Just Who is This A.C. Riley?
Anne Charlotte Riley, that’s me, is a talented — and modest — copywriter and content strategist, with a specialization in online content. Other than the previous sentence, I do my best to refrain from referring to myself in third-person and have been known to act as an advocate for correct apostrophe usage, produce insightful Web analyses and make a mean coq au vin.
With over 15 years as a professional writer and editor, I’ve written everything from snappy advertising copy and optimized Web content to a wide variety of published articles. I was one of the contributing authors to The New York Times bestseller “Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure”. (I was one of the “obscure”.)
Prior to A.C. Riley Communications, I worked as an editor for LookSmart, where I reviewed over 30,000 websites. While at LookSmart, I was responsible for creating the ontology and navigation hierarchy of directory categories for MSN Canada and Zeal.com, where I encouraged community submissions and mentored community members to improve writing with regard to voice, tone and style. As part of the paid listings team, I integrated keywords into directory reviews.
As V.P. of Marketing and Research for Horizon Marketing & Communications, I helped small and medium-sized businesses plan and develop their sales and marketing strategies. While there I oversaw all demographic research, ad copy and branding decisions, as well as the creation of client marketing plans. I have a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, majoring in photography.
Ten Obscure Facts About Me
- I possess a spoon stolen from a Buckingham Palace tea party. (Thanks Jane!)
- I love the word “verve” but can rarely incorporate it into my everyday conversation.
- I am mortally afraid of pointy “Kaiser helmet” style salt shakers.
- I know more lyrics to ’70s and ’80s pop music than I’d care to admit.
- I’ve had two exhibits at the Centre international d’art contemporain de Montréal.
- I played hockey in high school.
- My first career was as a production manager in Toronto’s thriving pre-press industry, where I met with clients, cursed an ancient Robertson camera, and hauled myself out of bed for 3:00 a.m. press approvals.
- I know the word for cheese in over 10 languages. If you are ever stuck in Iceland it’s “ostur.”
- I adore Yves Klein, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Willem de Kooning and Ad Reinhardt. Brilliant, utterly brilliant!
- I really love to write. But, perhaps, that’s not so secret.
Want to see how I can help you with your next project? Use my contact form to arrange a free content consultation, or if you prefer contact me by email:
A. Charlotte Riley
acr@nullacriley.com