'

Oh, hello.

I’m Jesse Butts: a writer, podcaster, and marketing consultant who loves helping liberal arts grads navigate work outside their fields of study.

Let’s chat

What I do

My working hours are split between two ferns ventures. First, serving a growing roster of clients through my company Calque Marketing. This is where I provide:

Strategic and consulting work

  • Content strategy development
  • Content team consulting and leadership
  • Buyer research, ICPs, personas, and customer journey maps
  • Positioning and messaging guidelines

Content creation

  • Long-form articles
  • White papers and sales tools
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Copywriting

And second, helping liberal arts advanced degree holders discover viable work options and career paths through my podcast The Work Seminar, which I launched in October 2021.

In each episode, I chat with an MA, MFA, PhD or the like who took a different approach to work after grad school. We delve into their current job and what they like about it, the path to get where they are now, what role work plays in their life, and their advice for taking the leap to adjacent or (seemingly) unrelated work.

How I can help you or your team

Tell me what you’re looking for. We’ll set up a time to chat if it feels like a good fit. My schedule is usually booked solid a couple months in advance.

One thing you should know right off the bat: I’m not cheap. In fact, I’m what some might call expensive. And every client will tell you they got what they paid for—and then some.

My (semi-)recent media appearances

Check out my thoughts on writing, content, and career paths.

And to wrap things up, a bit about me

I’d love to tell you I’ve been a raconteur since preschool. But that’s not remotely true.

Two wonderful, kind professors my freshman year sparked my passion for writing and reading. And, as they say, I never looked back.

Not long after undergrad, I earned an MA in writing at DePaul University. At the same time, I was learning the ropes of copywriting and content as a marketing communications specialist.

Over the next 13 years (to be precise), I worked my way up in full-time roles across software, medical device, and publishing companies. Yet the itch to strike out on my own never subsided.

In early 2019 I did something about it. Founding Calque Marketing has afforded me the freedom to do my best work. And creating The Work Seminar lets me live the dream (seriously) of hosting one-on-one conversations with smart people about their intellectual and work lives. What more could I ask for?

My creative writing, storytelling, marketing, and leadership experience give me a unique perspective on every work project and podcast interview.