Who
Content Decoded is authored by Jinal Shah and Claire Hyland.
Says Jinal of herself:
My name is Jin
al Shah. Content is my passion and I enjoy having a foot both in the production and in the business of it.
I published a children’s story book in 1999 in India, becoming the youngest author at the publishing house. I went on to graduate with honors from Temple University . I have since reported for Lucky and InStyle and written for InStyle, Zink and Allure magazines. At one point I realized that while I loved writing, I wanted to learn a new skill, flex a new muscle.
In 2006, I was handpicked by the CEO of a small credit card company based in PA as one of their youngest managers. I worked on the CEO’s team to launch, Ideablob.com – the first every social network every launched by a credit card company. Since then, I’ve continued my digital education and exploration with leading agencies like POKE NY and Electric Artists.
Currently, I am an employee at Electric Artists and consult with a bunch of Fortune 500 clients on their digital and content strategies. It is to be understood that views expressed on this site do not reflect those of my employer or my clients.
Says Claire on Jinal:
Jinal is a true inspiration – her can-do attitude and motivation to “make stuff happen” never seize to amaze me. Apart from her obvious intelligence and insightful writing skills , what makes Jinal so amazing is that she is a genuinely caring and considerate person. On Nov 5th 2009, I publicly declared my awe of Jinal in a Facebook status update - “Officially Inspired by: Jinal Shah.” I think it merits a permanent feature on this site.
Says Claire of herself:
My name is Cla
ire Hyland, although many call me Cassie. Content and community are the foundation blocks of the web -hence the urge to get specific on the evolving nature of content.
Schooled in Ireland, I graduated in 2000 with a frist class honours B. Comm International (German) degree – that and an urge to “go explore”. Following working adventures in Germany and Australia, I settled in London for two years. There I managed a future focused reasearch program at Pearlfisher Design and Branding Strategy – a perfect fit for a girl who questions the who, what, why and how of just about everything.
I continued my love affair with consumer insight researching and reporting at Pearlfisher in New York, while also consulting with London-based The Future Laboratory, which included reporting for their Viewpoint magazine. 2005-2007 saw the glory days of l-e-mental.com blog, (commentary devoted to contemporary art & design, culture, branding, technology etc.) , which post a URL theft was never resurrected. Blogging gives me clarity of thought and satisfies a need to think and publicly comment on” inspirational stuff”.
I joined Electric Artists digital brand strategy in 2006, where I spearheaded the development of comprehensive, results-driven digital brand strategies, providing solutions that merge culture and commerce with social media to help brands optimise their digital presence.
Back now in Ireland, I am a strategic brand planner in Ireland’s leading digital marketing company, Cybercom. Like Jinal, the thoughts and opinions on this website are mine and mine only, and do not reflect those of my employer or my clients.
P.S. Jinal and I met through blogland four years ago. It’s nice to think we are collaborating across the pond.
Says Jinal on Claire:
Claire has been my friend, mentor and motivator for the last four years. Claire is both an excellent digital strategist and a design thinker – two skills that make her insights even more valuable. Although I’ve only had the opportunity to work with her for a few months, I’ve probably learned more and grown more as a strategist than any other time. She makes you better without you even realizing it and how can you not love that about someone!?
She’s the kind of person you want to say, “I knew her when…,” cuz you know some people are just bright bright stars!