Wendy Reynolds is the kind of person an advertising agency needs as a Copy Editor: she was almost arrested for pulling out her red pen to correct spelling mistakes in print ads in Manhattan subway cars – twice. “I had to assure the cops I wasn’t some kind of graffiti artist,” she laughs. “They let me go both times, but they definitely thought I was nuts.” We think she is, too, and we wouldn’t want her to be any other way.
TMG: What do you bring to The Martin Group as an editor?
WAR: I’ve worked as a legal, financial, advertising, publishing and pharmaceutical proofreader and editor in New York City, so all that experience comes in handy with The Martin Group’s diverse client list. But probably the biggest contribution I make is consistency.
TMG: Consistency?
WAR: Yes. I check everything at the agency, from the initial RFPs to the final deliverables. I make sure that the changes the client asks for in a print ad on Thursday are also reflected in the website we’ll be developing for them on Friday. Nothing, no matter how small, can get lost in the cracks. A campaign’s collateral has to be consistent, or the brand message is compromised.
TMG: So it’s more than just proofreading…
WAR: Proofreading is a huge part of what I do. There is nothing worse than looking at a great ad and being distracted by a spelling error or a typo – and yet we as consumers see it out there all the time. I work very closely with the copy department and the entire TMG team to prevent this from happening, because once it does, it ruins the trust you’ve worked so hard to build with the client involved.
Even when a client supplies their own copy for their collateral, I proof it for errors, put in missing trademark symbols and copyright information, make sure it conforms to their brand standards, and check that the language, tone and voice they’ve used is the same as what their audience has come to expect from their brand. The Martin Group makes that kind of editorial attention to detail a priority, whether we write the copy for them or not. A great example of this is the New Era Cap Company coffee table book produced for their 90th anniversary. The fact checking and editing that went into the final product was done without compromising the style and message of their original copy. I didn’t “rewrite” it. I just made the copy better. That’s my job.
I also work closely with our digital department, and check websites and other Web products in different browsers to make sure there aren’t any bad characters, missing copy or images, or incorrect or “dead” links. And I help the art department by checking that the right images, logos and other graphic elements are used in each part of a campaign.
TMG: What’s the one thing people don’t know about you at the office?
WAR: They probably don’t know about my broadcasting experience. I currently host my own radio show, The MILF Mix, from 9 to 11 in the morning every Sunday on 91.3 FM WBNY, Buffalo State’s radio station, which you can stream live at http://www.buffalostate.edu/wbny/webradio/. I’ve also worked on-air and done voiceover work for other TV and radio stations here and in New York. So whenever one of our TMG clients needs a radio spot done, I’m available – just as soon as I proofread the script.
