned that “average” days rarely exist for these busy men and women!)

I hope you’ll sneak a peek at the newsletter stories above and start making your plans now to camp with KOA soon!

November 13, 2014July 6, 2019

Cody Mural Website

Cody WY – bringing history back with a website.

If you were to ask people what they knew about Cody, Wyoming, most of them would likely talk about the man after which it was named: William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Few, however, would be able to tell you about the history of the pioneers who settled the Big Horn Basin in which the town is nestled or know about one of the most unusual art pieces in the region.

In coordination with Kinetic Marketing & Communications, I had the opportunity to help change that by creating a dynamic new website sharing the story of the Cody Mural and its attached pioneer museum. The new site shares the story of not only how the mural and museum came to be, but why they came to be. Because I am originally from the Big Horn Basin, I admit that getting to tell the story of its settlement at the turn of the last century was a great personal experience. Professionally, I am also pleased to know that the client’s goals of gaining a higher profile among tourists from around the world via its website continue to be realized.

Work completed:

Client interviews
Creative overview, brief and presentation
Keyword and key phrase research
Content development

November 12, 2014July 6, 2019

Time Savers Article

I began my freelance career writing for an award-winning local publication called Magic Magazine.

My first article coincided with the 30th anniversary of Roots, and I had the opportunity write about something I’m actually fairly fascinated with: genealogy. Since that time, I’ve written countless articles on homes (getting to tour people’s homes is awesome, in case you’re wondering) for the magazine, and occasionally have the chance to whip up something a little different. Once such occasion was late in 2013, when I was challenged to write “Time Savers That Aren’t.” The goal of the piece was to look at those things that are supposed to essentially make life more efficient but instead do precisely the opposite.

There are times in every writer’s life, I suppose, when prose practically falls from their brain through their fingertips and right onto the screen. Those block-free moments are pure, unadulterated joy. It just so happens, this article happened precisely that way. The inspiration struck, and out everything came in a lighthearted stream. As I recall, it took less than 45 minutes to write from start to finish, and I had a ball.

I do wish that all of my freelance writing projects could be that fun and that easy; after all, I’m like everyone else who’s ever experienced writer’s block and agonized over every letter in every word in every sentence. So I look at it as a gift, and can’t wait to receive another one just like it.

November 12, 2014July 6, 2019

LINK Magazine Premiere Issue

In early 2014, not long after I launched Box 117 Creative, I was contacted by the special publications team at the Billings Gazette. Working in conjunction with the Billings Chamber of Commerce, they were in the process of creating a new quarterly publication called LINK, and asked if I would write a story for the new magazine. Having worked on Magic Magazine and other Gazette publications, I was happy to do so.

Writing the lead story, “Defining Tomorrow” was a great opportunity to meet new members of our business community.

As a freelance writer for over 5 years, I knew several of the individuals I was to interview, but was excited to talk with others to whom I had not yet been introduced. Every person to whom I spoke was gracious and excited to share their ideas about the future of our city. Given the fact I was just starting out on my own, hearing their enthusiasm was infectious, and gave me greater insight as to the possibilities for both personal and professional growth right here at home.

As with any project, not everything goes as smoothly as one would like. In this instance, the story was nearly to press when one of the main individuals I had interviewed stepped down from his position. Working frantically with my editor, I was able to set up an interview with another community leader, rework the story to accommodate his thoughts and replace the lead-in faster that I ever thought possible.

Work completed:

Interviews
Article writing

November 12, 2014July 6, 2019

The Executive Group Website

The Executive Group is a recruitment firm located in Billings, Montana.

Working with Echelon Design & Advertising and Webgrain, I had the opportunity to participate in the creation of a new website for the company.

This was the first project I completed with The Executive Group, which required I invest the time needed to learn more about them, how they operated and what set them apart. Their former site had not been updated in a number of years, so creating a tone that was both professional and engaging was a “from scratch” effort. Fortunately, Echelon Design & Advertising was great to work with, and the team at The Executive Group was generous both in terms of sharing their time and thoughts with me. This led to what I believe is very positive outcome both in terms of experience and results.

Work completed:

Site map creation and review
Client interviews
Competitor research and analysis
Biography writing
Website content creation
SEO key word/key phrase research
Meta title creation
Meta description creation

See the completed website here.