News & profiles
Drew Sottardi
Editor • Writer • Storyteller
I’ve been writing professionally for years, first as a journalist and now as a copywriter and content creator. I have a passion for words and design—and I love to bring them together.
I’ve been writing professionally for years, first as a journalist and now as a copywriter and content creator. I have a passion for words and design—and I love to bring them together.
News & profiles
Take a trip back in time to see how a tiny school in a small mountain town grew to become a premier research university. It's the ultimate Lumberjack story—120 years in the making.
Meet three Northern Arizona University professors who are driving astronomy and planetary science to new heights. Plus, see why Flagstaff is such a hot spot for scientists and stargazers.
Dave Cook discovered his calling decades ago deep inside the Grand Canyon. Now, he's using his NAU geology degree and environmental expertise to help cities become more sustainable.
Biology professor F. Bryan Pickett, PhD, is a case study in hard work and perseverance. He uses his life lessons to inspire Loyola students and teach them the value of helping others.
In Chicago’s North Lawndale community, residents with prior convictions are learning new skills and being trained to rejoin the workforce. And it all starts with one key ingredient: honey.
When Fire-Dex started 40 years ago, it produced leather gloves for welders. With support from JPMorganChase, the company now makes head-to-toe gear for firefighters around the world.
Ads, brochures & campaigns
How do you help a small college tell its big story? By connecting all the dots. This brochure took home Best of Show honors in the Educational Advertising Awards competition in 2019.
This viewbook explores the Good, the True and the Beautiful—the three hallmarks of a classical K-12 Christian education. It received a Platinum Award at the 2019 MarCom Awards contest.
We used wordplay and stunning photography to create a brochure and series of posters for this one-of-a-kind study abroad program. Because a unique experience deserves a unique campaign.
These ads were part of a digital campaign that helped Elmhurst College increase its graduate school enrollment by almost 10 percent.
We developed a series of emails—all leveraging Notre Dame’s stellar academic reputation—to promote the university’s MBA programs.
I created several ads for Loyola’s brand campaign, which played off the “O” in the school’s name. This full-page ad appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Multimedia & websites
The fundraisers at Sinai Health Systems needed a better way to make their case to potential donors. So we created a presentation filled with bold images—and even bolder text. Problem solved.
I wrote the scripts, developed the storyboards and directed the voiceover talent on almost two dozen financial wellness videos for MMBB. This segment discusses the importance of an emergency fund.
We revamped the Bridgewater College website to highlight the new brand we created for the school. I wrote all of the copy on the home page as well as several interior pages (like the one shown here).
To mark the 25th anniversary of the deaths of the Salvadoran martyrs, we developed a special web page to honor the eight victims. It includes short bios and several video profiles.
Loyola’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability firmly planted the university as a leader in eco-friendly research. This multimedia page takes readers inside the state-of-the-art facility.
When Loyola students study abroad, they always come home with great stories to tell—plus plenty of mementos. This interactive graphic shows the big lessons learned from small souvenirs.
Print graphics & design
A professional cyclist needs speed, strength and an unbelievable amount of stamina to win the Tour de France. He also needs help—a lot of help—from his eight riding partners.
The two Boeing 767s that crashed into the World Trade Center ripped cavernous holes into each of the buildings. Yet somehow, thousands of people were able to flee to safety.
The concrete walls that surround virtually every racetrack in America are designed to do one thing: keep cars from going into the stands. But they do little to protect drivers in an accident.
While the rest of the country might sneer at the Second City, our town has been home to more than a few firsts.
This page combines survey data, a strong image and a little bit of sass to show just how much Americans love their coffee.
I worked directly with one of our reporters to track every homicide in Chicago. This spread looks at a six-month period in 2010.
Etc.
These clips—from playful illustrations to vibrant posters—don’t fit into a single category. They do, however, show plenty of creativity.
These examples from the LUC.edu home page show the power of pairing beautiful images with intelligent text.
And finally... You can’t work at a tabloid newspaper without writing a few over-the-top headlines. Here are some of my favorites.