Amanda Choo Quan

I am an award-winning journalist and brand strategist. I have acquired over two decades of experience helping people from all walks of life communicate more clearly, convincingly, and thoughtfully — whether Trinidadian maroon tribes in search of recognition, punk protestors in downtown Los Angeles in search of legitimacy, or Jamaican CEOs in search of approval. I am skilled at identifying how individual desire interacts with a society's broader political agenda — and in writing strategy, campaigns, content, speeches, and essays that consequently win the attention of hundreds of thousands of people, quietly influencing culture.

I have consulted across industry, media, and country, working with banks, insurers and credit unions (Republic Bank, the Unit Trust Corporation); across food and beverage (Nestle, KFC, Bacardi Group); and even within international development (The UN Refugee Agency), among several others. In addition to communications strategy, I have commented on art, fashion, race and politics for Harper's Bazaar, the National Gallery of Art, Teen Vogue, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and NYLON, among others. Other personal projects have included running my own literary podcast; guest-writing for WME's social media accounts (@nyfw, @fashionweek) across fashion weeks, commenting on each collection; and advocating for writers of colour and other marginalized artists through sharing opportunity.

Freelance Journalist/Communications Strategist - Self-employed - Trinidad and Tobago, USA

(2020-11)

• Wrote on art, race and culture for Caribbean and North American outlets, including Harper's Bazaar, Teen Vogue, NYLON, Huffington Post, among others. My Harper's article on racism in majority-Black countries was among that week's most read, and was featured in roundups by the Washington Post and Firefox.
• Tapped by California-based publisher, McSweeney's, to develop PR campaigns and produce tours to market their Black writers.
• Led brand strategy and copywriting for Caribbean-based design studio Praktis, creating award-winning campaigns for one of the Caribbean's largest conglomerates (the Massy Group), among others.

Communications Associate - UN Refugee Agency - Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

(2018-10 - 2020-11)

• In 2018, Trinidad and Tobago became the most impacted country per capita by the Venezuelan refugee crisis. Xenophobia compromised the safety of migrants in the region. Informed by research on the media habits and audience psychology, produced social content for the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean that combined refugee and native talent.
• Became spokesperson for refugee matters in Trinidad and Tobago, shaping stories written by NPR, The Miami Herald, The Christian Science Monitor, BBC, and VICE. Reported to our New York, Panama, and Geneva offices, managed limited budgets, worked with small teams, and filmed, edited, and wrote content myself where necessary — all under extraordinary pressure.
• Shifted biased media coverage, motivated influencers to speak up, created equitable models for media production platforming refugee skill, and produced the first Caribbean short film featuring refugees to win multiple industry awards — screening across Europe and the Americas.

Special Programs Coordinator - Jack Jones Literary Arts - Los Angeles, California

(2017-07 - 2018-04)

• Developed programming that platformed Black writing. Worked on partnerships with Refinery29, Urban Outfitters, and the Pasadena Museum of California Art.
• Publicized book campaigns for Black authors. Planned a tour and booked press for poet Shauna Barbosa's debut, which sold out before its actual publication day — and earned Kendrick Lamar as a fan.

Associate Creative Director/ Copywriter - Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Groupe, Generousitas

(2004 - 2015)

• Interned at advertising agencies as a designer and copywriter when I was still in high school
• This led to a career developing social, print, and experiential campaigns for major brands throughout the US and Latin America in various industries, including beverage (Bacardi Group, Nestle), entertainment (Discovery Times Square), banking, finance and insurance, film (Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival), automotive (Toyota), among others.
• From junior copywriter, I worked my way up to Associate Creative Director, either partnering with or working for Opperman Weiss (NY), Momentum Worldwide (NY), among others.

PhD - Creative Writing (Nonfiction) - University of Southern California (2028)

MFA - Creative Writing (Poetry) - California Institute of the Arts (2017)

BA (Hons.) - Media and Communication - University of the West Indies, Jamaica (2011)