Getting to know Orso Director of Copy Kelly Williams

You may not guess it from her poised demeanor, but Orso’s Kelly Williams has spent time gossiping about Elvis with Johnny and June Cash in their living room.

We’re not kidding.

From self-professed “word nerd” to literary academic, from Ohio to Paris, from Princeton to People, Kelly has had a rewarding, whirlwind of a career. Orso – and our clients – are lucky to have her.

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What’s your role here?

I’m Orso’s Director of Copy. Generally, anything that’s written for a client gets my sign-off: social, website, branding, advertising. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an overlord or anything! It just depends on what the client needs; some come to us with a clear point of view and voice, so for them I lightly copyedit for consistency and style. For others I actually lead the content strategy and writing.

What brought you to Orso?

My job before this was with a big PR agency and it was the ultimate hustle culture. Orso is so different: a small, tight-knit group of experts that trust each other and make each other better while doing great work for clients. It’s like I found a place that cut out all the things I didn’t like about agency work and kept the best parts!

How did you find it?

I’ve known [Orso founder] Vince for 16 years. We worked together at a sports marketing agency, and he’ll roll his eyes at me for saying this but he was fresh out of college and the smartest person in the room. I’d always pull him into projects I was working on with technical and creative questions. He was so gracious and low-key, and I’d tease him “I’m going to work for you someday,” so it really came full circle! We stayed in touch over the years over a shared love of Notre Dame football, cooking, and dogs. Fun fact: the profile picture he was using when he met his now-wife was of him holding my dog, Olive!

Now that we’ve embarrassed Vince… What do you love about content work?

Words! I have always nerded out about words. As a little kid, I read Highlights at the dentist. My sister would tease me that the magazines were so fresh and crispy because no one else looked at them. 

I always wanted to do something with writing but had no idea what. So I earned a master’s degree in French language and literature. I spent my last year of college in Paris and fell in love with it – French café culture, fresh bread, the whole thing. When I came back, I thought I might go the academic route, and teaching college students was really fun. But the publish or perish part? I dreaded that. You have to find the tiniest little niche no one has ever studied before like… vegetable metaphors in modern poetry. I’m not kidding, that’s a real example. I was like, “Nope, can’t do this.”

So I hopped over into print media, like Fortune and Time. I was at People for 12 years. Friends tease me that I was overcorrecting, going from studying French poets to asking people “What are you wearing?” And that may be true, but it was so cool. I interviewed people like George Clooney and Oprah, and met my heroes like Willie Nelson and Robin Williams.

Best of all: I interviewed Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash at their home for a day. It was amazing. He pulled chairs outside and started strumming his guitar. It was the last interview they did before he died, and they were so generous. They walked me through the house showing me where he used to jam with Bob Dylan. He started talking about Elvis and June was like “Ugh, don’t get him started, he’ll never stop.” Apparently he hated Elvis, because Elvis was always trying to pick up June.

Tell us about your life beyond words and work.

Well, a major part of my life was Olive, my beloved rescue dog. She lived to be 18 and died earlier this year. She was my sidekick and best bud, and moving to Michigan was kind of my retirement for her. We used to live in Chicago, in Wrigleyville but, like many of us, I rethought my priorities during the pandemic. So we moved just outside Grand Rapids, for a more mellow, outdoorsy life. It’s been great. I love routine and ritual, and I have that here. I eat dinner with my parents every night. I walk out my door and I’m in the woods. Fresh air, family, nature, good food, better balance – it’s great. 

And, of course, I’m a big reader. I love female authors like Ann Patchett. Lately, I really like this author Claire Lombardo, so I took an online writing class with her. She was super cool and showed us her process. I tend to be self-conscious about that kind of thing but decided to let it rip and it was such a great vibe.

Hot Seat time!

• Dogs or cats? Dogs
• Cookies or brownies? Brownies
• Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke if I can find it
• Describe your style. My ideal style is Princess Charlotte. Classic with funky twists.
• What are you watching right now? I stream like a fiend. Right now I’m rewatching Friday Night Lights, and Homicide. Andre Braugher is a revelation in everything.

And finally, what’s your best writing advice?

I always say that clear beats clever any day of the week. Also, editing is everything. Most first (and second, and third) drafts are overwritten and sort of shapeless. When in doubt, take it out!