About DC…
Don Calderwood – Hawkeye Services
I am, and we are, tremendously proud of the impact that we have made in helping our clients by providing quality creative services and exceptional customer service. Many awards and testimonials. What to say to past and present clients?
THANK YOU!
Without any fluff, who are you?
Experience? What do you actually do? And how?
I’m Don Calderwood. I’m a writer and copywriter. I design, write, create.
Hi there… and welcome to this space.
My Education, beside life in general? Wilkinsburg High School. In brief, B.A. Degree, Sociology & English, Kent State University, plus the University of Charleston prior to that, and later the Universidad de las Americas and where I lived for a while in Mexico City, Mexico D.F. (205 Villa Longin). Actually, I think the university was outside the D.F. (Distrito Federal). Not sure. Toluca? Located on the Mexico-Toluca Road when I attended there. Other education? Si’ Si’, but later if you’re interested.
[ Photo, The Angel, Mexico City, farther away, but seen daily from my bedroom window]
Work Background? Prior to forming Hawkeye Services several decades ago, I was an Outpatient Social Worker for a few years at a state mental hospital, back when there were such things (should that thought actually go under Education, because in so many ways that was a huge learning experience?). The Main Building, and that was its name, was built in 1865, walls 3 feet thick – evil spirits, don’t you know. Unforgettable. Sometimes we laughed so very hard because that was better than tears over the realities of what was going on, the misery, the horror, the intense suffering. I have stories, while I’ve been unable to write about it, and that’s very unusual for me. Trauma? I guess. Maybe.
[ shown, Main Building, Administration ]
Experience that Counts: CWRU. After the above, I was a Group Leader at Case Western Reserve University in the Continuing Education Department. With the Director I also co-wrote and was Production Coordinator for a 30 minute manpower training film, distributed nationally.
Advertising: Other major work was advertising creation and sales for some 10 years, selling, designing ad programs, writing copy, and all that goes with it: pitching advantages, benefits, and learning, learning, learning. Working with a huge and diverse array of companies and leaders of the same was an education in itself. As challenging and difficult as it was, I wouldn’t trade it. You had to be good.
Security Systems: After that, selling security systems to corporations, including hidden (covert) camera systems to catch arsonists in the act, and thefts in progress. Remarkable results. Another side of humanity. A little dark. Truly fascinating. [Shown, Mather Building ]
Skills? Process? Through it all, all these experiences from the beginning: interviewing, questioning, listening, studying, planning, creating. Overall, a boatload of skills. Now? Applying all of those skills to current clients, finding and discovering exactly what is needed, what the objectives are, the problems, the difficulties, and creating solutions. All the rest is simply mechanics, constructing what will do the job, what will work, and how to help a client reach their objectives more quickly, and positioning them against competition. Good stuff.
Origins and Place: Originally from Pittsburgh, PA,, (technically Wilkinsburg, on the S.E. border of Pgh.). Small town. “Community of Churches,” their tagline. Now pretty much a ghetto. I’ve spent the majority of my life in Greater Cleveland. Early on I traveled half of Europe, and then most of the U.S., parts of Canada, Mexico, and lived there for a while, plus several islands in the Caribbean. I’m happy where I am, no desire to go anywhere except for an occasional vacation. And where I’ve been for many years is a place called Painesville Township, Ohio, Lake County, a mile from Lake Erie. As good a place as any. Where you are is a place to be happy. Truth.
English: As a writer and lover of the English language, know that I know the rules. I don’t write using formal English or perfect grammar, while I certainly can if I need to. If you’ve noticed. I’m a promotional writer and that’s a very different ball game. Some rules get broken or ignored by choice but, yes, I know the difference. Paradox. I follow The Chicago Manual of Style, in general (two commas in a series of three – always).
Plus: There you go. Maybe more than you wanted to know. In addition, I write short stories and poetry. Some good stuff if I do say so. Look around the website. If you think I could be of assistance and if you’re inclined, give me a call. We’ll talk.
“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.”
Wm. Strunk, Jr.
If you want to improve your own writing, get The Elements of Style. Simply the best…
Quality Copywriting Results
Our goal is to create assets fo our clients’ products, services, and innovations through creatively working on their brand and materials. We take great pride in providing quality services, tools to help a client win, and exceptional customer service every single day. We’re absolutely here for you.
Highly Experienced Writer
We are just that: Experienced. The producers of Hawkeye Services work as a team to exceed each of our clients’ expectations. We have decades of high-level experience helping businesses project their ideas to their markets, both prospects and customers. That’s what we do.
KEVS, NEWSLETTERS:
“We are glad to endorse you, everyone mentions the newsletter to us all the time, how wonderful they are written and look. We love our newsletters, and we are really glad to have you doing them. Thank you so much!” — Jeanne L.
— Kev & Jeanne Lusson, Kevs Body & Custom, Inc., Rice Lake (Brill), WI. Auto Body Shop, 1000 printed newsletters quarterly, for 10 years, recently sold.
TOWNSHIP 110 LAND COMPANY, NEWSLETTERS:
“I can’t believe how incredibly well you’ve captured who we are and what we want to convey to our prospects! Outstanding!”
– – Managing Director, Township 110 Land Company, Montana Division