ANDY FRAKES

COLLECTORS / PSA
2023 — PRESENT

I first broke into the collectibles industry — the hobby, as collectors refer to it — in the fall of 2022 with Beckett (a PSA competitor, as it happens). While my time with Beckett was brief, it opened the door to working for PSA. 

At PSA I’ve worked on projects of all kinds, writing and editing copy across print magazines, event collateral, web interfaces, blog posts, email campaigns, and more. The latest evolutions of my role have placed me in charge of writing and editing the majority of PSA’s editorial Pop Culture content, while also serving as final QA for two monthly print magazines + the majority of email campaigns. Key skills include asynchronous editing and collaboration, use of Figma and Adobe CS, live-editing via Zoom or Google Meet, and prioritizing dozens (yes, dozens) of projects at a time.

It’s busy, it’s challenging, it’s stimulating, and it’s fun.

—  PSA Magazine
—  PSAcard.com
—  PSA Vault

INSIDER INC.
2019 — PRESENT

Since being brought on as Insider’s lead subscriptions copywriter in May of 2019 I’ve led the charge on site-wide copy audits, leadership-facing & internal branding initiatives,  subscriber acquisition/retention email & newsletter campaigns, and more. Some key development areas I’ve seen in this role include data-driven content strategy, deeper content value extraction, and a better understanding of best practices in email marketing.

Working closely with some skilled designers and developers, I’ve also helped launch multiple high-value franchises with Insider’s editorial team. So far, these successes include multiple toolkits created, revamped databases, Insider mobile app setup/subscriber flows, and a whole new Content Hub for subscribers, with much more still in development/yet to come.

—  The Founder’s Toolkit
—  Insider Content Hub
—  FAQ Pages

TIMEX GROUP
2019 — 2021

I joined Timex to be part of a brand that was already part of my life. At the start it was primarily the Timex Blog with some internal communications work on my plate; one year in, I was writing and editing every primary piece of consumer-facing copy (outside of social media).

I worked on brand & product collaborations that ran through our Connecticut-based team, and even got to collaborate directly with Giorgio Galli and his design studio in Milan for special high-end releases. Newsletters, press releases, product copy, catalogues, brand expression...!

— BLOG POST: TIMEX IRONMAN IN ALASKA
— BLOG POST: FACE X ANNA X TIMEX COLLAB
— PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE: GIORGIO GALLI S1 AUTOMATIC
— PRODUCT DETAIL PAGE: Q TIMEX REISSUES

GEAR PATROL MAGAZINE
2018 — 2019

In addition to writing and copy-editing new pieces + creating formatted roundups on a daily basis, I was responsible for requesting review units and samples, managing GP’s online publishing schedule, managing the homepage layout, and sending out two (2) newsletters a day to roughly half a million readers. I also wrote and edited sponsored content for Gear Patrol Studios, attended and covered trade events, and went on gear-reviewing outings & photo shoots for editorial projects.

— Cannondale bike review
— Budget graduation gift guide
— Monta Oceanking watch*
— Montblanc fragrance*
— Panerai watch*
— iPhone XR launch
— Dueple socks story
— Speedvagen release/brand profile
— New Balance shoe launch
— Complete brand guide to Ray-Ban

*sponsored content

MADWELL
2016 — 2017

Madwell, a tiny little giant agency (their words) based in Brooklyn NY, hired me out of college as a junior copywriter. I worked on Sir Kensington’s condiments, 25 Kent, Handsome Brook Farm, Rockport Footwear, Jura Whiskey and others. Because it was my first job post-school I learned a ton and got to experience a million different things, including 230 pages of line-editing, commercial video production, and crafting Instagram posts around baby food. 

— 25 KENT WEBSITE
— 25 KENT VIDEO