Employee spotlight: Mariel Bard.

For this month’s employee spotlight, we’re putting Sr. Editor Mariel Bard under the microscope – exactly like she does every day (or is it everyday?) with our work. Described by coworkers as meticulous, selfless, and downright spunky, not a day goes by where we aren’t grateful for her killer eye for detail.

Whether it’s catching a typo in a brochure or flagging a color bleed in a piece of animation, we’re often left wondering, “How did she even notice that?” But Mariel is more than our hawk-eyed, proofreading and editing wonder. Let’s learn more about the woman whose attention to detail helps elevate all our work, shall we?

What do you like best about what you do?

I enjoy the collaborative process of working with each department to create something. For me, it’s more than simply checking the words on a page. I like to think through each sentence, each phrase, to come up with the best option for the reader. I love seeing how that fits into the design and then checking the final look once it all comes together. Oh, and I obviously love proofreading painfully long privacy policies (wink wink).

What advice do you have for emerging talent in the field?

Be open to breaking the rules (gasp!) for the sake of your audience. As an editor, it’s important to recognize that language is continually evolving and changing in amazing, sometimes-weird ways – that’s how we got “ginormous” in the dictionary. And be kind to yourself. Everyone else will already hold you to really high standards, from your projects to your work emails to your personal text messages, but you’re still human and you’re allowed to make mistakes. Seriously, you are. Pobody’s nerfect.

What would the title of your autobiography be?

Overproofed: The Life of an Overzealous Editor/Baker.

What’s the first thing you would buy/do with $1 million?

I’m not at liberty to discuss my future business endeavors, but let’s just say it involves vacant Walmarts and roller skates.

What’s the last book you read?

A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. It’s about the totally bonkers life of Virginia Hall, a spy in World War II who aided the French Resistance. There’s a Drunk History parody about her, so you know her story’s a good one.

What makes you a great guest at a cocktail party?

I’m working on my charcuterie skills (I don’t eat it, but I sure do appreciate a beautiful salami river). And I’ll keep your pets company while you entertain.