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Creative Director

Amy Derksen

Creative Director

Part of the FATFREE team since before the beginning, Amy spends her time weaving engaging stories across just about every industry and channel—for local startups as well as some of the world's top brands. She's a whiz at making complex technical ideas simple enough for anyone to comprehend, as well as getting inside audiences' heads to understand what's most likely to motivate. From launch videos and online ads to websites and deep-dive content, she loves meeting people where they are and connecting them with the information they need to make a decision.

Amy honed her skills at industry leaders The Martin Agency and Leo Burnett—winning awards for Coca-Cola, IBM, GEICO and others—before realizing she prefers working directly with clients to make a real difference in their businesses.

Recent Perspectives by Amy

The scuba diving model for content marketing

The scuba diving model for content marketing

I’m a diver. I learned early on that scuba is a great fit for me—the less effort you expend, the longer your air lasts and the more you get to see. You get rewarded for taking it easy…

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Invite everyone in through the front door: A DIY web accessibility audit

Invite everyone in through the front door: A DIY web accessibility audit

Reading that people with mobility issues are entirely welcome at the Met Gala—if they’re willing to enter through the rear door—made my jaw drop. I’d long recognized the torture those stairs…

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The power of purpose-driven marketing: Connect with customers on a deeper level

The power of purpose-driven marketing: Connect with customers on a deeper level

Marketing has always been about connecting with someone’s heart. Whether you make them laugh, cry or feel a little smarter, an emotional reaction is gold. Now, as consumers seek more…

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How to use video if your product is, well, kind of boring

How to use video if your product is, well, kind of boring

The question is no longer whether to use video, but how. Roughly 40 bazillion sources will tell you 85% of Americans with internet watch video and nearly 90% of brands use video in their…

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Winning with self-service

Winning with self-service

Initially, I was thinking that the FAQ was the first big move forward in customer self service. Then I realized a better example might be the gas pump. Even better, the ATM. For those of us seasoned…

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Framing your B2B sustainability story

Framing your B2B sustainability story

It’s easy to imagine ways a consumer goods, apparel or tech brand might reduce its footprint. There are opportunities throughout the supply chain to green things up, from raw…

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Exactly what does “cooler” mean? How to give feedback to your marketing team.

Exactly what does “cooler” mean? How to give feedback to your marketing team.

We use a lot of squishy words when describing creative—cool, fun, authentic, clean—because how we react to words and images is visceral. Trouble is, those words can mean very different things…

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Why is short-form video so popular?

Why is short-form video so popular?

Mash together “storytelling” and “authenticity”—two popular goals for marketing briefs today—and what have you got? TikTok (if you’re under 30) and Instagram Reels (if you’re not). TikTok…

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Your email mantra: Everyone is busy and nobody cares.

Your email mantra: Everyone is busy and nobody cares.

It may seem harsh, but marketing writers know that very few people will ever read our words. Maybe it’s the drive to get people to notice us that keeps us going. The key is to not take it…

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ICYMI: Our top posts of 2023

ICYMI: Our top posts of 2023

We set out to create a top-three roundup, AI articles (like AI itself) seemed to be taking over. Sure, AI is important, but it’s not the only thing that happened last year. So here’s a top five by some…

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