Dean Askin's Portfolio

Brand storytelling with impact (TM) | Brand Story Stractician | Multi-Skilled Communication Professional and Content Creator who intuitively knows how to make the emotional connection with words | Specializing in Non-Profit & B2B Communications

All Content

An overview of the diverse things I've written and/or produced over the years.

Blog Posts

These posts are about disability and employment issues, as I worked full time in Communications in the sector from 2019 to 2025.

News Releases

I have a lot of experience writing "newsers." I've written news releases for organizations in the disability, flooring and automotive aftermarket sectors. I have a journalism background. That means I know how to write a release that gets a reporter's or editor's attention. I've limited the releases in this collection to the ones for the disability sector. They span six years. Releases for Light It Up! for NDEAM in this collection were picked up globally by online publications.

Ghostwriting

I have written for Vice-Presidents, Senior Vice-Presidents and CEOs. Everything from op-eds; to conference welcome messages; to speeches and thought-leadership blog posts.

B2B Journalism

I have done trade magazine writing and photography for publications in the financial services, commercial real estate development, automotive aftermarket, flooring and secondary wood products manufacturing sectors in Canada.

B2B Advertising & Marketing Collateral

Some career samples of pieces that I have written; or written and designed

Podcasts

I created the You Can't Spell Inclusion without a D podcast for the Ontario Disability Employment Network in 2020. I have co-hosted, associate-produced and audio engineered/edited the show for six seasons. I'm in my element doing this podcast, and treat it like an afternoon-drive radio current affairs interview program. That's because my original background was in CBC Radio Current Affairs.

Videos

My original background is in broadcast journalism. This is a collection of marketing videos that I have produced entirely myself (Light It Up! For NDEAM 2024 Location Highlights Video) or have associate-produced, written and narrated over the course of my career. The "Business Training or Bust" video won an Apex Award of Excellence. I have also included "The Old Chocolate Factory", a photo essay video that won an Honourable Mention in an international Photographic Society of America competition,

Editorial Design & Photography

I know my way around InDesign. I have designed B2B and brand publications, including one that won an APEX Award of Excellence. The cover photography in this collection, is mine.

Business Leader Profiles

I write engaging profiles of business leaders.

Brand Journalism

Today it's called "sponsored content." It used to be known as "advertising features" or "advertorials." I have a lot of experience writing pieces that have a lot of editorial value while subtlely promoting the brand. I once had 12,000 words of brand journalism placed in one publication in one year, for the brand I was writing for. These are just a few examples of the many sponsored-content pieces I've written over the years.