Hello

I’m a creative and accomplished writer, editor, and consultant with a lifelong love for language and a passion for people and organizations working to build a better world.

I’ve crafted mission statements and taglines; interviewed luminaries in the arts and podcasting; and dreamed up and developed the first augmented-reality museum magazine cover in the United States. My words have appeared in a full-page New York Times ad; on Webby award-winning apps and sites; in museum exhibits and collateral; and in many publications, including a freelance piece in PBS’s Next Avenue. I’ve written about the moons of Saturn, the history of women in Antarctica, and making black paint from mummies. And I’ve created impactful annual reports; strategic plans; press releases; newsletters; donor publications; and senior-level communications.

Most recently, I worked for KQED, a renowned PBS and NPR affiliate, developing its brand and serving as a magazine managing editor and a communications writer and editor, often working with the president and CEO and senior-level managers. Before that, I led editorial teams at the Exploratorium, a groundbreaking hands-on science and art museum created by Frank Oppenheimer (yup, the brilliantly creative brother of that Oppenheimer).

I have big love for and interest in the arts and culture as well as food and tech. I currently serve on the board of Rivertown Film and on the advisory board of the Borscht Belt Museum, both in New York.

In addition to editorial, branding, and marketing work, I’m also a creative writer working on my own project. And I once launched a successful baking business based on an old family recipe — with zero professional cooking experience — to help put my daughter through school.

After many years in the Bay Area, I'm now based in my native New York and collaborating with clients nationwide. You can reach me at ellynhament1@gmail.com. Thanks!

THE PART WHERE PEOPLE TELL YOU WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK WITH ME . . .

“ . . . She is legendary in her field, an outstanding editor, copywriter and storyteller who I highly recommend to anyone looking to take their brand to the next level. “ — Zaldy Serrano, Creative Director at KQED, Northern California’s PBS and NPR affiliate

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“Ellyn wrote for a myriad of my projects for 17 years . . . from deep research pieces about science to the science of the everyday, to marketing/promotional copy. Ellyn's command of voice (easily adapting between styles), her focus on being clear (conveying the information in a way that is understandable to the audience), and her dedication to constantly improving her craft (she wrote amazing guidelines for equity and inclusion for the Exploratorium ) is what really elevates her to being the very best at all-things-editorial. — Robyn Higdon, (Former) Senior Director of Museum Experience, the Exploratorium Museum of Science and Art

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"I can’t say enough about Ellyn as both an editor and a colleague. She is a masterful writer, content editor and copyeditor, who continually looks for ways to update and perfect her craft and to infuse it with creativity. When she worked at KQED, she earned the respect of each of her colleagues for her considerable editorial expertise and as a model of accountability." — Peter Cavagnaro, Director, Communications and External Affairs at KQED, Northern California’s PBS and NPR affiliate

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“She's a multidisciplinary thinker — and doer. She's also an excellent collaborator, teacher, and teammate. I count her as an ally and charter member of my editorial brain trust, one of the few people who understands the value of word wrangling in today's world.” — Karen Wickre of KVOX Media, author of Taking the Work Out of Networking