We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Cutright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

My very first client was a Brazilian restaurant owned by a woman who wanted to share her family’s traditional recipes with the community. She had the passion, the food, and the vision—but English was her second language, and that made it hard for her to put her story into words.
At first, she came to me for a website. But as I listened to her talk about her family, her heritage, and her food, I realized that what she really needed was someone to help her tell her story in a way that resonated with people who had never experienced Brazilian cuisine before. So I rolled up my sleeves and worked with her not just on the structure of the site, but on the heart of it: the words, the narrative, the “why.”
I still remember the day her site went live and she made that first sale. It wasn’t just her win—it felt like mine too. That moment confirmed what I wanted my business to be about: giving small business owners—especially women and marginalized voices—a platform to share their stories, build their brands, and grow. Helping her find her story and put it into the world was incredibly fulfilling, and it set the tone for everything I’ve done since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

At my core, I’m a storyteller. That thread has run through every chapter of my life—film school, law school, nonprofit leadership, and ultimately the launch of my own consultancy, SeaWrite Media. What I discovered along the way is that storytelling is more than a creative act—it’s a powerful tool for connection, growth, and change.
SeaWrite Media was born out of that belief. I wanted to create a space where stories could be shaped into strategies, and strategies could help people grow. My work spans nonprofits, arts organizations, and individual creatives. I’ve partnered with the Santa Barbara Symphony during a pivotal rebrand, developing marketing strategies that drew in new audiences. I’ve collaborated with the Santa Barbara Transgender Advocacy Network (SBTAN) to create communications that amplify their mission and broaden their reach. And I’ve worked alongside artists, writers, and performers to help them translate the passion behind their work into words and strategies that attract patrons, readers, and supporters.
The problems I help solve are often the same: brilliant ideas without the right words, overstretched teams without marketing infrastructure, or creative voices that risk being drowned out in the noise. I bring clarity, structure, and heart—designing processes that make content sustainable and helping people uncover the authentic narrative that makes their work stand out.
What sets me apart is that I don’t just “make content.” I build ecosystems where storytelling, strategy, and execution work hand in hand. One day, I might be mapping out a content framework for a nonprofit; the next, I’m coaching a poet or painter on how to frame their story so it resonates with a wider audience. I love that variety—it keeps me grounded in the human side of storytelling, while also sharpening my ability to build systems that scale.
What I’m most proud of is the impact. Whether it’s helping a symphony connect with new patrons, guiding an advocacy network to share its mission more widely, or seeing an artist light up when their story lands with the right people—those are the moments that remind me why I do this work.
For potential clients and collaborators, here’s what I want you to know: content isn’t just marketing. It’s storytelling in service of connection. My goal—whether I’m working with a nonprofit, a community initiative, or a solo creative—is to empower people to tell their stories with clarity, confidence, and heart. Because at the end of the day, the right story, told well, doesn’t just reach people. It moves them.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to use storytelling as a way to create connection and possibility. Through my work with small business owners, nonprofits, and creatives, I focus on helping people find their voice and share it with confidence. At the same time, my own creative journey as a writer fuels that mission. Projects like The Daily Creative Writer and my upcoming book are all about encouraging others to embrace their stories. Whether I am building a marketing framework for a client or drafting a chapter for myself, the goal is the same: to make sure stories that matter reach the people who need to hear them.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

For a long time I thought my path was law. I earned my JD and fully expected to build a career in that world. But as I went deeper into it, I realized what drew me in wasn’t the legal arguments themselves, it was the storytelling behind them—the way a case could be shaped by how you framed the narrative. That realization made me step back and ask what I really wanted.
Pivoting away from law was not easy. It meant letting go of a clear professional identity and stepping into something less defined. But I leaned into my strength as a writer and gradually carved out a space in content marketing. At first it was small projects, then nonprofit work, then larger roles where I could shape both the strategy and the story.
That pivot was one of the most important decisions I ever made. It taught me that your “training” doesn’t go to waste—it becomes part of the toolkit you bring to whatever comes next. Today, I use the analytical skills from law and combine them with my creative side to help businesses, nonprofits, and artists tell their stories in ways that connect and inspire.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elizabethcutright.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seawrite/
• Other: https://thedailycreativewriter.com/

  https://www.patreon.com/cw/SeaWriteStudio

Image Credits

All photo credits are Elizabeth Cutright