Coroflot
  • Hire Designers
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
  • Jobs
  • Designers
  • Discover
  • Salaries
  • Jobs
  • Designers
  • Discover
  • Salaries
  • About Us
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
  • Create Portfolio
  • Hire Designers
  • Sign In
e
Copywriting done Creatively!

Michael J. Ray

Milwaukee, WI
Available Now
  • Follow
  • Contact
  • Save to list
  • Stream
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • About

    PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Strong writer. Strong conceptualizer. Strong team motivator. An experienced manager/writer who's as energized creating results-oriented advertising as he is presenting and selling these ideas. Equally invigorated by mentoring, supervising and inspiring other writers and designers to succeed.

    Successful Consumer, Educational and B2B Experience In:

    * Direct Mail * Catalog * Magazine * Radio & DRTV * Web/Email

    * Social Media * Ad Sales Kits * Sales Promotion

  • Education
    • B.A Journalism
      Marquette University
  • Experience
    • Copywriting done Creatively!
      Freelance Copywriter
      Milwaukee, WI
      Jan 1995 - Present (30 years 5 months)
      M.J.RAY - Creative the "Write" Way for a variety of clients including The Hamilton Collection, Green Onion Creative, Media Horizons, Direct Wines, The Bradford Exchange, Belvoir Publishing (medical newsletters), Business & Legal Reports, MemberWorks (credit card enhancement programs), America Online, non-profit theater groups, others.
    • Copywriter
      MONTGOMERY WARD
      Chicago, IL
      Wrote print ads and radio scripts for home furnishings and catalog outlet stores.
    • Promotion Manager/Copy
      SCHOLASTIC INC.
      Danbury, CT
      Wrote all media for publisher of children's book clubs (Nickelodeon Dr. Seuss Disney VeggieTales), continuity programs and collectibles. Successfully launched Barbie Book Club resulting in 8.7% pull beat 10-year control by 46% by creating "One in a Million" customer-retention DM wrote banner ads for Scooby-Doo product resulting in 11,000+ orders in one week crafted CRM prototypes for all front- and back-end marketing communications
    • Copywriter
      TAUNTON PRESS
      Newtown, CT
      Hired to create harder selling promotion as corporate direction shifted to more marketing-driven focus for publisher of 7 different special-interest magazines, and books.
    • Copy Group Head
      NEWFIELD PUBLICATIONS
      Shelton, CT
      Wrote response- and order-generating promotions for such products as Weekly Reader, Child Development Toys, and programs branded by Family Circle, McCall's and Country Living. Promoted twice to Manager supervising other writers and support staff. Received President's Award for Excellence.
    • Senior Copywriter
      WHEELER GROUP
      New Hartford, CT
      Wrote sales copy for business-to-business marketer of office and computer supplies, dental "paper" products and greeting cards. Wrote for 7 different catalogs. Awarded " One Standard Excellence Award" for excellence within the Pitney Bowes corporation.
    • Copywriter
      STG MARKETING
      Fairfield, CT
      Full service advertising agency working on industrial, business-to-business and high-tech accounts. Included ads, direct mail, radio and promotional brochures.
    • Informal Summer Internship
      BENTON & BOWLES
      Brussels, Belgium
      Consisted primarily of copywriting experience within the creative department working on a variety of packaged goods accounts.
    • Marketing Services
      SWIDERSKI ELECTRONICS
      Elk Grove, IL
      Created one-man advertising department that wrote copy, designed layout and mechanicals for monthly self-mailers for electronics engineering company. Worked with typographers, photographers and printers to meet scheduled deadlines.
    • Creative Manager
      THE HAMILTON COLLECTION
      Milwaukee, WI
      May 2011 - Jan 2019 (7 years 8 months)
      As Creative lead, was part of management team for fine collectibles company that improved promotional response rate resulting in a 27% sales boost and increase in ticket and net take within 1-1/2 years, while meeting or exceeding creative success goals. * Challenged team of writers, designers and photographer to transform "product- descriptive" promotions to "marketing-driven" through new formats, approaches and DM techniques * Concepted and oversaw 350+ new house-file and acquisition promotions annually, including licensed programs for NFL, MLB, NCAA, Precious Moments, Thomas Kinkade, NASCAR, Disney and other noted artists and licensors * Introduced new approach to causal-driven collectibles, including an Alzheimer themed program that doubled response rate and improved net take * Transitioned writers and designers to work as a team to create better selling stories as opposed to a production-oriented component mindset READER'S DIGEST rmerly Reiman Publications)
  • Industries
    • Advertising
  • Skills
    • Advertising
    • Copywriting & Editing
    • Creative Direction
  • On Coroflot
    @MichaelRay, member since 2014
|

Design-driven companies worldwide use Coroflot to recruit exceptional talent.

Connect with us to get new jobs and projects daily.

  • 7
  • q
  • R
  • I
  • n
  • Coroflot

    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Us
    • Blog
  • Hiring Tools

    • Post a Job
    • Find Designers
    • Job Network
    • Design Salary Guide
  • Latest Design Jobs

    • REATIVE DESIGNER (UX AND INFORMATION DESIGN)

      LA Metro

    • UX Designer

      Syria Justice & Accountability Center

    % Design Jobs RSS

© 2025 Core77, Inc.