
Sarah Belzer
My father used to say that I launched my writing career at seven. I fancied myself as a playwright. I was also in charge of our backyard ticket sales. Others might say my writing career didn't officially begin until I received my first paycheck (but it didn't seem right to take money just for spilling a little ink.) At college, I worked as a fledgling journalist for anyone brave enough to hire me. That's when my father issued his sage advice, "Longshoremen can write. Get a real job”. I believed him. He was a doctor after all. I obeyed him in all things but this. Nothing was going to get in between me and my Ticonderoga.
After graduation, I landed a gig writing scripts for a few television shows, finally cashed a paycheck, and escaped certain poverty. It wasn't long before I moved to the East Coast where I dabbled in publishing and finally discovered the wonderful world of advertising. I wrote a campaign for Neutrogena on spec, sent it to Ogilvy, and was hired ten days later. Once in New York, I made the rounds of a few swanky agencies (one moves on to move up in this industry) before being recruited by the New York Times. The Times had a small internal agency, and I became its sole copywriter. I was brought in to help usher them into the digital age and even wrote some of those cool taglines on the cover. Longshoremen be damned.​
​
The glamor of the city was sweet, but I wanted a fast car and sea salt in my hair. (You can take the girl out of California, but you know how that story goes.) So, I moved to the shore in Connecticut, picked up a Boxster (green, tan interior), and continue to support agencies, companies, and brands—small and large—whilst working on the next great American novel.
​
INDUSTRIES
Automotive, Beauty, Business Services, Confectionary, Consumer Electronics, Engineering, Education, Entertainment, Fashion, Financial Services, Fitness, Healthcare, Home, Industrial, Insurance, Legal, Luxury, Non-profit, Packaged Goods, Pharmaceutical, Politics, Publishing, Retail, Senior, Technology, Telecom, Travel
BRAND POSITIONING + ADVERTISING + PR
Brand Positioning: brand assessment, brand story
Nomenclature: taglines, slogans, naming
Campaign Ideation: all screens media
Advertising: print, broadcast, interactive, OOH, POS
Marketing: collateral, direct, email, social, websites
PR: product launches, events, speeches
Corporate: white papers, presentations
​
SCRIPTWRITING
Advertising: TV / Radio / Video
AMC (Hollywood Like You Remember It, We'll Take You Back), Children's Services NY (Family Strong, Good to Know), Del Monte (Fruit Chillers), First County Bank (Small Bank, Big Ideas), Heineken (Mini Keg), Martha Stewart (Everyday Paint), PG&E (Solar Schools), Ethan Allen, LaGrange Daily News (Ninja, UFO Landing), L'Oreal (Garnier Fructis, Herbashine, Moisture Rescue), Lyrica (Fibromyalgia), Maritime Aquarium (Ancient Egypt, Dinosaurs & Sea Creatures), Mars Chocolate (For the Love of Chocolate), New Provident Bank (King Tut, Siberia), Panasonic (Skyfi), Vaseline (Moisture Rescue)
ENTERTAINMENT + PUBLISHING
Entertainment: scripts for television and motion picture
Journalism: feature stories (print + online)
Publishing: writing, ghostwriting, editing
​
SCREENWRITING
Television
The News (Columbia TriStar)
— In Search Of, Candid Killer, Confession Line
​
Seinfeld (CastleRock Entertainment)
— The Lottery Ticket, The Television
​
Southern Skies Productions (development)
— Cupid, Manifest, Spy Kids
​
Worldwide Pants Inc. (development)
— Ed
​