About
Ally Mantella is a proud dog and plant mom, world traveler, baseball player, foodie, and avid reader. She earned an English language and literature degree and a graduate diploma in book, media, and electronic publishing. In her role as a commerce content update editor for the Bob Vila team, she updates buyer’s guides by ensuring top-recommended products are accurately depicted, reliable, and in stock.
Experience
Ally earned an honors degree in English language and literature from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. After that, she realized she required a more practical and in-depth knowledge of editorial practices before entering the workforce. She completed a graduate diploma program in book, media, and electronic publishing at Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario,
Ally also participated in Student Council and worked at The Learning Center as a notetaker, also writing Lifestyle pieces for the school’s newspaper, The Queen’s Journal. As a part of her diploma at Centennial, she worked on the college’s newspaper, On the Danforth, and completed a 6-month internship at PhotoED Magazine. She also worked as a proofreader for 6 months for published author Alisha Sevigny.
Once she graduated, Ally was hired as a full-time commerce editor at Growth Commerce’s Honest Brand Reviews in Toronto, Ontario, helping a small team of writers build all of their initial content and SEO research as well as assisting in building a team, creating training processes, and submitting reports and pitches for improving content weekly. After 2 years of working with Growth Commerce, she accepted a job as the commerce content update editor at BobVila.com to further expand her knowledge of SEO practices, pitching and writing content, improving the user experience, and working collaboratively with the team.
Education
Ally attended Queen’s University as well as Centennial College. At Queen’s, she majored in English language and literature and graduated on the honor roll. At Centennial College, she received a graduate diploma in book, media, and electronic publishing.
Highlights
- Experience: Over 4 years of experience in e-commerce content management and updates at BobVila.com, Growth Commerce, and PhotoED Magazine
- Education: Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature from Queen’s University and a graduate diploma from Centennial College in book, media, and electronic publishing
Best DIY Advice
Ally’s best DIY advice for tackling heavy foot (or paw!) traffic is her specialty hardwood floor cleaner, which is a mixture of her own making: dish soap, six drops of lavender essential oil, a teaspoon of shampoo, and water added to a mop bucket. It has very few harsh chemicals, and the essential oils mixed in will leave a house smelling a lot nicer than a wet dog!
