Emily Paterson
Emily Paterson, CEO and creative director of Quatrain Creative, holds a bachelor’s in English from Yale University and a master’s from the University of Maryland. With a career spanning academia and marketing, Emily brings unique depth to her writing and editing—a knowledge of various styles and research methodologies combined with a strong understanding of new media, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, blogging, and online marketing strategy.
Emily founded her own firm, EP Writing, in 2009, expanding the business to bring in several other crackerjack writers and graphic designers. In 2015, the firm expanded to a partnership, bringing on Marshall Cesena as CFO and design lead. The firm changed its name to reflect the expansion and was reborn as Quatrain Creative in early 2016.
Prior to starting her firm, Emily worked in the writing and editing industry for a decade in a variety of roles, including back-to-back stints as Senior Editor for three different startups. In this capacity, she wrote and edited blog posts, press releases, marketing proposals, white papers, website content, and other content marketing pieces on a daily basis. She also managed a team of 100 bloggers and taught classes on social media and SEO.
At any given moment you’ll find Emily working with clients, performing a wide variety of writing and editing work, or managing her team. In her spare time, Emily enjoys being outside with her family, sailing, skiing, or hiking, depending on the season.
Marshall Cesena
As COO of Quatrain Creative, Marshall brings his strong business and organizational background to help the firm’s operations run smoothly. Prior to Quatrain, Marshall spent five years working in the U.S. Senate, first as a systems administrator for Senator Kay Hagan (D, North Carolina), and then as a deputy administrative director for Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D, Hawaii). During that time, he created and managed a $300K budget, handled procurement of office equipment and implementation of technology for both the D.C. and Hawaii offices, and managed the senator’s team of staff assistants and interns. Marshall also made a name for himself as Senator Hirono’s in-house graphic designer, drawing on his arts background to design many of the Senator’s invitations, flyers, one-sheets, infographics, and other marketing collateral.
Marshall’s diverse background is a huge bonus for Quatrain, allowing him to move seamlessly from developing long-range financial strategies to editing an infographic. He spent his undergrad years in the Integrated Conservatory Program at the elite American Music and Dramatic Academy in New York City, after which he moved to North Carolina, where he co-founded The Warehouse Performing Arts Center. He lives in Huntersville, NC, with his two children, where they enjoy biking, hiking, cooking, and breaking into spontaneous song.
