CHALLENGE: Writing an article about Fritz Scholder, a world-famous painter credited with changing the course of Native American art, and his involvement with the Institute of American Indian Arts during its glory years.

REPONSE: Before interviewing Scholder, Oriana did extensive research through her network of artists, museum directors, and gallery owners. As a result, she was well equipped to support Scholder's controversial opening quote: "The Institute of American Indian Arts was the only bright light in the dark history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs"

RESULTS: Scholder couldn't have been more pleased and readership of Artbook of the West increased.

CHALLENGE: A Midwestern painter, Tomás Lasansky, sought greater exposure in the Southwest and West.

REPONSE: Oriana wrote an article for Artbook of the West, portraying Tomás as a dynamic painter ready to assume a greater role in the regional art scene. "Classically trained, this artist creates 'environments' for the proud Indians who eventually come to dwell amid his monumental-sized canvases."

RESULTS: The cover article impressed a Santa Fe gallery, who staged a one-man show of Tomás' paintings. The artist was also invited to mount a one-man exhibit at an Arizona museum.

CHALLENGE: Write an article on Don Giovanni, for the Arizona Opera Newsletter, that would pique a reader's interest.

REPONSE: Oriana was well aware that one reason would-be opera goers shy away from historic works is the fear of being bored. Her headline -- DON GIOVANNI: A NARCISSISTIC RAKE OR AN UNREPENTANT LIBERTARIAN? -- established that the protagonist of Mozart's opera was anything but boring. The article went on to discuss Don Giovanni in contemporary terms as a man who felt constrained by his society's behavioral code and wanted greater freedom.

RESULTS: The opera didn't change one word and invited Oriana to write another article.

CHALLENGE: To capture the spirit of the dramatic new Mesa Art Center in less than 500 words for Phoenix magazine.

REPONSE: After spending half a day touring the facility and interviewing the curator, Oriana set the article's tone with the first sentence. "Wow, was I just teleported to San Francisco, Chicago or New York?"

RESULT: The Mesa Art Center was delighted!

CHALLENGE: The Maryland Ballet needed a fund-raising idea that would help them raise money to fill their severely depleted coffers.

REPONSE: Using a photo of a ravishingly beautiful ballerina soaring high above the ground in a grand jete, Oriana wrote the headline: "She makes less than most waitresses."

RESULTS: The Maryland Ballet was so enchanted by the poster, they reprinted it twice The advertisement raised substantial amounts of money, and a company executive tried to persuade Oriana to become a professional fund-raiser for the arts.

RESULTS: Created interest among existing as well as potential clients.

CHALLENGE: Oriana was assigned to write a story on emerging jewelers for Valley Guide Quarterly of Arizona. An integral part of the assignment involved selecting the jewelers.

RESPONSE: Thanks to more than a decade of experience writing about the subject, Oriana was able to select the most promising designers as well as portray their individual artistic strengths.

RESULTS: Oriana’s story ended up being on the magazine’s cover!

CHALLENGE: Goucher, a woman's college in the Baltimore area, wanted an ad created to encourage increased enrollment. One of the nation's prestigious "Seven Sisters", Goucher College approached the whole idea of advertising with some trepidation.

REPONSE: Inspired by Aldous Huxley's famous futuristic novel, Oriana came up with the headline "Only brave new women need apply." A challenge in itself, this line also strongly implies exclusivity, which the college greeted with enthusiasm.

RESULTS: Enrollment applications significantly increased. Interestingly enough, a Goucher alumna tore the ad out of The New Yorker and sent it off to the college with a note reading "You should have been doing this years ago!" accompanied by a check for $10,000.

CHALLENGE: Create a brochure for a liposome testing company that would not end up in the circular file.

RESPONSE: Suggesting a comic-strip format, Oriana worked with an art director and created a character called Lippy Liposome. By describing the testing system in a humorous manner, the advantages were made instantly apparent in a very memorable way.

RESULTS: The brochure was so successful, Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Instrument Systems had it printed twice!

CHALLENGE: Create an ad campaign for a new respiratory monitor, MEDSPECT, developed by Searle's Scientific Research Instruments Division.

RESPONSE: Focusing on MEDSPECT's ability to decipher respired air, Oriana drove the ad with the headline "Take a good look at something you can't see".

RESULTS: Was well received by both the client and potential end-user.

CHALLENGE: The Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C. wanted an ad created, which would focus on their recent renovations as well as their sophistication and "insider" status.

REPONSE: Using a lyrical, poetic style, Oriana wrote an ad for The New Yorker capturing the ambiance of the hotel during the winter season. The body copy sets the scene with "Icicles chatter on the trees, snowflakes etch a lacy dance on the windows, it's chilly on the outside and cozy on the inside."

RESULTS: Occupancy increased and the ad became a favorite of returning guests.

CHALLENGE: Write an upscale travel article for Arizona Food & Lifestyles focusing on New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.

RESPONSE: Oriana positioned these travel destinations as an alternative to San Diego, Arizona's favored summer spot and romanced their respective attractions with imaginative copy. For example, she wrote "Exchange the sound of ocean waves for the snap of a fly fishing line or the treble of a masterfully played violin."

RESULTS: The magazine was delighted!

CHALLENGE: Create a slogan for Continental Catering for use in ads and brochure.

RESPONSE: Capitalizing on the company's longevity and popularity, Oriana wrote the line "The Life of the Party Since 1966".

RESULTS: Continental Catering used the slogan for more than a decade.

CHALLENGE: Create an attention-getting mailing about Scottsdale, Arizona to send to travel magazine editors.

RESPONSE: Oriana developed the idea of an electronic mailing, entitled A 20-Minute Vacation in Scottsdale. She wrote the script, using Arizona's historian Marshall Trimble as one of the voices.

RESULTS: The mailing proved very popular with the media and ended up winning an award.

CHALLENGE: Pennsylvania House Furniture wanted to increase their market share.

RESPONSE: Oriana wrote a campaign -- TV, radio, print, catalogs -- based on the mystery board game Clue. The idea translated beautifully to all media including the dealer ad -- "How to Make a Killing in the Furniture Business" -- which ran in Furniture Weekly.

RESULTS: The company was hard pressed to keep up with the orders that poured in!

CHALLENGE: Develop an advertising campaign that emphasized the superior construction of JCB backhoe loaders.

RESPONSE: After intensive research, which involved actually operating the backhoe loader!, Oriana came up the headline “Proud craftsmen stand behind these numbers. And only one backhoe loader”. The text went on to say “JCB always gives their workers credit for doing a superior job. One way is to have the workers sign the part they made. That’s why there’s a name behind everyone of these numbers.”

RESULTS: Client was delighted and sales increased!

CHALLENGE: Create a brochure that would portray the advantages of the Integra Wall System in an attention-getting manner.

RESPONSE: Oriana and a freelance designer developed a “Three Little Pigs” approach, which proved to be a wonderful vehicle for highlighting product benefits. For instance, to underscore the lower heating/cooling bills brought about by polyurethane insulation, Oriana wrote the subhead: “A System that keeps the wolf away from the door with unequalled savings.”

RESULTS: Another instance of client satisfaction and increased sales!!!!

CHALLENGE: Create an ad that would emphasize the Cadillac Seville’s superior looks and safety.

RESPONSE: Oriana used the spectacular Baltimore Aquarium to create a memorable analogy. Her opening copy said “Dramatic. Distinctive. Yet designed to be exceptionally functional. An architectural landmark on the outside…an engineering masterpiece on the inside. A building that’s designed to support some of the more fragile forms of life. Like the shellfish found in the Chesapeake Bay.” She then went on to explore the analogy between auto and aquarium with copy such as “…designed to protect some of the more fragile forms of life. Like the people found driving on icy rooms.”

RESULTS: While the Baltimore Aquarium was initially reluctant to be involved with any ad, they were very, very impressed by Oriana’s writing. Soon after reading the copy, the OK was given to the ad agency.