Hi, I'm Rodrigo Duran
I'm a writer
Since getting my bachelors in English and Creative Writing at GWU, I’ve worked as a writer my entire professional life, producing events for The Atlantic, writing for TV with Newsy, and copywriting for Discover Kids, among others. I have just completed my MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Wyoming. I'm excited to venture more into copywriting.
Abbreviated CV + Portfolio Links
Education
2022 Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing -- Fiction at the University of Wyoming
Attended Prestigious Bread Loaf conference two times as well as publishing multiple fiction short stories. I launched literary magazine, The Meadowlark Review.
2016 Bachelor in Arts at the George Washington University (Honors)
Copywriting
Portfolio of copywriting projects
Discovery Kids
For Big Yellow Taxi, I compiled fun facts on Discovery Kid’s Big Awesome Dinosaurs and Big Awesome Everything. I wrote copy for both books with a focus on making the facts accessible to a younger audience and also highlighting dinosaurs they may never have heard of.
Anheuser-Busch
For Anheuser-Busch I compiled fun facts about politicians, beer, and American history. I wrote multiple choice quiz questions that appeared on Anheuser-Busch kiosks at events.
Copywriting Mock Ups
These are some mock-ups I’ve made of some ads, as well as some some info cards that I have been making for famous authors. Updated regularly.
730DC Newsletter
I curated the Tuesday and Friday morning newsletters for 730dc as well as wrote articles for the site, reaching 730DC's readership of over 19,000. We hit a peak open rate of 60% (approximately 14,000 readers). Also I conducted polls about D.C. through the newsletter.
Journalism
Selected work across Print, TV and Events
Print -- Various
I wrote features on hidden histories around various DC buildings as well as institutions such as dentistry, as well as interviewing start-ups in the architecture space.
Television -- Newsy
At Newsy I was a Writer/Producer working as one of two writers on various Newsy hour long programs, The Why and Newsy Tonight, out of the Washington DC office. Being part of a skeleton crew for a large television network made me quick on my feet when it came to breaking news and an effective writer under pressure. I wrote approximately forty-five minutes of programming a day while also running camera for live shots throughout the day.
Events -- AtlanticLIVE
As an Editorial Fellow for AtlanticLIVE, The Atlantic Magazine’s live events division, I created events their live-journalism series, building essentially the same elements of a piece of print media but on stage. I interviewed stakeholders, prepared scripts for on stage talent, and created curated events that formed a cohesive narrative for our audiences.