Pierce College - English
Editor and Writer
Shannon
Diffner
My specialties include: copywriting, proofreading, editing, marketing, advertising, promotions, Veeva Vault, script writing, B2B content, grammar, punctuation, AMA style, AP style, digital copywriting.
Interested in knowing more? Read on!
Copywriting is a joy for me: whether I’m synopsizing a movie or blogging about a small town, the words flow easily. But writing about myself? Well, that’s another story.
Or… stories. Here are some of mine.
I’m the founding partner of a small business that launched in 2004. Yes, of course, I’m starting with a success story. Only a third of small business exist beyond 10 years; it’s fantastic to be in the victorious 33 percent. When my partner and I took the leap, we wrote exclusively for the booming Home Entertainment industry. Since then, we have expanded into other industries, including travel, beauty, crafting, and healthcare.
As any small business owner will tell you, I’m not only an expert in my chosen field, but I’ve become astute in other areas as well. I’m a webmaster, accountant, salesperson, bill collector and my own tech support. Being an entrepreneur requires that I juggle these roles as I keep in mind larger, more strategic goals.
I’ve got scary stories, too. When I taught at Pierce College, a student informed me that I was “contributing to the genocide of the white race” with my diverse reading list. Later, after September 11, 2001, bomb threats made it routine to evacuate the building I worked in on the Universal Studios lot, which at the time was home to Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. Oh, and I was deeply immersed in the marketing of the Mike Myers "Cat in the Hat" movie. That might be the most terrifying one in the bunch. But all of these experiences made me recognize the importance of doing the right thing.
Travel stories have always enthralled me, and I was thrilled to create some of my own when I left my hometown in L.A. to attend college in San Francisco. After graduating with a B.A. in Literature and a minor in Criminal Justice, I began graduate school in England. I went on to earn my M.A. in Literature… and to swim the Great Barrier Reef, tango in Buenos Aires, taste wine in New Zealand and… okay, I’ll stop. Each new trip reinforces my mantra: “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
As for my personal-life story: I’m a mom, wife, community activist, lover of musical theatre, and owner of too many books.
BA
Literature, Criminal Justice
MA
Literature
Attended classes at London University in London, England.
Graduated cum laude
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