The Onion (Onion Gamers Network)

My Role: Headline and Features Contributor

Skills Utilized: Creative writing, comedy, editing, research, journalism, collaborating, innovating, detail orientation, social media

Problem: I was tasked with delivering hundreds of consistently funny, unique headlines and jokes that align with the Onion Gamers Network (OGN) voice and style guide. The Onion runs on tight deadlines and has strict editorial standards, which can be challenging for many people.

Action: I implemented a highly organized workflow that reduced the pressure of frequent deadlines and freed mental space and time to create higher quality headlines. My strategy consisted of two major parts: First, I studied OGN’s editorial voice to the point of second-nature, which reduced mental plate-spinning and allowed me to focus on other layers of creativity. Second, I wrote in phases, focusing on quantity before going back through with an eye for quality and rewriting my favorites to find further improvements. This process allowed me to optimize my time and write 10 times the required headlines and jokes so that I could curate, hone, and deliver only the very best.

Results: The Onion staff, readership, and other colleagues were impressed with my work. They described my headlines and jokes as some of the most consistently hilarious and clever that they’d ever read. My headlines received far higher than average engagement.