Spark Content

Angela Van Daele

Angela brings over 16 years of experience as a technical writer at PixStream, Agfa, and BlackBerry, spanning the spectrum of content creation from communications materials to user guides and training materials. Angela has an Honours degree in English – Rhetoric and Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo. A self-professed “word nerd,” Angela lives in Waterloo with her husband and son.

What kindles that spark? Puzzling through a pile of information, finding the meaning, and translating dense information into consumable text. The action of refining, taking an okay sentence and making it great. Sharing knowledge.

Currently obsessed with: All things Sashiko.

Karen Probst

Karen spent 15 years working for Research In Motion/BlackBerry. She wrote the first BlackBerry user guide and remained the face behind the company’s end user documentation for many years. After leaving BlackBerry, Karen worked on content for various industries, including education, non-profit organizations, insurance, Internet security, and broadcasting. With a keen eye for detail, she specializes in editing and translation project management. She holds a degree in English – Rhetoric and Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo.

Karen lives in Waterloo with her husband, son, and an overly-needy cat. When not running a busy household, she’s an avid TV junkie who keeps up with the latest spoilers and gossip.

What kindles that spark? Finding the perfect way to express an idea or thought. Taking someone else’s content and adding just a little bit more to make it great.

Currently obsessed with: Hunting imaginary creatures in the Pokémon Go realm.

Tracy Strike

Tracy has more than 15 years of technical writing experience with Agfa HealthCare and Research In Motion/BlackBerry and has produced documentation for a range of subjects and audiences during that time. She also brings a different perspective to Spark: Math. The resident “smarty pants,” Tracy holds an Honours degree in Mathematics with a Business Option from the University of Waterloo. But don’t hold that against her. She’s always loved the written word.

Tracy shares her house with her husband, two children, and a growing number of pets.

What kindles that spark? Solving problems. The challenge of distilling material from multiple sources into logical packets of information.

Currently obsessed with: Brokering peace deals among her growing number of pets.