+27(84)626-7689 Vanessa@ContentArchitects.co.za

Content with purpose

Communication with impact

Engage, inspire, convert

Words that work

“Greatness is consistency driven by a deep love of the work.”
Maria Popova

DEPTH IS THE DIFFERENTIATOR

We’re in an era of intelligent tools and AI generation. Content is instant. The big question isn’t “Can this be done?” but “How can I make it matter?”

THE WORLD REWARDS THOSE WHO STAND OUT

I offer strategic depth, creative thinking, editorial precision, and an instinct for what resonates with humans. I can boost your brand (or revive it), write your website, SEO it, and design it (with my trusted website collaborator).

I can activate (or reset) your social media platforms. Think of your social media as a bouquet of possibilities, ready to blossom with the right strategy and creative compost.

I also manage complex employee engagement projects: working with clients and suppliers, keeping strategy aligned, timelines tight, and messaging on point. And if you’ve got a multi-layered business report to deliver, I’ll be your interviewer, writer, editor, and proofreader.

Vanessa
Hilton-Barber

MOON LOVE

BLUE MOON CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS (1999 – 2011)

Internal Marketing | Communication Strategy | Employee Engagement | Stakeholder Alignment

After completing my Bachelor of Arts in English and History (Rhodes) and Honours degree in English Literature (UNISA), I spent over a decade at Blue Moon Corporate Communications. Here, I helped shape internal communication programmes for some of South Africa’s most respected companies. Partnering closely with senior stakeholders, I assisted with strategies and long-term programmes that shifted culture, clarified vision, and connected employees.

Web Development

CAPABILITIES

Internal marketing
Engagement campaigns
ESG, values and strategy
Multi-format implementation
Budgeting and reconciling

Web Development

OUTPUTS

Process modelling
Employee Value Propositions
Employee handbooks
Annual reports
Staff newsletters

Web Development

CLIENTS

Airports Company (ACSA)
EDCON: Jet, Edgars, CNA
ABSA
Great Basin Gold
Sasol Technology

Digital Soul

SOULPROVIDERS COLLECTIVE (2012–2013)

Digital Strategy | Storytelling | Campaign Execution | Engagement | Reporting

My next chapter was with SoulProviders Collective, one of Johannesburg’s most innovative digital media agencies. This women-led team opened the door to the world of B2C, where content was delivered instantly. Shifting from traditional communication into digital, I helped produce fresh content that resonated with audiences, built community, sparked brand love, and delivered measurable results.

Web Development

CAPABILITIES

Public Relations
Digital strategy
Reporting and insights
Copywriting for B2C
Collaboration account teams

Web Development

OUTPUTS

Live event reporting
Brand copy and design
Consumer engagement
SEO blog writing
Digital ideation

Web Development

CLIENTS

Amka Health & Beauty Brands
- → Satiskin
- → Playgirl
- → Playboy

Embracing the UNICORN

CONTENT ARCHITECTS (2014 – PRESENT)

Digital Strategy | SEO | Business Writer | Employee Engagement | Public Relations

My business, Content Architects, was built on the foundation of everything I’d learned over the years. My goal is to be of service. To help brands find their voice, grow their presence and communicate with originality. Real value lies in content that feels human in an AI-saturated media landscape. As messaging becomes more homogenous, nuance, timing, humour, and tone will set you apart.

CLIENTS

theSQUAD CREATIVE (2014–present)

Website Design | SEO | Newsletters | Digital Strategy

Web Development

CAPABILITIES

Content strategy
Monthly designed themes
Digital media management
Statistics reporting
Event space news

Web Development

OUTPUTS

Facebook fans, 65 000
Website design
SEO-optimised blogs
Mailchimp newsletter
Integrated content

Web Development

I’M THE LUCKY ONE

Inspirational work
Long-term partnership
Women-led team
Spreading kindness
Crushing mediocrity

PLEIADES MEDIA

PR | Technology | Fintech | Telecommunications | Financial Services

Web Development

CAPABILITIES

PR communication
Digital copywriting
Social content
SEO blog writing
Executive messaging

Web Development

OUTPUTS

Product and brand brochures
Press releases
CEO scripts
LinkedIn messaging
SEO blogs

Web Development

CLIENTS

Vodacom Financial Services
WeThinkCode
Thunes
ALX Africa
RadixTrie

THE PRINCIPALITY

B2C | Interview Questions | SEO Blogs | Thought Leadership | PR

Web Development

CAPABILITIES

Brand positioning
Thought leadership
Copywriting
Social media content
Report insights

Web Development

OUTPUTS

PR releases
Website content
SEO blog articles
Presentations
Social media copy

Web Development

CLIENTS

Access Bank
EFTSA
Seriti
Tesserai
Vukile Property Fund

THE ENGAGE GROUP (Middle East)

Employee Experience | Internal Communications | Ethics and Compliance | Scripting

Web Development

CAPABILITIES

Employee comms strategy
Internal brand alignment
Visual storytelling
Digital channel messaging
Health and wellbeing

Web Development

OUTPUTS

Employee newsletters
MS Teams and email messages
Infographics
Event and MC scripts
Video scripts

Web Development

CLIENTS

AD Ports Group
APICORP
Commercial Bank of Dubai
Miral
Dubai Future Foundation

CLIENT COMPLIMENTS

Sheila McGillivray

“Vanessa gets it—our business, our objectives, and me. Her storytelling weaves facts into an engaging narrative, always reliable with suggestions I hadn’t thought of.”

Debbie Diss

“Vanessa knows no limits. From creative to strategic, she’s been indispensable—writing, editing, scripting across multiple platforms for us. And she does it all with a smile!”

Kerry Botha

"Vanessa is an excellent writer and interpreter of the nature and tone of the often complex content required. This she backs with extensive research. She is also unfailing in meeting delivery deadlines. I enjoy her gentle humour combined with her incisive mind."

Holly de Vries

“Vanessa makes sense of complicated briefs and turns them into dynamic, clever content. Senior-level expertise, always reliable, always a pleasure.”

Kelly McGillivray

“Vanessa has been a great asset to theSQUAD Creative for over ten years. She has all our social platforms covered, writes our monthly blog, updates our website, as well as writing and designing our newsletter. Vanessa goes above and beyond, and that’s why I would recommend her again and again.”

Jainita Khatri

“Vanessa is a talented content writer, skilled researcher and thorough editor. Her extensive experience in PR allowed amplification of messaging in the right places. I enjoyed working with Vanessa and can confidently say that she is an asset to those with whom she collaborates.”

Corlé Greyling

“Four years of growing the 1000 Drawings NGO brand and building organic social media following with nothing more than clever, creative and strategic posts. Thank you for witty, real, and spot-on newsletters. You’ve immersed yourself in our world and become a key to our success.”

Nokwazi Mzobe

“Vanessa is always efficient and professional, and her writing has added value to our business. She takes the time to understand the topic, and the target market. We choose to work with her not just for her skill, but also for her professionalism and dedication.”

POSTSCRIPT

Web Development

PURPOSE

Helping businesses become more visible
Working on inspiring projects
Making the world a little better

Web Development

MY BIG PICTURE

Open-water swimmer:
- → One Robben Island Crossing
- → Four Bell Buoy Swims
- → Sunrise river swims

Web Development

MY SMALL PICTURE

200-Hour Yoga Instructor
Qualified TEFL Teacher
Dabbling artist
Apprentice gardener

"The trick is not becoming a writer. The trick is staying a writer."
Harlan Ellison