About Me
Hi, my name is Evan Kenji Sasaki, but everyone calls me Kenji. I’m a Japanese-American writer originally from the SF Bay Area. I now live in New York City.
I’ve written four feature-length screenplays, several pilots, and countless joke packets. I’ve made the semifinals of the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship three times. I was also a semifinalist in the Universal Studios Writing Program.
As a comedy writer, I’ve made the finals of the NBC Late Night Writers Workshop twice, and once interviewed to write for a major late night TV show.
For now, I make my living as a copywriter and UX writer in the tech industry at companies like Oculus, Malwarebytes, and CBS Interactive. However, my dream is to write for TV and film.
Evan Kenji Sasaki
AWARDS
Semifinalist, Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship; Los Angeles, California – 2019
Screenwriting competition held by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Semifinalists represent the top 2 percent of 6,915 submissions
Semifinalist, Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship; Los Angeles, California – 2018
Second Round, Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition; Austin, Texas – 2018
Semifinalist, Universal Writing Program; Los Angeles, California – 2018
Finalist, NBC Late Night Writers Workshop; New York, New York – 2018
Semifinalist, Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship; Los Angeles, California – 2016
Finalist, NBC Late Night Writers Workshop; New York, New York – 2016
EXPERIENCE
Meta – Sr. Content Designer (UX Writer); New York, NY • 2020-Present
Facebook (Aug 2021-Present) Writes UX copy for Facebook Stories, with a focus on growth
• Improved meaningful social interactions (MSI) in US by 2.64% in 6 months, beat goals by 2.5X
• Wrote or edited notifications which accounted for 69% of total daily stories production
• Increased a notification’s engagement by 156% with content changes alone
• Created the company's first complete glossary of emojis, now in the official company style guide
Oculus VR (May 2020 - Aug 2021) Wrote user interface copy for Horizon Worlds
• Used storytelling to boost the tutorial completion rate to 98%
• Worked with designers to create a new notification system, complete with content
• Worked as the sole IC-level content designer for the entire product for three months
Senior Copywriter / UX Writer, Malwarebytes; Santa Clara, California – 2018 to 2020
Writes copy for web, email, and UX, reporting to the Director of Content
• Created all UI copy for the company's iOS app, currently rated at 4.6/5 on the App Store
• Wrote copy for an email campaign that improved product engagement by 24% in one quarter
• Served as sole UX writer for major refreshes of the company’s Windows and Android products
Freelance Copywriter / UX Writer, Mountain View, CA • 2011-2018
Worked with companies to improve conversions, signup flows, and engagement
• Propeller Health: Improved main landing page conversions by 25.2%
• Propeller Health: Used UX copy improvements to bring 96.0% more visitors to the signup page
• Kurbo Health: Rewrote in-app notifications to appeal to a new audience
Content Strategist / Copyeditor, iCharts; Mountain View, CA • 2016-2017
Worked with Marketing VP to develop and publish marketing content
• Ghostwrote thought leadership articles for the executive team, including the CEO
• Created content for print media, web publications, and co-branded partner promotions
Copywriter, Tegile (Acquired by Western Digital); Newark, CA • 2015-2016
Created copy for email campaigns, product literature, and UX
• Wrote a sales letter that has been used to secure $750K deals
• Contributed to a 51% increase in site traffic vs. the previous year
Writer / Editor, TIBCO Software; Palo Alto, CA • 2012-2015
Wrote, edited, and managed content as part of the creative services department
• Generated a 20% increase in conference attendance as part of a rebrand
• Managed web, print, and email marketing projects from writing to publication
Copywriter, CBS Interactive; San Francisco, CA • 2011-2012
Wrote ~2,500 words of copy per day for email marketing campaigns
• Collaborated with journalists, editors, and sales on a weekly newsletter
Development Intern, Dimension Films; Los Angeles, CA • 2009
Reviewed multiple scripts per day, identified winning projects
Development Intern, The Mark Gordon Company; Santa Monica, CA • 2008
Provided script coverage for television, film, and new media
EDUCATION
UCLA; Los Angeles, California – B.A. in English, 2009
UCSC Extension; Santa Clara, California – Classes in Marketing, 2010
De Anza College; Cupertino, California – Classes in Filmmaking and Editing, 2010
SKILLS
Writing• Editing• Design• Screenwriting • Music• Comedy • Video Production
Photoshop• Illustrator• Word• Excel• Powerpoint• Logic Pro X• Final Cut