A Copywriter’s Capstone
Strategy, creativity, and finding my mojo
Written and edited by Courtney Risner
Scripted and presented by Courtney Risner
Read between the headlines
Takeoff: MOJO Ad
In 2022, I was one of only three copywriters accepted into the Missouri School of Journalism’s most elite capstone program: MOJO Ad.
My final semester at Mizzou was spent researching, ideating, and writing alongside other talented Strategic Communications students who had demonstrated exceptional knowledge in their field and corresponding agency role.
At this student-run ad agency, each team prepared for the annual State of the YAYA conference, where the staff of MOJO Ad report on the behaviors, attitudes, and trends of Youth and Young Adults (YAYAs), aged 18-21.
We executed in-depth research and engaged in ongoing discussions about our YAYA audience’s behaviors and motivations. I transformed those insights into written content for internal strategy documents, digital resources, social content, and client presentations.
Together, we made team CODA 11.
Pioneered an established, engaging brand voice to introduce the Stellarium campaign
Cemented individual and agency credibility in the industry
Collaborated with the research team to optimize question formulation and delivery
Interpreted and summarized primary research findings about YAYAs
Incorporated research findings to create a comprehensive, engaging, and robust consumer report to guide agencies in their understanding of and engagement with the YAYA demographic
Expanded our team’s campaign into promotional and interactive content across digital and social platforms
My role as Copywriter was at the intersection of creative and strategy. Beyond working closely with the creative team to map out our campaign, I spearheaded the project’s primary deliverable: The Stellarium E-Book.
Follow along with key skills and callouts from the campaign to transverse the work, money & careers of YAYAs with Stellarium.
Launch: Mission Stellarium
To complete Mission Stellarium, I was selected to be a speaker at the State of the YAYA conference and, utilizing the script I crafted, presented our work to over 400 industry professionals from 20+ agencies.
Our work went on to win two American Advertising Awards at the annual Kansas City Addys ceremony in 2023.
The fast-paced, collaborative environment at MOJO Ad prepared me for the multi-faceted demands of agency life, where every word and visual counts. When Mission Stellarium launched, so did my copywriting career.