
ABOUT SAMANTHA (XIA) SYMONDS WRITER
talk about life-long writing goals, my dream dinner menu then wax lyrical about my spare time… but you need to know about a writing project.
So let’s talk about what you need from a writer:
I have over a decade of Professional copywriting & marketing strategy experience
From winning an internship at Ogilvy in London before graduating, managing digital strategy for non-profits and charities in the UK, US, Australia & Asia, to overseeing a remote team of almost 200 writers (and proofing their work!) for one of the world’s biggest Fortune companies… and I’ll also support junior writers with career advice and (paid) mentorship!
I genuinely just love working with words.
My specialist knowledge covers a lot of niche topics
Charitable causes (especially animal rescue, conservation, diversity in music & arts), international travel, B2B, scuba-diving, cultural food writing, digital AI technology, rock-climbing, lifestyle, remote team management, mental health and wellness… anything else, just ask!
Recognised & degree-level qualifications back up my work
Getting an Upper Second-Class Honours Bachelor of Arts in English with Creative Writing from Brunel University London, I studied under 2019 Booker-Prize winner Bernadine Evaristo, a poet Laureate that said no to an OBE, Benjamin Zephaniah and British Broadcaster and Author Will Self.
I am also a PADI Open Water Scuba & Emergency First Response Instructor and certified freediver, a qualified Yoga Teacher with TEFL training and in a past life achieved Grade 8 in ABRSM Musical Theatre.
English is my thing, but I speak Mandarin, German & AP/Oxford Referencing too
I can have casual and business discussions in the first two, but can’t promise the third. (Maybe Harvard).
Working internationally means I can write according to a variety of country and cultural conventions:- British, American, Canadian & Australian, along with various Academic Writing protocols. Basically, I have done a heck of a lot of localisation writing (or localization, if you’re in the US *wink wink*)
Head of Marketing for a dog & cat charity in Thailand
Taught yoga to Vogue, escape.com how to feed stingrays and took celebs like Steve Aoki shark diving in Sydney
Republished in Best of 2024 for “Blooming Jellies” with Canadian Geographic
Biography
Samantha Xia-Quan Symonds (she/her) is an international writer-editor, content strategist & communications consultant; often working through her agency Writing Everywhere.
She started her writing career applying advertising agency knowledge to pen copy for nonprofits, and has since worked with start-ups to Fortune 500s to cover stories on food to finance – though as a British Singaporean-Chinese Scuba Instructor and Scientific Diver, her favourite beats are culture and nature. Her prize-winning short stories, op-eds and articles feature in Financial Times, Canadian Geographic, Alpinist Magazine, Well+Good, Culture Trip, and elsewhere. Past clients and speaking engagements include The RNLI, GetYourGuide, Amazon Lex, Arla Foods/Lurpak, The Linnean Society, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, The Life Centre, Race Reflections, 26, GeerGarage and The Climbing Initiative.
She posts on most platforms @samxsymonds.
