Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Stillar-Wang.
Hi Cynthia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Cynthia Stillar-Wang and I’m a business communications writer originally from Canada. I have a graduate degree in journalism and worked as a publicist and marketing executive in publishing for over a decade with McGraw-Hill in Toronto, Canada, where I created campaigns for national and international authors. My second act came after moving to Dallas, Texas, in the early 2000s where I successfully launched a small press division at Brown Books Publishing Group.
At 35, I settled down to marry my best friend and start a family. As a stay-at-home mom I’m slowly transitioning back to work with my company, Gal Friday Communications and Events. When my son was five years old, I became a trained wedding planner with the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners, enabling me to add events to my communications offerings. The confluence of those two things – writing and weddings – is Instagram, where I run my accounts @galfridayevents and @yourresumerevamp. My aim is to use those IG handles to showcase my offerings as both a planner and a professional writer. With @galfridayevents I am able to curate, research, and present the kinds of details that for me make for a meaningful, unique, and memorable wedding experience. With @yourresumerevamp I’m able to show how I can infuse a client’s “style” and “voice” into the written word, providing content that is both engaging and on-brand.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly? It has been a smooth road for the most part. Right after grad school, I got hired by McGraw-Hill as their publicist. It was, for me, a dream job. I loved working with a stable of authors, writing press releases, planning multi-city media tours, and working with fellow journalists to garner coverage in print, TV and online media. The decision to move to America was an easy one as my sister was already here and had just had a baby. I was happy to lend my publishing expertise to the team at Brown Books Publishing Group, where I started a small press from the ground up. I was also able to spearhead their marketing efforts at the advent of social media. I met an incredible group of people there that I’m still friends with to this day. I got married later in life, at age 35, and became a mother even later. That was actually a bit tough. It took us a year to conceive, and we were only able to have one child, but he’s incredible and a lot of fun. My husband is from Taiwan so our son is very well-traveled. Getting back to writing with Gal Friday Communications and Events has been a huge boost for me and my confidence. Flexing my creative muscles after taking so much time off has been incredibly rewarding as I do a lot of resume writing and have been able to help people land their dream jobs.
We’ve been impressed with Gal Friday Communications and Events, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Gal Friday Communications and Events provides clients with dynamic business communications writing, full-service event planning, and engaging social media content and marketing. On the business writing side of things, I get the pleasure of working with a lot of incredible professionals like Lisa Nelms, a client and assistant vice president at Cognizant in Dallas, who described me as “a master with words”. That was thrilling to hear because I pride myself on my ability to infuse a person’s “style” and “voice” into the written word – making it sound like them, only a bit better.
I’d like to think my writing is as engaging as it is on-brand. I’m also thrilled when I hear about a client landing their dream job, or that coveted promotion, because of a resume I was able to revamp. I’m currently working with a client who is passionate about workplace health and safety. His dream is to work with Amazon and step into the future of warehousing with them. On the event planning side, I get to curate images and information on Instagram in the hopes of inspiring brides and grooms to embrace a little whimsy and a lot of their own personality while I work with them to plan the myriad details that go into their special day. As a wedding planner, I offer full-service and day-of planning. Meaning, I can come in right after the proposal and help with every detail from start to finish or I can parachute in before the event and ensure their day goes off without a hitch.
How do you think about happiness?
Seeing other people happy makes me happy. I think it’s why I evolved into a wedding planner after my long career in journalism and publishing. What’s better than watching a groom’s face as he sees his bride heading down the aisle? Or a bride as she watches her bride? Or a groom as he watches his groom? To me, love is love and I think the wedding industry has done an incredible job embracing a new definition of marriage. I’m happy to be a small part of that change. Another thing that makes me happy is writing. It allows me to be creative while helping others land their dream job or transition back into the workforce after taking five, ten, even fifteen years off to raise a family. Exercising and being outside makes me happy. We recently bought a boat (I blame Covid-19 for that rash move) and are enjoying exploring some of the lakes here in Texas as well as in Oklahoma. I grew up on the St. Lawrence River, so it’s important to me to foster a love of the water in our son. Ultimately it’s my family that makes me most happy. I was lucky enough to marry my best friend and we laugh a lot and dote on our son, who is a terrific little guy.
Pricing:
- On the business writing side I typically charge $75/page.
Contact Info:
- Email: CallMeGalFriday@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourresumerevamp/,
https://www.instagram.com/galfridayevents/
