I am an award-winning ghostwriter and editorial director with over 20 years of experience crafting long-form content for executives, thought leaders, and major organisations across the Asia-Pacific region. Through Red Pen, my independent content practice, I have led every stage of the editorial process, from initial interviews and research through to final delivery, for some of the region's most respected agencies and global brands. My work spans executive biography, C-suite thought leadership, keynote addresses, white papers, and extended documentary storytelling. Whatever the format, it is grounded in rigorous research, careful listening, and a disciplined editorial voice that serves the subject rather than overshadowing them. I have spent my career working across East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Western contexts, which has given me a genuine sensitivity to cultural nuance, political complexity, and the cross-continental narratives that make long-form work resonate with a broad audience. I am fully remote-capable, experienced in managing sustained projects with multiple stakeholders, and committed to delivering work that honours the brief, meets the deadline, and holds up on the page. Red Pen has operated for nearly 17 years as a senior independent practice, which means clients get hands-on attention at every stage without the overhead of a full-time hire.

Brian Johnsen

I am an award-winning ghostwriter and editorial director with over 20 years of experience crafting long-form content for executives, thought leaders, and major organisations across the Asia-Pacific region. Through Red Pen, my independent content practice, I have led every stage of the editorial process, from initial interviews and research through to final delivery, for some of the region's most respected agencies and global brands. My work spans executive biography, C-suite thought leadership, keynote addresses, white papers, and extended documentary storytelling. Whatever the format, it is grounded in rigorous research, careful listening, and a disciplined editorial voice that serves the subject rather than overshadowing them. I have spent my career working across East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Western contexts, which has given me a genuine sensitivity to cultural nuance, political complexity, and the cross-continental narratives that make long-form work resonate with a broad audience. I am fully remote-capable, experienced in managing sustained projects with multiple stakeholders, and committed to delivering work that honours the brief, meets the deadline, and holds up on the page. Red Pen has operated for nearly 17 years as a senior independent practice, which means clients get hands-on attention at every stage without the overhead of a full-time hire.

Available to hire

I am an award-winning ghostwriter and editorial director with over 20 years of experience crafting long-form content for executives, thought leaders, and major organisations across the Asia-Pacific region. Through Red Pen, my independent content practice, I have led every stage of the editorial process, from initial interviews and research through to final delivery, for some of the region’s most respected agencies and global brands.

My work spans executive biography, C-suite thought leadership, keynote addresses, white papers, and extended documentary storytelling. Whatever the format, it is grounded in rigorous research, careful listening, and a disciplined editorial voice that serves the subject rather than overshadowing them.

I have spent my career working across East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Western contexts, which has given me a genuine sensitivity to cultural nuance, political complexity, and the cross-continental narratives that make long-form work resonate with a broad audience. I am fully remote-capable, experienced in managing sustained projects with multiple stakeholders, and committed to delivering work that honours the brief, meets the deadline, and holds up on the page.

Red Pen has operated for nearly 17 years as a senior independent practice, which means clients get hands-on attention at every stage without the overhead of a full-time hire.

See more

Work Experience

Founder and Principal at Red Pen
January 1, 2009 - Present
Founder and principal of an independent content practice delivering senior ghostwriting, editorial leadership, and narrative strategy for APAC-based agencies and blue-chip technology clients. Lead end-to-end editorial work across long-form content, thought leadership, and documentary storytelling with remote, multi-stakeholder project management and a focus on East Asian cultural and political context.
Senior Content Lead, B2B at Monks (via Red Pen)
March 1, 2025 - February 1, 2026
Independent consultant supporting key regional accounts at Monks, contributing to the successful pitch and win of the NCS account (~SGD 1M) and leading editorial direction for NCS's thought leadership programme. Produced 25 pieces of thought leadership content in under two weeks for the NCS Impact Event, including the design and delivery of a full digital content hub. Raised creative and editorial standards across the Twilio account through governance and quality oversight.
Senior Content Director APAC / Senior Director of Operations at Transmission APAC
November 1, 2020 - August 1, 2024
Built and led the regional content function across Singapore, India, and Australia, overseeing a team of up to six writers producing more than 50 pieces of content per month for globally recognised brands. Led content delivery for HP, Microsoft, Salesforce, Intel, Maersk, Schneider Electric, and DHL; drove research-intensive, voice-matched long-form content at scale. Won Best of Show at The Drum B2B Awards 2023 for Schneider Electric and joined Transmission's global AI Advisory Board; established an internal culture programme featuring published authors and notable figures.
Creative Group Head at gyro, Dentsu Aegis Network
March 1, 2018 - October 1, 2019
Led creative narrative and content across Intel, Microsoft, HP, JLL, and Epson. Ghostwrote executive profiles for Intel and directed the JLL Achieve Ambitions APAC campaign, a nine-part documentary series produced with National Geographic and rolled out across five APAC markets; the campaign delivered 2.5 million impressions and 235,000 video views in 30 days and was covered by major outlets.
Senior Copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather
November 1, 2013 - March 1, 2018
Head copywriter for IBM across APAC; oversaw content quality, conducted in-depth C-suite interviews, and translated complex enterprise narratives into compelling thought leadership. Pioneered Ogilvy's first LinkedIn social selling and executive ghostwriting programme for IBM in APAC, which served as a foundation for later scale at gyro. Scripted Huawei's keynote for Mobile World Congress 2017 as the sole writer.
Associate Creative Director at In2 Marketing and Consulting
October 1, 2019 - July 1, 2020
Led creative strategy, content direction, and copywriting across a portfolio of B2B and technology clients in Singapore.

Education

BA in Communication at Purdue University
January 11, 2030 - March 8, 2026
Digital Marketing Analytics at MIT Sloan School of Management
January 1, 2000 - March 8, 2026

Qualifications

Project Management Professional (PMP)
January 1, 2024 - March 8, 2026

Industry Experience

Professional Services, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment