Karen Marcus, Owner of Final Draft Communications (FDC), was raised in the Chicago area. As a child, her advanced language skills impressed doctors and teachers, and she excelled in English classes in school. She received her Bachelor's degree in English Literature from University of Colorado at Denver in 1991 and her Master's degree in English from Colorado State University in 1997.

More About Karen's Career:

1997 - 2001

From 1997 to 1999, Karen combined her communication skills with an interest in technology as an editor and project manager at Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). There, she wrote about computer hardware for HP's internal, sales, and customer web sites; and led a team to produce a monthly departmental newsletter. In this position, Karen developed her capacity to understand complex topics and "translate" them into "gettable" language for various audiences.

Upon leaving HP, Karen took on the role of Content Development Team Lead at Vista Solutions, a small technical consulting firm. There, she built on the relationships she had developed at HP (Vista Solutions' largest client), mentored other writers, and contributed to the development of the company.

2001 - 2005

In 2001, Karen left Vista Solutions and started FDC. As she worked with a variety of clients, she came to understand that, regardless of the subject matter or deliverable, the writing process always follows the same steps, and that project success depends on fine-tuning those steps to each client's needs. In addition to assisting with the document development process, Karen began to provide whole-project solutions by bringing in other quality service providers, including web programmers and graphic designers.

2005 - 2007

From 2005 to 2007, Karen took a break from her business to work for the Larimer County nonprofit organization, Neighbor to Neighbor. There, she served in several capacities, including Resource Development Director; in this role, she was responsible for volunteer management, marketing, and grant writing. Her grant proposals achieved a 78% funding rate, and she developed new processes to promote the organization and attract volunteers.

Today

In 2007, Karen resumed her role as Owner and Writer for FDC and continues to enjoy using her skills and experience to bring out the best in all her clients' documents.

From the beginning, clients have appreciated Karen's finely tuned aptitude for language, her talent for understanding and communicating complex topics, her friendly attitude, and her capacity for completing projects in a timely and efficient manner; she continues to bring these qualities into every project.

Karen lives with her husband, Jonathan Howell, in Fort Collins, Colorado, where they enjoy local microbrews, great friends, and the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Return to Top