Lauren Alice McCurry
Creative Director of Ballet Season / Strategist / Copywriter
New York, NY
www.ballet-season.com
instagram @ballet_season
@club__copy @laurenalicemccurry
Q What do you do?
“I am the founder of Ballet Season, an NYC-based creative communications studio specializing in creative direction, brand building, content strategy, and copywriting.”
I create imaginative brand experiences for clients in the fashion, beauty, and publishing industries that inspire and convert.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Since I was little, I've loved reading magazines and writing letters. My vivacity for English and print media led me to study communications, philosophy, and publishing at university. I discovered my career path after watching Mad Men and realizing that "copywriter" was a job title. Interning at a fashion label, I found that copywriting came naturally to me.
After completing my degrees, I landed a job as a copywriter at a creative agency, where I honed my skills in brand strategy. With over a decade of experience working with brands like Macy's, Elle Magazine, and Tinder, I've developed a palette for brand communications that balances creativity and function to attention-demanding effect.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My work combines purposeful eclecticism and balanced prose to create satisfying, emotional brand experiences that linger in the brain. My focus spans crafting conventional brand identities to creating poetically charged compositions that resonate on a deeper level.
By utilizing strategy, trend forecasting, and an attentive global gaze, I ensure that each brand I work with is both current and forward-thinking. I empathize with a brand's target consumer, understanding their needs, desires, and pain points. This empathy allows me to create content that truly connects and engages, transforming ordinary interactions into memorable brand experiences.
Q What are you working on right now?
Brand naming and positioning for an emerging Korean suncare brand.
Q What’s your style?
My new creative writing project, Silvery, is a newsletter about clothing in cinema. It combines my love of intricate styling, fashion theory, and New Wave film. Through Silvery, I explore how costumes contribute to a production's storytelling, character development, and visual palette.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I am delighted when any project I am working on takes me away from my computer and into the world. Being on set, sourcing props, or conducting in-person brand workshops—any IRL activities that allow me to engage tangibly with the creative process.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Feeling obliged to post on Instagram to promote my work is frustrating. The algorithm limits exposure by repeatedly showing posts to the same people, making it tough for small businesses like Ballet Season to grow. Organic reach is nearly dead, and paid reach is getting more expensive for fewer impressions.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Iced Americano runs. Commandeering the Sonos (I like post-punk and starry-eyed pop when I'm working). Reconciling Xero transactions.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
My Piscean imagination and deep emotional capacity can be a tour de force (if handled correctly!)
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Prop styling! I'm fascinated by semiotics—how signs and symbols convey meaning and enhance storytelling. Loewe's masterful use of props, especially the iconic tomato, sparked this obsession.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I am forever enthusiastic about the opportunity to craft strategic brand experiences for fashion, beauty, and publishing platforms. As an enthused consumer, I mentally frequent and spectate these categories 24/7, so I believe my creativity has the most tactile impact.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
Inspired by Dieter Rams' design philosophy, I always prefer collaborations that champion simplicity, functionality, and honesty. I thrive on working with brands that are unique, purposeful in their solutions, and transparent about their products. I'm especially drawn to projects that embrace creative exploration, innovative storytelling, and genuine, eye-level customer communication.
Q: What is your rate?
I am open to projects of all shapes and sizes and will quote based on scope, timing, and the creative team required to make it all work. A 360 brand strategy starts at $5K, while an à la carte copy deliverable like, say, a founder bio could be completed for $300. It truly depends on the specifics, and I am always open to considering a brand's needs.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Visit www.ballet-season.com
Email bureau@ballet-season.com
Inquire www.forms.gle/bm6RvTgknAz5nvcA9
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I highly recommend Play On Play, beloved fellow creatives who gave Ballet Season her good looks.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Hydrate, stretch, bathe, read, Laugh, cry, do a little dance— This haiku's complete.
This member profile was originally published in August 2024.