Meet Carol Badaracco Padgett | Writer, editor and copywriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carol Badaracco Padgett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carol, what role has risk played in your life or career?

From my experiences, both belief in myself and my faith have given me the gift to notice and listen to the little stirrings and imaginings I have, and to pursue them. I think the things that captivate my heart and mind are actually possible–and so I will stretch out toward them and make the effort to help them come to life. I suppose that’s risk-taking. And it has worked well for me as a writer and editor.

Right now, I’m working on new writing projects where I’m learning to apply risk-taking skills, as well. It’s exciting—and I can’t wait to see where this takes me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Thanks. I always say this about my writing and storytelling: I love to meet people, find their spark, and share their stories. That applies to journalistic stories in the film and entertainment industry, as well as the other industries I’m fortunate to cover, but it also applies to the screenplay I’m working on. When you’re crafting a story, you’re creating the characters and meeting them in your mind. Finding their spark, sharing their stories.

Telling a story is an immersive, wonderful thing. It makes you realize that all our ideas and longings come from someplace so much bigger than ourselves. I strive to stay tapped into this. I want to always realize that I’m just a little vessel telling stories that somebody needs to hear, whether it’s just to make them think or smile—or to truly touch their soul in some kind of indescribable way. I am in awe of the work of others that touches me this way. And I hope I am doing the same to some degree.

As far as my brand, I have more stories to tell—and I will work to tell them with imagination, honor, passion and gratitude. This is what I’m doing with my screenplay, and I hope it will make people question, consider, and wonder with all their hearts.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I’d say go to Dad’s Garage on Saturday night, in Old Fourth Ward, and have fun experiencing the improv. As far as dining, I like most Atlanta establishments, but in Marietta, near where I live, I like Stockyard on the square. For dessert, Frozen Cow in Kennesaw is probably as good as it gets, for me.

If I have a friend visiting town, I take them out to Moonlight Stables in Paulding County and visit our horse, August. It’s a great place to unwind and get some fresh air and sunshine. At dusk, we’d walk the pebble road that winds all around the property and its lake and check out the sky minus metro-area light pollution. We’d watch for deer, too, because they’ll suddenly come into view in the mist of the early evening, and it will stop your breath short every time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Family played such a big role in helping me find work that I love and in encouraging me to go for it. As a little girl, my parents encouraged me to follow the things that spoke to my heart. And my big brother and sister almost always let me join in and learn from what the big kids were doing. My sister, especially, encouraged me to pursue writing. My daughter has been a great support, too—she’s encouraging, creative and very pragmatic.

When it comes to making a living doing something I love, I also can’t say enough about the University of Missouri School of Journalism. I graduated from its broadcast sequence and I learned so much while there, both about journalism and communication but also about standards and excellence. All the professors, instructors and other classmates simply made you stretch to get better. To me, the experience was transformative.

Here in Atlanta, some really great mentors have been Bill Wolpin, editorial director at Penton Media/Informa, and Mike Luke, a fabulous freelance creative director who once taught me invaluable lessons about copywriting.

Atlanta, itself, is quite a teacher too. It’s very diverse and its whole vibe encourages creating, learning and growing. People help each other out here, and take a real interest in one another. I’m honored to be part of Atlanta’s creative culture.

Instagram: @badaraccopadgettwriting

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbadaraccopadgett/

Other: badaracco.carol@gmail.com

Image Credits
Image credit for my headshot: @pics6_3