We recently connected with Denise Cruz-castino and have shared our conversation below.

Denise, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve been a Copywriter, or for people not in advertising, that’s an advertising writer. It happened by accident actually. I graduated with a Psychology degree from UCLA and I thought I was going to be a Child Psychologist. But I wanted a gap year. So my dad said, well, you have a degree, how about a job in that year? But I didn’t know what I’d do. I was supposed to go back to school. But I always loved watching commercials, so he suggested, how about advertising? So I wrote some cover letters to a few ad agencies in Los Angeles, and I heard back from one who needed a receptionist. Yup! Started out as a receptionist. I hated it. I wasn’t good at it. haha Luckily I got moved up to the creative floor within months. That was much better for me. That’s where I saw the Art Directors and Copywriters and Creative Directors. They looked like they were having so much fun all the time so that’s when I realized oh, wait, someone writes commercials? I want that job! I didn’t even realize that was a job. So I took Copywriting classes and got my portfolio together, which is now a website. I was looking for a full-time job after that, but I was only hearing of freelance work. And no one would hire me as a freelancer if I was full-time. So I had to quit my job with nothing lined up. People thought I was crazy. But I’ve been working ever since. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.

Denise, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m all about creating work that connects with people on a real level. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a range of clients, from financial brands like Union Bank to car companies like Infiniti and Subaru, and even wellness and entertainment projects. I love the challenge of taking complex ideas and turning them into something that’s not only easy to understand but also feels genuine and engaging.

My work is about more than just writing copy—it’s about finding the right way to tell a story, whether that’s in a marketing campaign, on a website, or through a brand’s social media presence. I’ve worked on building brands from scratch, like at Jenius Bank, and I’ve also helped established companies refresh their voice and message.

I believe in leading with empathy and creativity, and I’m always excited to collaborate with other creatives and teams to bring ideas to life. At the end of the day, I just want to create work that resonates with people and makes a positive impact.

Being able to do this for a living is amazing. I’ve always thought it was a fun way to make money. I’m not sure everyone loves their careers. I love mine.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I feel like advertising and creative industries are always changing. So I’ve had to pivot a few times. So when the economy has been bad,I’ve seen friends unable to get work. So when all my friends fight over working at ad agencies, I looked in-house and for the clients. I never minded doing that. I just want to be able to work and provide for my family. I’ve met some wonderful people working in-house. I’ve also been able to go back to ad agencies after that. I feel like some of my advertising friends think, oh don’t work in-house. But I really don’t mind going back and forth. I recently worked on the client side again. And now I’ve been interviewing back at ad agencies. I’d be thrilled to go back there. I guess I like being able to move back and forth from client to ad agencies. I think it gives me a perspective and understanding of the business my friends who stay just at ad agencies don’t get.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To be honest, I also love writing screenplays and TV shows, and I just finished the first draft of a novel. I just love writing. I get to explore more worlds by dabbling in longer formats and creating worlds. I don’t get to do that in advertising. So as much as I love advertising as a career, I do need to have other outlets for writing. Maybe because in advertising you always have people giving you feedback and changing your writing. It’s just what happens. It’s a group project. So I think in order not to be bothered that your work is constantly changing, I need another outlet so I can let the changes to my work not bother me. Of course, when I sell movies and short films, people make changes too. But for some reason that rolls off my shoulders more. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I just love seeing those come to life. So if someone has changes I’m like sure, just make it! haha But I guess that’s the long way to answer that question, I just like creating and exploring. Writing is my passion. When people interview me for a job and ask what I love about writing and what’s my favorite kind of writing, I always just say, I love it all. I just love writing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.denisecruzcastinoportfolio.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisecruzcastino/
• Twitter: https://x.com/cruzwriter
• Other: https://www.denisecruzcastinoscreenwriting.com/