Hey there. My name is Ariel Meadow Stallings and I’m an author, publisher, and marketing bellwether from Seattle, WA. Sometimes I also do commentary for media outlets.
If you’re curious about the work I do in my hydra-headed career, take a look at the links below. And if you have any questions, email me.
A writer and editor for a decade, my articles have been published in print and web publications including Modern Bride, ReadyMade Magazine, and Seattle Weekly. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was first published in 2007 by Seal Press, with a revised second edition released February 2010.
Author, Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides, First Edition 2007 / Second Edition 2010
Author of trade paperback memoir/handbook for brides who challenge tradition. Offbeat Bride is filled with anecdotes, encouragement, tips, tricks, and celebrations of lives (and aisles!) less traveled. Published by Seal Press, an imprint of Avalon Publishing Group. Author representation by Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency.
Contributor, Cringe: Teenage Diaries, Journals, Notes, Letters, Poems, and Abandoned Rock Operas, August 2008
Contributed two pieces to Sarah Brown’s compilation of real teenage diary and journal entries, letters, songs, stories, and lists. Sarah Brown’s Brooklyn-based Cringe reading series was the inspiration for my founding Seattle’s Salon of Shame.
Freelance Writer
Feature writer with a focus on pop culture, media and sometimes women’s issues. Truth be told, I’m great with a deadline but lazy about pitching, so I don’t do all that much writing for print.
- Get People Off Your Back, Modern Bride, 2009
- Bento lunch trend piece, ReadyMade Magazine, 2008
- Hula hooping trend piece, ReadyMade Magazine, 2006
- Dyeing for a Great New Hair Color?, Figure Magazine, 2004
- One Click Closer to God, Seattle Weekly, 2002
- Douse It*, Seattle Weekly, 2002
Editor In Chief
Lotus Magazine, Los Angeles, CA | 1997 – 2001
Managed 80-page national dance-music culture magazine with a writing staff of 60 and an editorial staff of three. Developed publication voice and direction, assigned features, columns, and reviews, and edited all material for publication. Between 1997 and 2001, Lotus Magazine doubled in length and tripled its distribution.
Movies.com
Walt Disney Internet Group, Seattle, WA | 2004 — 2006
Wrote, edited and produced entertainment content including special features, movie reviews, star profiles, news items and commentary. Founded successful a daily fashion blog and Oscars liveblog. Utilized an in-house content management system to deploy web content to a website with an average of 34 million page views a month.
Hooping.org
2003 — 2006
Co-founded the world’s only topical web magazine/blog dedicated to hula hoop dancing and fitness. Hooping.org was covered by The New York Times, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), and The Portland Tribune. I was interviewed about hula hooping by NPR’s Marketplace, The Seattle Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
2001 Graduate, Columbia Publishing Course
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Certified graduate of Columbia Publishing Course, an intensive postgraduate concentration on all aspects of book, magazine, and new media publishing.
1998 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
University of Washington
Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, with a focus on media and communication systems.
I started blogging in 2000, although I spent years working in print, writing for magazines and newspapers and selling a book. In 2009, I decided to focus on my web publishing full time, growing an online publishing network which caters to nontraditional women via my websites Offbeat Bride, Offbeat Mama, and coming in 2011, Offbeat Home.
Launched January 2007 | 1.6 million monthly pageviews
“Offbeat Bride is one of the highest-trafficked wedding blogs in the world.” -Source
I publish the web’s most popular website for nontraditional brides, featuring daily posts about wedding trends, advice, and bride profiles for over 250,000 unique visitors a month. I built traffic from scratch using SEO and SMO techniques, and now receive over 1.6 million monthly pageviews. I act as director of business development, ad sales, and marketing, and manage an editorial staff of three.
Launched September 2009 | 250,000 monthly pageviews
In a web filled with mommyblogger drama and cheap corporate shilling, Offbeat Mama’s positive, supportive voice stands alone.
After requests from hundreds of Offbeat Bride readers, I launched Offbeat Mama in September 2009. The site has developed a committed following among nontraditional mothers in the US and abroad, getting over 250,000 pageviews a month, with my most popular markets being hip cities like Seattle, New York, London, Portland, San Francisco, and Sydney, Australia.
Offbeat Mama topics range from serious stuff like step-parenting and birth stories to light things like offbeat family portraits and celebrating of DILFs. While we do feature hip parenting products, we focus on indie businesses and are completely transparent about our sponsors.
As a lifestyle/technology commentator, I’ve been interviewed by the likes of Today Show, ABC’s World News, NPR’s Marketplace, The Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Canada’s Globe and Mail, about the following subjects:
My projects have been written about by publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Guardian. For select press appearances and mentions, keep reading.
Today Show, February 2008
52 Nights Unplugged project
Evening Magazine, February 2008
Salon of Shame coverage
Vancouver BC’s Urban Rush, May 2007
Offbeat Bride book promotion
After spending a decade writing award-winning marketing copy for websites, gaming companies, newspapers and non-profits, I’ve spent the last three years shifting my focus to strategic online marketing and public relations. I use social media and online tools to share stories, expose and influence trends, and shift the public’s attention to stories that I think warrant a closer look.
Redmond, WA | February 2007 – November 2009
In my work with the Employer Branding team, it was my job to show the world that it’s awesome to work at Microsoft. Although my focus was on digital marketing and social media like blogs and social networks, I also worked on more traditional marketing collateral as well. Here are a few of my projects:
My biggest project was the founding, producing, and marketing of Microspotting, a public relations blog dedicated to covering the unexpected awesomeness inside the supposedly-evil empire. I interviewed and photographed employees, and then wrote and produced weekly profiles for Microspotting. I also managed organic social media marketing and promotion strategies.
Somehow through my work with Microsoft, I also became a Corporate Photographer. I acted as Photography Editor for the redesign of Microsoft’s Global Careers website.
I produced several internal marketing campaigns to pique employee interest in acting as recruiting ambassadors. The most popular campaign was my “I am the empire” shirts, designed as a tongue-in-cheek way for employees to open dialog with the public about what it’s REALLY like to work at Microsoft.
Seattle, WA | 2006 – 2007
Wrote and edited web content for Web 2.0 social networking service. Stripped marketing and technical jargon from existing copy to make it conversational and accessible to non-technical users. Partnered with Product Managers and designers to adhere to tight product roll-out deadlines in a fast-moving start up environment.
Seattle, WA | 2000 – 2005
Produced up to 30 editorial reviews a day for Outdoor Living, Kitchen, and Consumer Electronics departments of leading online retailer.
A few of the hundreds of bizarre products I reviewed:
Seattle, WA | 2002, 2003 – 2004
Worked within a busy Creative Marketing department to produce advertisements, press releases, direct marketing pieces, web site content, and other marketing materials used by a Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper. Internal clients included advertising, circulation, newsroom, and corporate communications departments. Received an “Excellence in Circulation” certificate from International Newspaper Marketers Association for a packet sent to new subscribers in 2003.
- 2-for-1 print advertisement campaign
Campaign increased sales over 400% from previous year.- School Guide print advertisement campaign
- Public relations campaign for Civil Liberties Celebration Honorary Committee
Online and print components of campaign to boost NWclassifieds listings
El Segundo, CA | 2003
Develop marketing, promotional, and technical content for a top-10 web hosting company and its five brands. Responsibilities include making technical material accessible to non-technical users, working with marketing department to establish and maintain brand voice and company tone, and developing corporate web pages in tandem with a team of designers and programmers. Emphasis on deadline-driven, quick-turn around projects.
- Provided content for Bigstep.com redesign
Worked with team of designers and programmers to relaunch the website of an award-winning webhosting service. Result: 400% sales increase first month after relaunch.- Launched HostSave.com’s Blog-It! Service
Assisted in product development and brand management of a new, pre-installed weblogging client integrated with commercial web hosting services. Acted as weblog product consultant to Business Development department. Result: 2.6% penetration (almost 1600 installs) from existing HostSave customers within 60 days of launch.
If you’re looking to contact me about Offbeat Bride, please click here.
