Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Bright
Hi Emily, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember. I’ve kept all my notebooks since elementary school, and reviewing those is a testament to my mind’s workings.
I wrote poems about nature, snippets of family comedy, short stories of intergenerational trauma and WWII (inspired by my family’s own experience), and journals from my travels. I wrote lyrics, plays, scripts, letters, and commentaries on life. Any interesting thought that crossed my mind I physically wrote down.
The theater was my sanctuary. I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed theater kid who loved late night rehearsals, running lines, and the bonding moments behind the curtain. Any chance I could be contributing to any sort of lore, on and off the stage, you could count me in.
I went off to college at Syracuse University for creative advertising, which was not something I really thought much about until my first internship in 2019. I started off as a journalism student at the S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communications, and through circumstance and chance I got an editorial internship at Adweek, an advertising and marketing trade publication, after my freshman year. That summer changed everything for me – I explored the intersection of creative advertising and journalism, and I completely fell in love. After that summer (and lots of Mad Men episodes later), I changed my major to advertising and never looked back.
At Syracuse, I was part of the portfolio track in the Advertising department, where I got the experience of portfolio school in undergrad. I followed an intensive curriculum of three portfolio sections taught by amazing industry professionals, along with courses in media planning, strategy, research, and digital, leading to a well-rounded understanding of the industry.
After college, I followed a lifelong dream of moving to France and accepted a job teaching English at the University of Strasbourg. I’ve felt a connection to France ever since I was a child. Speaking French was always important to me, as my beloved grandmother is French, fashionable, and fabulous, and I always wanted to be just like her. During my time in Strasbourg, I concepted original class material for over 300 students from around the world. My classes ranged from general speaking classes to Shakespearean theater to the study of female villains in the media to comedy writing and performance.
There was never a dull moment in the land of Alsatian wine, baguettes, raclette, and enough vive de la république to last me a lifetime. My performance skills were tested everyday, as well as my creative problem-solving skills, and everything I worked on during that year helped me land my current job as a creative copywriter.
After moving home to New Jersey, my creative advertising agency, VML, reached out for an interview for a junior role they had open. I never once visited Atlanta, or really even thought much about moving down south, but I took the leap of faith and accepted my dream job.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth isn’t the way I would describe it, but I could feel each hour of hard work translating into a step closer to my goal of becoming a writer.
But before I landed my first job in advertising, I had the story to tell as an expat. Reestablishing your entire life in a foreign country takes time, patience and dedication. My life there wasn’t built in a day – it barely was built in my one year there. But, I adopted the mindset of “profiter-bien”, or enjoying the present moment to the fullest. A French ‘carpe diem’, if you will. That helped me navigate the difficulties of moving across the world, and it’s a mantra I’ve adopted back into my American life as well.
Writing is a bumpy road, no matter what path you take. It’s a frustrating career, especially when your days involve sitting around, harping over highly conceptual big ideas for the biggest brand on the planet. The stakes are high, and the reality is that juniors are challenged to do more than just junior work, intense enough to satisfy even the hungriest of young creatives.
Being a writer means wearing your battle scars and heart on your sleeve (I’m a lefty and my ink scars show every time I write), and rejection is a constant threat lurking in the back of your mind. Imposter syndrome is very real, especially when you’re one of the few juniors in a room of highly-seasoned creative icons. But then that one gem of an idea passes through, and your creative directors start to tilt their heads and smile with the comment “I’ve never thought about it that way before.” That’s when you’ve hit the jackpot, and there’s no more gratifying rush of satisfaction than knowing your baby is a winner.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Now, my days are filled with conceptual to executional stories of real magic and happiness, upholding the legacy of a 135-year-old powerhouse, Coca-Cola. I blend the realms of wonder and the beverage market through transportative language and help connect people over an iconic household staple. Never in my wildest dreams would I have anticipated starting off on one of the biggest global accounts, but crazier things have happened. I’m eternally thankful to my boss, the creative powerhouse Sherman Winfield, who took a chance on this New Jersey native. Another creative journey Atlanta has afforded me is the opportunity to lend my voice to internal Coca-Cola marketing videos, honing in on my voice over skills (a passion point of mine I hope to expand and continue in 2025).
You can view my portfolio here at https://www.emilybbright.com/
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I’ll leave all the hungry creatives out there with three ingredients for success.
1. As a writer, no thought is a bad thought. Some of the best writing you’ll ever create might only be seen by you, but that doesn’t make it any less impactful. Keep a notes tab on your phone of any interesting thought, fleeting or fleshed out, and leave space for yourself to develop the little nuggets that grow from your mind. Don’t be afraid to block out time and word vomit onto the page – it’s all part of the process, and you never know what sprout of a thought will grow into a thriving idea.
2. Networking is your best friend. It’s important to start accumulating a list of people you can go to with industry questions. Get to know the people who have jobs you crave. I was very lucky to find a foundational set of mentors who have been so gracious with their time towards me, and I relish any moment that I can pay that forward.
3. Your portfolio should constantly be evolving, just like you. Spend time exploring how you want to come across in the industry, as your portfolio is your career lifeline. Be proud of it, show your personality on it, experiment with it. Don’t be afraid to ask others for their opinions and professional feedback, but at the end of the day, your book should mirror you and your creative ambitions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emilybbright.com/
- Instagram: @em_bright_
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-bright/
