When she’s not filming the cutest videos of her nephew, traveling the world, dancing her way around the city, or writing fictitious and terrifying stories about alligators and snakes, Content Strategist Emily Laubham is putting her writing skills to use for some of our largest clients. She grew up somewhere between Murrysville and Export, Pennsylvania—if you frequented the area a few years back, you may have seen her hanging out at the local gas station.
Emily studied Fiction Writing at the University of Pittsburgh, which means she was no stranger to the question, “And what are you going to do with that?” She also received a certificate in Public and Professional Writing and interned respectively in editorial writing, public relations, publishing, and writing for the nonprofit sector. Before starting her journey with Cosmitto in January 2017, Emily took a cross-country road trip, worked remotely as a technical writer for a computer software company, wrote and published short stories, and ate a lot of off-brand Eggo waffles. We promise she’s as interesting as this intro makes her sound—check out her Q&A to learn more:
Q: Why did you want to work at Cosmitto?
A: I wanted to write for someone fair who would push me and give me challenging work that held my attention. I still want to work at Cosmitto because we operate like a family unit. I’m invested, not only in my growth as a writer, but in the growth of the company. As an added bonus, I get to learn new things about a wide array of strange and unrelated topics; our clients are diverse, so my portfolio is diverse.
We do a lot of laughing too… I hear that makes you live longer. Woah, that was such a Dad comment.
Q: What’s your favorite aspect of your job as a Content Strategist?
A: Story-telling is sort of my religion. If you’re a company or individual who is even remotely passionate about a product, person, service, or event, then I want to talk to you. I get to focus on the minor details that make a story special but still align everything – from language and USP to sales and engagement goals – back to a predetermined large-scale/long-term goal.
Q: What’s your dream job?
A: Hmm… Writer is my dream job, but more specifically, a travel writer, perhaps? Or a dancer-sea nomad-zoologist-dog walker-therapist?
Q: What are you most passionate about?
A: Story-telling as a way to communicate with myself and the world. I think all people – even seemingly “ordinary” people (not a fan of the word) – deserve to be known. Not from a fame perspective or anything but from a place of understanding.
Q: What’s the best social campaign you’ve seen recently?
A: I love Frank Bod’s digital presence. It’s an example of creating a tone and voice and sticking to it. They’re all about natural products, cheeky humor, body positivity, and being called babe a lot, which I only like when Frank Bod does it. Seriously, don’t ever call me babe.
Q: What are your favorite Twitter accounts to follow?
A: The Paris Review; FBI Most Wanted; NatGeo; Effin’ Birds
Why? I like reading about writers, staying hypervigilant, animals, traveling, and swears.
Q: Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?
A: Las Piedras river in Peru’s Amazon rainforest. Visit JungleKeepers to help save it.
Q: What’s one thing you could eat every day?
A: Rice never lets me down. Throw a little butter, hot sauce, or soy sauce on there and it’s good to go.
Q: What are some of your favorite movies? Name a few.
A: The Truman Show; Silver Lining’s Playbook; Donnie Darko; Moon; Forgetting Sarah Marshall; Stepbrothers; Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Coraline; White Christmas; The Blair Witch Project; Up; Jaws; Jurassic Park; There Will Be Blood; Silent Hill; Baby Driver; Get Out; 180° South
Q: What are some of your favorite books?
A: This question gives me ridiculous amounts of anxiety, but here we go:
- Ann Patchett, Bel Canto
- Ann Patchett, The Patron Saint of Liars
- Ann Patchett, State of Wonder
- Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves
- Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation
- Jeff VanderMeer, Borne
- Shirley Jackson, Haunting of Hill House
- Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in This Castle
- Delia Owens, Where the Crawdad Sings
- Tommy Orange, There, There
- Carrie Fisher, Postcards From the Edge
- Candice Millard, River of Doubt
- Neil Gaiman, Ocean at the End of the Lane
- Stephen King, The Stand
- Stephen King, On Writing
- Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin
- Colum McCann, Zoli
- Colum McCann, Dancer
- Tara Westover, Educated
- Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None
- Karen Russell, Swamplandia!
- Karen Russell, Vampires in the Lemon Grove
- Emma Cline, The Girls
- Michelle McNamara, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
- Cheryl Strayed, Wild
- Mary Roach, Spook
- Sheryl Monk, Monsters of Appalachia
- Erling Kagge, Silence in the Age of Noise
- Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
- Sy Montgomery, The Soul of an Octopus
- Marcus Baynes-Rock, Among the Bone Eaters: Encounters with Hyenas in Harar
Q: What’s one song you could listen to on endless repeat?
A: Visit this playlist I curated: https://spoti.fi/2kCp4BL
Q: Coffee, tea, or other?
A: Morning coffee is my most sacred commitment to myself.
Q: What would your patronus take the shape of?
A: Mike Posner walking across America.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Pittsburgh?
A: Pittsburgh is big enough that (at the peak of the day) it feels like a true city, but small enough that if you stay up past 2am, downtown feels completely abandoned. I dig that.
Q: Pierogies or Primantis?
A: Pierogies. I hate Primantis. Sorry ‘bout it.
Q: What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?
A: The literal first thing? I’d go to the bar. Yes, I’d buy you a drink.
Q: What is your biggest fear?
A: Distractedly brushing my teeth and putting anything but toothpaste on the brush.
Q: What are three things still left on your bucket list?
- Solo backpacking trip
- Jump out of something
- Run a marathon
I want to make it very clear that I love sitting on the couch and #4 on my bucket list is to spend more time there. I’m also going to write a book. Okay, bye.
Q: Who do you hope to be in 5 years?
A: In five years’ time, I hope I’m fighting off the pressure of passing time. I like who I am but I could always stand to be more confident and at peace with my decisions. It would be nice to be in a position where I could help others be those things as well.
Nikki Staley
