About Me

My name is Christopher Watkins.

  • I am a writer, editor, storyteller, and wordsmith. 
  • I lead creative content and drive content strategy.
  • I establish and maintain brand voices, connect and communicate with communities, and publish compelling content that prioritizes actionable value for audiences. 
  • I have led copy for major rebrands resulting in IPOs and unicorn valuations. 
  • I have more than a decade of experience writing and creating content for B2B and B2C brands.
  • I have covered everything from artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cybersecurity to career pathing, poetry, and pre-industrial winemaking. 
  • I specialize in synthesizing and articulating complex concepts for diverse audiences in ways that are approachable, authentic, and accurate, and which produce measurable results.

I am currently Associate Creative Director, Writer, at Coursera.

Working closely with the Head of Brand and Creative and cross-functionally with design, PR, and product, I recently led copy for a major rebrand. I created new writing guidelines for the company, led brand writing workshops, and established ongoing writing office hours. Coursera has since:

  • had a highly successful IPO
  • been recognized as one of Time Magazine’s most influential companies of 2021
  • partnered with Pixar for an exclusive brand campaign
  • grown user base to 75 million+ learners
  • received B Corp certification

I am both a strategy and creative partner to teams company-wide and collaborate as a creative strategist, editor, and writer. I manage a small team of full-time and freelance writers and help hire, onboard, and train incoming writers on both the B2B and B2C sides of the business.

I was previously Senior Creative Writer for DataVisor.

I joined as the company’s first Senior Creative Writer. Working closely with the CEO, COO, and VP of Marketing, I established the new brand voice and led copy for a major rebrand. DataVisor subsequently:

  • rolled out an entirely new website
  • launched a new product suite
  • won multiple awards (Stratus, AI Breakthrough, CB Insights)
  • was named a Cool Vendor in Gartner’s 2020 report

I worked across teams, from marketing, design, and PR, to sales, engineering, and research. I wrote blog posts, advertising copy, ebooks, press releases, email campaigns, executive thought leadership pieces, and more. I also managed a small team of freelance writers.

Prior to DataVisor, I was the Senior Writer and Chief Words Officer for Udacity, a career-focused online learning provider connecting learning to jobs for the modern, digital economy. I joined the company to lead the copy component of a company-wide rebrand, and continued to work cross-functionally throughout my tenure to ensure the highest standards for content across channels and platforms. During my tenure, Udacity:

  • grew its student base by 5x
  • increased revenue over 100% year over year
  • built partnerships with 60+ leading companies including Amazon.com, IBM, and Lyft
  • launched multiple Nanodegree programs—including the pioneering “Self-Driving Car” program
  • earned places on CNBC Disruptor 50 and MIT 50 Smartest Companies lists
  • attained unicorn status.

I am a poet. My poems have appeared, or are appearing in, The Massachusetts Review, Redivider, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Harpur Palate, and more. My debut poetry volume “Short Houses With Wide Porches” was published by Shady Lane Press. My poem “Emigrant Song” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in December of 2018. My second collection is forthcoming in 2021. I received my MFA in Creative Writing/Poetry from The Stonecoast MFA Program at The University of Southern Maine. I have been awarded residency grants to attend the Vermont Studio Center, and the Jack Kerouac Writer-in-Residence Project.

I am a songwriter. I have released 12 albums under the name Preacher Boy. I have also co-written songs with artists including Eagle-Eye Cherry, Colin Brooks, Will Scott, Dusty Wright, Mulebone, The Blisstones, The Hungry Dog Brand, Miller’s Farm, Kreg Viesselman, and many more. My songs have additionally appeared on dozens of albums by other artists, as well as in films, TV shows, and commercials.