Welcome back to our Content Magician series, where we introduce you to a member of our talented team each month.
Susanna’s Unique Point of View
Susanna Donato lives surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Perhaps it should be no surprise, then, that perspective is one of her greatest strengths as a senior writer and editor for Aha Media Group.
“Susanna goes above and beyond to make sure content doesn’t just say what needs to be said – it woos the reader,” says Account Manager Sarah Malakoff. “She knows how to zoom in on the details and look at everything from 50,000 feet, ensuring our team hits the mark.”
Susanna has picked up awards from the Business Marketing Association of Colorado and the Public Relations Society of America, among many others. She brings a creative vision and an unflappable attitude to all of her projects.
Meet Susanna:
What do you like most about your work?
I like things neat and tidy, and editing satisfies my orderly brain. I like word puzzles, too, and learning clients’ various style guides scratches that itch. I’m always curious, and I sometimes think I would have loved to be a doctor … except that I get woozy at the sight of blood. This job – interviewing doctors and writing and editing healthcare content – is an excellent alternative to practicing medicine for me.
What are your specialties?
I come from a marketing background. I’d say messaging is my strong suit. I love finding that happy medium between ultra-precision and what works best for an organization’s voice.
How did you get into editing and writing?
I’ve always been a writer, but I got into marketing and public relations writing as a college student. I was working at a PR firm and convinced a friendly colleague to let me write some news releases as a break from copying news clips at the Xerox machine.
I moved up at that firm for 6 years, eventually becoming the on-staff editor. In that role, I edited the work of more than 30 staff members, coached other writers and finally put to use everything I learned from my beloved high school journalism teacher, Mr. Reed.
When I am not writing, I am usually …
Hanging out with my husband and teenage daughter (or shuttling her to her music events), walking my two terriers or enjoying Denver’s wide variety of craft beers. And sometimes I’m still writing, but for myself! I’m working on a memoir about growing up in Colorado as a preacher’s kid who was obsessed with new wave, goth and industrial music.
I’m also a voracious reader (usually memoirs or novels). I recently read In Shock, a memoir by Dr. Rana Awdish, an intensive care doctor in Detroit that I actually interviewed for one of our projects. Her story of a devastating medical episode in her life is powerful, but what has stayed with me even more – and influenced how I write about health care – is her vivid depictions of working in a hospital’s intensive care unit and the sometimes-flawed ways doctors are trained in our system. I highly recommend it.
Come back again next month to meet a new Content Magician. Until then, learn about our team members here.
