About
Writer, editor, and utter nerd with 20+ years of experience in writing/editing web copy, blog posts, and press releases, as well as SEO/SEM, digital marketing, and social media marketing. When not working, I spend my time writing plays, hanging out with other pedants, and working on my mixology skills.
Education
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX
BA English (Technical Writing) w. Minor in Computer Science
Work Experience
Jan 2024 – Present
Mainland LLC
Chicago, IL
Content Editor
Edited 50–80 articles weekly for the company’s clients and its subsidiary publications, including 1851 Franchise, ESTATENVY, Room 1903, and StacheCow. In addition to editing, I wrote 8–15 articles per week, producing think pieces, business profiles, industry news stories, interviews, press releases, and listicles. I also conducted 5-10 interviews each week with franchisees, franchisors, and industry experts to support original reporting and editorial content.
May 2021 – Dec 2023
The NUANCE Agency
Dallas, TX
Writer + Content Lead
Provided content support for several clients, including 80/20, VigiLife (formerly Sentinel Occupational Safety), and Plascene. My work included writing and editing web copy to ensure clarity, grammatical accuracy, and search engine marketing optimization; researching and writing monthly blog posts; collaborating with clients to produce newsletters, investor reports, and other monthly emails; and writing and editing press releases, special announcements, and other business communications.
May 2002 – Dec 2023
Self-Employed
Dallas, TX
Freelance Writer/Editor
Wrote web copy, technical documents, and press releases for several local businesses in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including Prestonplace Counseling, Law Offices of Joseph Legere & Associates, Amici Signature Italian, TentMister LLC, and Smart City. I also ghostwrote a number of articles on search engine optimization and marketing, which were published on the Multichannel Merchant and Practical eCommerce websites.
In addition, I edited A Comprehensive Dual Bibliography of James P. Blaylock and Tim Powers (ISBN 0976748606), published by Argent Leaf Press in 2012. I also co-wrote several plays with Sean Freeman that were produced by Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Dallas, including The Captain Phantasm Trilogy, The Final Adventure of Hercules, and The Legend of Deadeye Mary.
Aug 2009 – Apr 2019
Thryv/Dex Media
Dallas, TX
Manager – Digital Content
Oct 2013 – Apr 2019
Managed a team of two specialists and more than 200 freelancers responsible for delivering social media content to over 15,000 clients each month. I proposed and built business cases for CMS improvements that reduced average job turnaround time from five days to one day and enabled content reuse, resulting in estimated savings of $90,000 to $100,000 per month. Additionally, I authored style guides and user manuals to support freelance writers and editors.
Brand Content Manager
Jun 2012 – Oct 2013
Wrote and updated content for the company website to shift the brand identity from a “100-year-old phone directory company” to a “cutting-edge digital marketing company.” I collaborated with product managers, the marketing communications team, and other departments to ensure all B2B content was accurate and aligned with the new branding. I also managed the corporate blog and monthly newsletter.
SEO Copywriter (Contract)
Aug 2009 – Jun 2012
Wrote articles on a variety of subjects (Accounting, Auto Repair, Painting, etc.) for Superpages.com SuperTips, incorporating popular search terms to optimize the pages for search engine rankings.
Jan 2012 – Aug 2013
Argent Media
Coppell, TX
Online Content Provider (Contract)
Wrote articles, press releases, and Wikipedia entries to assist with online reputation management of clients.
Apr 2009 – Apr 2011
KeyRelevance
Dallas, TX
Tech Writer/Copywriter (Contract)
Wrote technical documents, press releases, and blog posts.
Nov 2006 – Oct 2008
SuperMedia/Idearc
Dallas, TX
SEO Copywriter (Contract)
Wrote original content for Superpages.com City Guides, creating articles for cities, states, and events or attractions while incorporating popular search terms to optimize pages for search engine rankings. I worked with the design team on the development and testing of KeyMart, an application for editing, reviewing, and maintaining mappings between keywords and saleable categories, and also wrote documentation and online help for the application. Additionally, I collaborated with the Taxonomy team to remap and consolidate the list of saleable categories.
Nov 2004 – Sep 2006
Pizza Hut
Dallas, TX
Technical Writer (Contract)
Wrote Trainer Outlines, Reference Guides, and Readiness Checklists for product rollouts.
Oct 1994 – Oct 2002
Brinker International
Dallas, TX
Senior QA Analyst
May 2001 – Oct 2002
Performed acceptance testing on both store systems and web-based applications to ensure functionality, accuracy and user experience met project standards. I gathered requirements and wrote detailed Acceptance Test Plans, collaborating closely with stakeholders to define success criteria and ensure thorough coverage of business needs. In addition, I authored a comprehensive document outlining best practices for web-based testing methodology to support team-wide consistency and quality assurance.
Technologist
Jun 1999 – May 2001
Authored documentation for several high-profile projects, including Catering, the Kitchen Display System, and the Y2K Conversion/WAN Rollout, ensuring clear and accurate communication across teams. I developed installation packages and created supporting documentation for all major Brinker Store System (BSS) rollouts, streamlining deployment and training processes. In addition to documentation, I fixed bugs and implemented enhancements to multiple BSS applications, most notably leading major revisions to the Sales Reporting module. I also documented the entire credit card process from authorization to reconciliation to support compliance and troubleshooting. Over time, I expanded my original Software Configuration Specialist role to contribute across all areas of development, including Catering, Web Development, and Database projects.
Software Configuration Specialist
May 1997 – June 1999
Maintained version control archives in PVCS Version Manager for all Brinker Store System (BSS) code to ensure consistency, traceability and proper change management. I fixed bugs and enhanced the automated network build process for BSS, improving reliability and efficiency across development cycles. I also created and maintained PVCS archives for all BSS executables, DLLs and data files, supporting streamlined deployments and rollbacks. Additionally, I developed a structured software promotion model—spanning Development, QA, Beta and Production environments—and authored detailed documentation to support its adoption and long-term use.
XcelleNet Administrator
Oct 1994 – Oct 2002
Monitored the nightly polling of sales data from restaurants to ensure successful data transmission and performed troubleshooting when issues arose. I managed the distribution of files to restaurants, including software updates, menu changes and internal email communications. To improve consistency and control, I developed and formalized a process for file distribution that included proper authorization protocols, helping to ensure secure and accurate deployment across the system.
Chris Irby | Writer, Editor, Nerd 