Kawika's profile

Kawika Maszak
Kawika Maszak Founder and Chief Wordologist Help Me Say It
United States

The brain detects patterns in words. Stories are the result of those recognizable patterns. We find meaning in patterns. We use stories to make sense of our world – to share and be understood. I am a pattern-detector and a storyteller. History: I’m a military brat who grew up traveling the world, and I spent the first half of my adult life calling Hawaii home. Entrepreneurial dreams lured me from Paradise to Palo Alto at the height of the first dot- com bubble. I cut my teeth there on two startups. I’ve worked for Fortune 100 companies such as Gannett, and I’ve also owned my own business. The desire to understand and explain weaves the tapestry of my professional experiences. History: Veteran of traditional media (radio, television, and newspapers), and curator of new media. Proud of many accomplishments, some of which are: Producing ESPN’s coverage of the Honolulu Marathon. Directing the video segments for the Webby awards. Editing a best-selling business book (Get Rich Click by Marc Ostrofsky). Leading the interactive startup division of an Academy Award-winning special effects company. (Their movies included “The Matrix” and “What Dreams May Come.") What Drives Me: Being told that something is impossible. The reciprocal nature of inspiration. Recent Favorite Quote: “All good ideas are terrible. Until people realize they are obvious.” – Seth Godin Personal Life: Working as a journalist taught me that a storyteller needs to be where the story happens. I've lived all over the country and I go where it's necessary to make my endeavors successful. I write just as much for pleasure as profession. I am an autodidact with a music addiction. I spent part of my childhood in Japan and Thailand, and I'm an unabashed Asianophile. I am currently learning Mandarin.

Previous Experience

Vice President, Retail Product Management Amegy Bank Creative Director Garden State Life Insurance Co. / American National Insurance Strategic Marketing Manager Gannett - Tucson Citizen and Arizona Daily Star Executive Producer Manex Interactive Director of eCommerce/Content Operations SoftNet Systems Director of New Media Gannett Co., Inc. - Honolulu Director of Promotion Gannett Co., Inc. - Honolulu