Welcome to our newest content series – the Faces of Paradise. Each month, we will we spotlight a Paradise employee, giving you an opportunity to get to know the people behind our outstanding work a little better. In our inaugural edition, we shine a light on a talented multi-media content professional, world traveler, pickleball enthusiast, and unexpected disco fan – Leah Shoup.
What do you do at Paradise and how long have you been with the agency?
My official title is Copywriter, but I’m involved in multiple facets of content creation. I joined Paradise a little more than a year and a half ago in April 2024.
Tell us more about your role at Paradise
Being a Copywriter —in layman’s terms—means I’m in charge of coming up with the words (aka “copy”) that go into all our creative projects for clients. That could be short-form copy for anything like posters, magazine ads, banners, or billboards, or long-form copy for scripts, blog posts, advertorials, etc. I am bilingual with an M.A. in Translation & Interpreting, so I also handle translating marketing materials from English to Spanish when needed. Moreover, at a higher level, I am part of the ideation process for new client campaigns, diving into the statistics on who we are trying to reach and coming up with new and creative ways to reach them. I recently worked on the “Life’s a Game” campaign for Florida’s Sports Coast and the “Every Visit’s a New ExPIERience” campaign for the St. Pete Pier. This may not be an official role, but I am also our team’s resident pickleball expert!
How long have you been in Marketing & Communications? What drew you to a career in our field?
My path into Marketing & Communications was anything but traditional. In fact, I was originally trained as a Spanish-English translator at Wake Forest University. Shortly after finishing my master’s degree, I moved to Santiago, Chile, where I worked as an Academic Translator, translating scientific research manuscripts from Spanish to English and helping Chilean university professors publish their findings in high-impact journals.
While living in Chile, I discovered a love for photography and writing on social media, sharing my experiences at GringaJourneys.com and building an audience of 80,000+ followers. I continued working as a translator and content creator simultaneously until I could move full-time into travel blogging in 2018. During that time, I had the opportunity to collaborate with brands such as Delta, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Coca-Cola, American Tourister, and others, while traveling to places like Ireland, Greece, Spain, Colombia, Curaçao, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic. I also returned to my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.
Eventually, in 2024, I decided to make the jump from working as a full-time travel blogger and social media influencer to the other side of the table—working at a marketing agency! Making the transition has been amazing, and the team at Paradise truly recognized the value of the skills I had honed during my time running Gringa Journeys.
Alma mater/degree
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature and Linguistics from the University of Georgia and a Master of Arts in Translation and Interpreting Studies from Wake Forest University.
How do you spend your time when not connecting people to brands through copy/content?
I am an extrovert and love to be busy, so I have lots of hobbies! I play pickleball about three times a week with a group of 4.0-4.5 players that I organize. I am a huge reader and have read 30 books thus far this year. I consider myself a connoisseur of pop culture, so I also spend a lot of time listening to podcasts (my favorite is called Every Single Album) and watching TV shows/movies (I am an admitted “Love Island” addict—real ones know that means the U.K. version). Additionally, I love to organize a good girls’ night! Other things I love: Ippodo Tea Matcha, any excuse to go to karaoke, and sushi.
Last tv series/show that you’ve binged or been hooked on?
“House of Guinness”
Favorite movie of all time?
“Grease”
What’s getting heavy rotation in your music playlist these days?
Audrey Hobert’s debut album, “Who’s the Clown”
What’s one thing about you that people would be surprised to learn?
I was born in the ‘90s, but I grew up on disco music! My dad was a professional disco dancer in the early ‘80s, so the music that reminds me of my childhood is mainly the Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Favorite Paradise memory or experience?
Getting to meet my co-workers in person for the first time! I work remotely from metro Atlanta, so with most of the team being based in St. Petersburg, FL, I didn’t actually see any of my team in person until I had been with the agency for a year. It was so fun to get to chat with everyone one-on-one and to fill in what everyone looks like outside of Google Meet!
What does being a “Partner for Good” mean to you?
To me, being a “Partner for Good” means doing anything in life with good intentions and being willing to go out of your way for the greater good. That could mean being a connector of people in your everyday life, volunteering for a great cause, or even just showing up for family when they need you. I always like to tell my husband, “No matter how other people in the world may act, I will continue to hold myself to my own standard.”
