ABOUT SAMANTHA (XIA) SYMONDS WRITER

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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

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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*)

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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

A scuba diver raises his hand amidst thousands of moon jellyfish

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.

Ready to tell some stories?