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About Core Copywriting

Core Copywriting is Brighton-based freelance writer, editor and word-lover, Helen Keevy.

Skills & Qualifications

After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in French, History and International Politics I did a post-graduate degree in Journalism at the University of Stellenbosch in the student-distracting South African winelands.

Since then I have earned a Master CIW Designer certification, done training courses in copy editing, website accessability and advanced CSS, and taught myself HTML and various desktop publishing and graphics programs. I also read widely on content strategy, information architecture and website usability, as well as tomes, both current and classic, on copywriting and human psychology.

Work experience

My first 'official' job was as a webmaster for an adventure magazine in Johannesburg. This was followed by a year as an online content creator and editor for one of the large international victims of the dotcom crash in the late 90s.

Then two years as a book editor for Struik, one of South Africa’s leading non-fiction publishers in their gardening and travel section.

I came to the UK in 2002 and worked in a variety of jobs in the not-for-profit and further education sectors, before settling in as a communications and web officer at a London public health organisation. A role as a web development project manager followed before I decided to take the plunge as a freelancer and focus on what I enjoy most - writing and editing.

To my list of official job titles from the past I am also proud to be able to add freelance writer, voluntary web editor, EFL tutor, cook, waitress, henna tattoo artist, library assistant, indexer, personal assistant, TV programme transcriber, carer and Scrabble addict (unpaid unfortunately).

Why did I start Core Copywriting?

I decided to start Core Copywriting in Brighton in 2009, because I like variety, and I love words: I love reading them and I love writing them. That is the short answer.

The longer answer involves my rather fierce dislike for badly-structured, unhelpful and confusing information. But I'll stop there.

Copywriting also allows me to keep learning about new subjects: to write about something accurately I need to understand it. I might have no knowledge about the field at the start of a project, but by the time I start writing I make sure I know what's what.

And finally, the rapid evolution of communication technology and the media means that there is always something to adapt to.

I like the challenge.