For San Francisco-based Stephanie Simons, the road to success has been paved with lipstick and La Mer.
A two-time author and professional writer of 14 years, she got a head start on her career as a freshman at Saint Mary's College. Instead of writing for the university paper, she earned extra shoe money penning features for publications like Diablo, Contra Costa Times, ThisWeek, and San Francisco magazine. Three days a week, at 4 a.m., she worked on the assigment desk at KTVU Channel Two News, honing her on-camera skills by accompanying reporters into the field.
Upon graduating from college Magna Cum Laude, she freelanced as a writer and editor for DailyCandy and PaperCity, and was eventually hired to spearhead a regional lifestyle magazine, Black Diamond Living, as editor-in-chief. Next up? A gig as a publicist for sports-themed Bay Area Restaurants McCovey's, Bing Crosby's, and Joe DiMaggio's.
In 2005, Stephanie was selected to appear as a bachelorette on ABC's The Bachelor: Paris (who can resist a free trip to the quiche and couture capital of the world?) After being released from the show, she vacationed in Paris with a few of the other girls and fell in love with the city and it's glorious shopping. There, on the Champs-Élysées, blissfully drunk on wine and shiny new purchases, she vowed she would stop at nothing to become a fashion writer when she returned home.
The rest, as they say, is history...
Since then, her advertising concepts and editorial features have appeared in Cosmopolitan, InStyle, ELLE, C Magazine, and US Weekly. Over the course of her writing career, she has interviewed renowned designers (such as Manolo Blahnik), athletes, supermodels, and royalty.
For two years, Stephanie worked as the Senior Editorial Manager (Gap Inc.) where she played a key role in creative concepting and brand voice strategy. In 2014, she returned to freelancing as a consulting editorial strategist for a handful of award-winning ad agencies in San Francisco, as well as global retailers, including Banana Republic, Levi's, Holt Renfrew, and Tria Beauty. She specializes in brand manifestos, pitch work, fashion label/product naming, and memorable advertising campaigns.