Kirk Nathanson

Profile

Strategic marketing communications leader with 10+ years experience crafting and implementing compelling narratives for early- and late-stage start-ups. Hands-on writer focused on engaging audiences, differentiating products, and supporting growth. Skilled listener and adept at building consensus among stakeholders. Firm believer that if you treat your audience with respect, they’ll respect you.

Experience

Jan 2020 – date

UX Lead, Content Design
GoodRx

Introduced content-first design practices to GoodRx’s web and native apps, and helped transform the company from a transactional utility to healthcare management platform spanning the entire patient journey.

  • Service information architecture. Led the research, design, and development of a universal navigation system starting with global header and footers.

  • Long-term product visioning. One of three designers invited to join a cross-functional team of engineers, product leaders, and subject matter experts to define a 5-year product vision that the company is now pursuing.

  • Content design and mentorship. Regularly assist visual product designers develop the information hierarchy communication objectives of their screens; and mentor designers in user research and UX writing.

Sept. 2018 – Jan 2020

Senior UX Content Strategist
Morningstar

Responsible for the overarching content strategy of a new web app that helps people reach their financial goals and live their best life—everything from the user journey and UI copy, to marketing and communications material.

  • Narrative product vision Created a comic book that told the story of a young couple who didn’t know how to save and invest for their dreams—a home, travel, starting a business. By writing it as a comic book with characters and narrative helped stakeholders see how our product could help real people and inspired the team as we built the app.

  • Content-first UX design: Designed the end-to-end user journey using a content-first approach, which starts with the narrative story we want our users to move through and treats the interaction between the user and the interface as a conversational dialogue.

  • Go to market strategy: Developed marketing and communications plans as an extension of the application itself so that every touchpoint with the user reinforced a consistent and compelling narrative.

Jan. 2018 – Sept. 2018

Head of Integrated Marketing & Strategic Communications
Tumblr (Verizon)

Responsible for crafting and executing Tumblr’s market narrative through an integrated communications strategy.

  • Marketing strategy: Designed Tumblr's short- and long-term marketing strategies, and oversaw the execution of integrated campaigns mixing editorial content, video, email/push, paid digital, and out-of-home activations.

  • Executive communications: Write speeches and presentations for executive leadership, draft press statements, and advise on internal employee communications.

  • Crisis communications: Oversaw Tumblr’s response to Russia's 2015-16 disinformation campaign on social media; and the platform’s approach to hate speech.

  • Operations: Manage and mentor a cross-functional team of 15 marketers, writers, designers, and PR specialists; oversee $6 million annual marketing budget.

Jun. 2017 – Jan. 2018

Creative Director, Copy
Tumblr (Yahoo)

Responsible for maintaining a consistent voice and style across all product and marketing touch- points, including blog content, email/push, social, website copy, and product UX.

  • Lead writer/editor: Wrote, edited, and published 3-5 pieces of content each day across owned- and-operated (O&O) channels, adjusting tone for audience and topic.

  • Executive communications: Wrote speeches and presentations for executive leadership, drafted press statements, and advised on internal employee communications.

  • Sales marketing: Wrote case studies, thought leadership pieces, and press releases with a core focus on B2B relationships with ad buyers and partners.

  • People management: Managed and mentored two junior copywriters, assigned work, edited and approved deliverables.

Dec. 2012 – Jun. 2017

Senior Copywriter
Tumblr

  • Wrote emails, social copy, website, press releases, and marketing collateral designed to attract and retain users and advertisers.

  •  Developed and executed a content marketing strategy for Tumblr’s sales team, telling the story of Tumblr’s influential audience and “content hub” advertising solution.

  • Generated $2 million in renewed ad buys from Ford, Asos, and Maynards from publishing case studies about their campaigns.

  • Wrote and published 10+ blog posts, push notifications, and emails per week.

Jun. 2012 – Dec. 2012

Senior Proposal Manager
C3 IoT

2010 – 2012  

Proposal Manager
EnergyHub

2009 – 2010

Proposal Coordinator
ICF International (NYSE: IFCI)

2008 – 2009

Business Development Manager
J.E. Austin Associates

 

Education

Indiana University-Bloomington
English & Political Science (double major)

 

Freelance clients

Marketing Consultant @ Sealed
Advise on in-bound and out-bound marketing strategies and develop marketing content and collateral, including: paid digital, emails, landing pages, and websites.

UX Writer @ Crunchbase
Write in-product copy including labels, errors, helper text; as well as product marketing language for splash screens and tutorials.