Shawna Wagman is a brand builder and award-winning writer based in Ottawa, Canada.
Bar-raiser.
Opinion-holder.
Tastemaker.
Truth-teller.
Shit-disturber.
Goosebump-manufacturer.
Consistency keeper.
Fresh idea generator.
People motivator.
Customer empathizer.
Manifesto appreciator.
It turns out there are many ways to put empathy into the world. Creativity is the best way I know how. It’s a skill I’ve been actively sharpening for 20+ years.
Writing is my way of helping people connect with one another in a world where the misses are much more common than hits. I write to help people overcome problems and anxieties, and I write to help them imagine a better version of themselves.
I began my career as a journalist with a focus on food & dining culture, reporting on the people who choose to make food the centre of their lives—including farmers, bakers, restaurateurs and cheesemakers.
My food and travel articles have been published in The Globe & Mail, enRoute, Ottawa Magazine, Chatelaine, Eater, and Ricardo, among others.
With a love of stories and a tendency to ask a lot of “why” questions, I moved seamlessly into the world of non-profit communications, embodying the voices of many of Canada’s top organizations including The Kidney Foundation, Interval House and Canadian Blood Services.
The work of telling touching true stories to help raise money for worthy causes made me realize the power of writing to help people experience what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. It’s about making the audience the hero of the story.
That turned out to the lightbulb moment that led to my next career shift into branding and advertising. I joined a creative agency as a Senior Copywriter in 2017 and I’ve never looked back.
Since then, I’ve worked with small local organizations and entrepreneurs, as well as large global B2B fintech clients, and everything in between.
I’ve done every kind of marketing writing from developing brand voice and “brand stories” (still my favourite!) to coming up with creative ideas for product launches and digital campaigns, as well as writing scripts for videos and copy for websites.
The best part about writing is that I’m always learning. When I am greeted with the blinking cursor and searching for the right words for the task at hand, it’s another opportunity to try to get it right. To connect someone to who they want to be.
Shawna Wagman 