Turn Your Skills Into a Freelance Career | Ask Alumni Webcast

Turn Your Skills Into a Freelance Career
Wednesday, September 24
5:30-6:30 p.m. PT
Online via Zoom

Join us for an engaging panel of Oregon State University alumni who have turned their skills and talents into thriving freelance careers. Hear firsthand how they navigate client relationships, manage projects and leverage their expertise to create flexible, rewarding work. Bring your questions and gain insights to help shape your own freelance journey.

About the speakers:

Annemarie Allain, ’00

Annemarie Allain has 25+ years in experiential marketing, event production, copywriting and communications. Founder of A2 Communications, she creates engaging, jargon-free content connecting audiences to organizational purpose. Past clients include Mars, the OSU Foundation and Alumni Association and the Advanced Medical Technology Association. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from OSU, UC Berkeley Professional Writing credentials and a Certified Exhibition Manager (CEM) designation.

Kimberly Gratz, MAIS ’12, MFA ’25

Kimberly Gratz is a fifth-generation Oregon. She has written for nonprofits, corporate marketing and creative agencies. Since 2009, she has worked in higher education as an editor, instructor, program manager and currently as a head advisor. She has written and edited for freelance clients since 2006 and continues to take projects as time allows. She has a B.S. in English from Willamette and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphases on English and anthropology from OSU — and most recently, an MFA in Creative Writing from OSU-Cascades that she wrapped up 2025. Kimberly is at work on a novel about a solider set during the Mexican Revolution, as well as a collection of stories titled Do Not Expect to be Rescued. She lives in Eugene with her daughter and their cat.

Kevin Coalwell, ’21

Kevin Coalwell is a multidisciplinary content and brand specialist with a varied background in design, web and video production. In addition to a full-time career in the tech industry, he has experience doing freelance projects across mediums, including brand design, 3D and front-end web development. He never backs down from a problem that requires him to learn something new, and is not afraid to jump into a new challenge headfirst. He studied digital communications arts with a minor in applied journalism at OSU.