BIO/CONTACT
CONTACT ME
DunningLS@gmail.com // @LizaDunning
ABOUT ME
I've been passionate about creative communication since I had a colored pencil and a padlocked diary, circa age six.
After graduating from The University of Georgia and a quick stint in Hollywood event production and PR, I decided to attend The Creative Circus to study copywriting. I saw it as the best way to make a career out of doing what I loved: telling stories. While I was at my first agency job (22squared), I was introduced to two entrepreneurs who had an idea for a mobile app. I convinced them to change their company name and get rid of their ‘logo guy’. Together, we named, branded, and launched Scoutmob, a locations-based mobile app made for scouting deals and supporting locally-owned businesses. I decided to leave what I knew (advertising) to join something I had no idea about (early stage startups). My agency peers were sure I'd lost my mind. They were sorta right. I had no idea what I was doing.
I loved every minute of it.
From 2010-2014, we grew Scoutmob to 13 markets and over three million users. We developed branded editorial and a mobile app (before “content marketing” was a buzzword). I hired a team of writers and photographers (pre-‘influencer’ days!) and, together, we had the pleasure of telling the stories of thousands of independent restaurateurs and entrepreneurs across the country. After five years — a relative lifetime in the startup grind — I wanted to go global.
After a fateful visit to San Francisco, I had an offer to join the fast-growing in-house marketing team at Airbnb. It was literally a dream client in a dream location, so I jumped at the freelance-chance, suitcase in hand. What started as a temporary gig quickly became a full-time role as Airbnb’s first in-house brand writer. Over five years, I helped shape now-iconic brand campaigns and content (social, film, ad campaigns), harnessing an inspiring community into our best brand storytellers and working alongside some of the most creative, wonderful humans I’ve yet to know.
After five career-defining years, I went back to my roots: working with startups to craft brand identities from the ground up. I consult with brands and businesses of all sizes — everything from travel to toothpaste, bedding to biotech. I deliver on verbal identities, content strategies, taglines, campaign films, restaurant and hotel names, and any good ol’ fashioned copywriting/content needs. I still love it all, working with the likes of Slack, Apeel, GoFundMe, Glassdoor, CookUnity, and Viceroy Hotels.
While I still love the freelance life, I recently took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a little startup in Cupertino (Apple) where I help lead their Retail storytelling efforts through film. Getting the chance to spotlight inspiring human stories within the biggest technology brand on the planet has been a true pinch-me experience.
Over the last six years, I've also had the chance to share my experience through keynote speeches at a handful of marketing conferences and universities across the country… and, well, it might just be my kind of favorite gig yet.
If you've made it this far into this oh-so humble biography: I love you, Mom!
(If you're not my mom? Then, hi! Wow… Thanks for your time. Let's make this a two-way conversation, shall we?)