About

If you’re reading this, then you want to know more about me. Good for you! My name is Keith Ecker. I was born and raised in Texas and headed north from there. I majored in journalism at the University of Missouri and then moved to Chicago to start a writing and comedy career.

I have been a professional writer and editor for more than seven years. I started writing copy about local businesses, summer camp, old people and computers for Chicagoland’s The Pioneer Press. I also was a horoscope writer for a magazine in Florida. My apologies to anyone in the Daytona Beach area for completely toying with your fate.

From here, I hit the big times with a few odd jobs working as a furniture mover/photo retoucher for a pretty well-known architectural antique warehouse and as a baker for Whole Foods. For some reason, this led to a job as an editor at a national corporate legal magazine.

I stayed at the legal magazine for three years where, to my surprise, I discovered that I love writing about the law, business and technology. When I left my position, I had been elevated to a senior-level position and even had my own downtown office. (I held two titles: online editor and technology editor.) But comedy called, so I answered.

I did improv comedy for several years, studying at such institutions as Second City, iO and the Annoyance. I was a part of several improv groups that you have never heard of, and I wrote and produced my own sketch show. I also did stand-up comedy for a couple years, performing everywhere from a Catholic sports bar to a gay bathhouse. I also am the writer and host of the video series Word of the Gay, which will hopefully be making its triumphant return later this year.

At the same time as I was doing comedy, I established myself as a freelance writer and marketing professional. I have done writing and marketing work for more than a dozen companies including AOL, Travelzoo, Attorneys.com, FTI Consulting, CT Wolters Kluwer, Guidance Software, kCura and Exterro, among others.

In November  2009, I took a hiatus from comedy and started a first-person, non-fiction reading series called Essay Fiesta. The show has featured dozens of local and national artists and has been seen by hundreds of literary fans. Essay Fiesta is completely free and raises money for charity via a raffle. To date, we have raised approximately $4,000.

Recent accomplishments include co-founding the Chicago Story Collective, serving as the co-chair of the Chicago Literary Alliance’s subcommittee on readings and performances, and becoming a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

In the near future, I will serve as the managing editor of  a new snack-related website called Snackpot, and I will be contributing pieces to the local section of the Onion A.V. Club.

If you are interested in my writing or marketing services, drop me a line at keithecker@gmail.com. From corporate writing to technology blogging to comedy, if it requires words, I’m your man.