Why a former 'Veep' writer is joining this small agency

Kentucky-based independent agency Cornett has hired Alexis Wilkinson as senior copywriter, starting in June.

Wilkinson, who made a name for herself as a TV comedy writer with HBO's “Veep” and Fox's “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” joins Cornett from Goodby Silverstein & Partners. She has also served as a copywriter at FCB West and Old Navy.

“Cornett really sold me and made it seem like [Lexington] was a city in which I could develop and grow,” said the Wisconsin native, who was ready for a change of pace and to be closer to family after spending almost 10 years in southern California. “No offense to California, but the prices—we’ve gotta get it together. I’d like to own a home one day.” 

Wilkinson originally reached out to Cornett to look for freelancing opportunities, but the agency was quick to offer a full-time gig. 

Cornett President and Owner Christy Hiler praised Wilkinson for her ability to create “sticky ideas” that help build brands.

“Finding people who think like us and do the level of work we do is not easy, so when we find them, we add them,” Hiler said. “It’s a win-win for everyone—our current clients and our ability to attract more business.” 

While at GS&P, Wilkinson helped promote Capri Sun’s new formula, which contains 40% less sugar, with a campaign that parodied cheesy adult romance novels.

The ad, starring a character called “Juicio,” is designed to turn kids away but draw parents in before delivering his message about the Capri Sun’s reduced sugar and crooning, “Your kids will never know.” 

“I never thought I would be able to say ‘succulent pouch’ so much at work, and I said it every day for probably two weeks,” Wilkinson recalled. 

Wilkinson was also behind a number of Old Navy campaigns, including humorous guided meditations in “Unbusying your mind with Busy Philipps” and holiday ads with dubiously helpful tips in “Really Good Holiday Advice with Neil Patrick Harris.” 

“When someone reads or watches something that I do, I want them to be pleasantly surprised—or even unpleasantly surprised,” Wilkinson said. “I’m always trying to get a double take, get someone to sit up and pay attention to do something that ideally nobody’s ever done.”

Cornett is not one to shy away from surprising work, either. As a show of solidarity with drag performers who had come under fire in the agency’s home state, Cornett implemented a “Work is a Drag” policy that welcomes employees to dress in drag at the office. Executive Creative Director Whit Hiler and Senior Copywriter Coleman Larkin, who do not identify as LGBTQ+ but wanted to show support, dressed up as drag queens for the day, with help from local drag queens

The only person of color in the writer’s room at “Veep,” Wilkinson was part of the team that went to Washington, D.C. and spoke to politicians on both sides of the aisle—including the late Senator John McCain—to make the show feel as authentic as possible. 

Wilkinson, who describes herself as a “writer, humorist, director and nice lady” on her website, said she felt that the advertising industry offered more stability than TV.

In addition to working on "Veep," Wilkinson was also the first Black female president of The Harvard Lampoon, a student-run humor magazine at the university. She also has contributed articles for The New Yorker.