Life @ Brafton: Chad Hetherington

Marketers must navigate a whole world of digital tools and content best practices — and now, AI. While some stick with what’s comfortable, others rise to the occasion, learning new ways to curate high-performing work. This is Chad Hetherington’s approach, anyway. 

Never shying away from a challenge, he’s used his curiosity and talent to blaze trails in AI content writing to make his and the rest of our team’s lives easier and writing more creative.

Curious how he got his start? You’ve come to the right place! Let’s hear about his journey from studying early childhood education to becoming a linchpin in Brafton’s editorial team. 

Finding the Write Path

As talented of a writer as Chad is today, you’ll be surprised to know that this wasn’t always his plan. Right out of high school, he took an early childhood education course at a local college. However, he couldn’t picture himself committing to this type of work full-time.

So, how did he discover that he had a knack for writing? Interestingly enough, the program had a mandatory communications class that required hours of writing each period. “That’s when I realized I really enjoyed writing and wanted to get better at it,” he said. 

Just five months ahead of graduation, he dropped out and took time to devise a game plan. Then, he moved to Ottawa to take a Professional Writing program at Algonquin College, which he absolutely loved. 

This program helped him sharpen his skills and gave him some useful contacts. He did his co-op placement with a small Ottawa-based marketing agency owned by one of his former teachers, and they offered him a contract upon graduation. “They are fantastic people, and I owe most of what I have now career-wise to them,” he beamed. On top of that, he also took on some freelance work, mostly writing about fashion and luxury travel.

After graduation, armed with experience and back in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario, Chad searched for his next step. As fate would have it, that led him to Brafton. He found the job posting on LinkedIn and, after a couple of interviews, he was hired in June of 2022 as a content writer.

Splitting His Time

We can say with certainty that Brafton is definitely where Chad’s supposed to be — his clients and fellow writers would agree. Not only can he switch between tones like a wizard, but he also dives headfirst into challenging topics with surgeon-like precision, discovering what needs to be done and accomplishing it to a tee.

After a year as a content writer, Chad was promoted to senior writer, continuing to write copy for clients that helped them achieve their marketing and SEO goals.

In October 2024, he moved into a dual role, splitting his time between the Editorial and Marketing departments before joining the latter full-time in February 2025. Working more closely with Molly Ploe, AVP of Marketing, and the internal marketing team, Chad applies his years of editorial prowess to help drive brand awareness for Brafton.

It all started by writing many blogs for contentmarketing.ai in his rifted role — from news-led pieces to thought leadership and how-to guides — before he broke away from editorial completely to join Molly and team.

How have Chad’s nearly three years at Brafton been? He says “Great!” From getting to travel for the first time out of Canada to the Boston office with his then-team in 2022 to learning from the talented people around him, his experience has been chock-full of great moments.

“The agency life has allowed me to develop my writing skills in all kinds of areas and industries,” he said. “When it comes to managing that familiar agency atmosphere, Brafton’s people do it well.” 

He also loves the remote aspect of Brafton’s work setup, giving him the flexibility to work from the comfort of his home.

After Hours

Once Chad shuts his laptop for the day, his brain’s right side isn’t off duty. You can find him thrifting vintage clothing, antiques and decor — and styling them to perfection. He also loves cooking, going for long walks, playing video games, watching movies and hanging out with his adorable rescue Chihuahua Rusty (who’s usually curled up under a blanket, sleeping nearby).

He also contributes to a Toronto-based design and architecture magazine, an industry that he’s super passionate about. “That’s been a dream come true and really, really fun for me,” he added.

His cool party trick? Juggling. He taught himself when he was a kid simply because he thought it would be a cool thing to know how to do. “I tried to impress a lot of people with mediocre juggling skills back in the day.” Just know we’ll be asking him to show us his aptitude at our next internal meeting.

Whether he’s writing content, creating a well-organized spreadsheet or sharing his love of interior design with interested readers, we at Brafton find his skills incredibly impressive. No matter what amazing abilities Chad masters next, we’ll be sitting front and center.