It started on a construction site in Denver, CO where my folks taught me that sledge hammers are heavy, destruction is a form of creation, and good things happen when you get dirty and learn by doing. In 2nd grade I traded the plaster for a pen, and filled a spiral with my first stab at a novel. In 4th grade I cross-bred “designer” Silky Dalmatian mice in my bathtub and sold them to pet shops for a premium – giving myself an early education in recessive genetics. Years later I turned down the Cinderella role at Disney. Kinda regret that but, I was done talking to rodents. I wanted to be the brains, not the princess. And after winning my first pitch, on my very first brief as an intern in Budapest, I realized a good brief’s like a good house that knows destruction is an act of creation…with less dust and even better stories. I was hooked.

So now what?

I’m on a mission to re-engineer how brands, entertainment and media work together across our broken silos – with tangible, jargon-free ideas on how to do it. I want to make cool shit, craft it till it sings without running each other into the ground. And if levitation’s a thing, let’s do more of that. Let’s play.

I’m happy to show up in person, infuse some optimism, make a mess, flip the table over if need be. And…I also clean up okay.

WORK

AT A GLANCE

Long Time
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Miami, Fp7 McCann, Eleven
ACD/SR WRITER: TBWA\RAAD, Microsoft Creative Lab
JR WRITER: Publicis Seattle

Short Time
Ventureland, Chiat Day, Dentsu, FCB, 180LA, Decoded, Huge, Elephant, Omelet, Saatchi & Saatchi, Motive, Pitch LA, Impact BBDO, Proximity BBDO, Netizency, Leo Burnet Budapest

Brands include
🌍 Danone Activia Yogurt, Dove, Möet & Chandon, Ferrari World, Yonex, Limitless
🇺🇸 Sephora, Budweiser, Netflix, TD Bank, Dignity Health, Windows, Ruffles, T-Mobile, FX, Corona, Pepsi
🇦🇪 Mercedes, GMC, Nissan, Queen of Jordan, Twix, Pedigree, Whiskas, EuroSport Arabia, Visa, Jumeriah F&B, Du, Omniyat Properties, Axiom
🇭🇺 Naturaqua

FULL STORY

2021 - 2023
DAVID Miami | CD, Copy
Activia global, Budweiser, TD Bank, Dove UK, Netflix, Sour Patch Kids

DAVID’s been my go-to permalance home for the last two years. In 2021 I was CD and lead writer on Bud through summer and fall, and have been leading copy across clients since July 2022 - including a global platform and product launch for Danone’s Activia yogurt, a brand refresh TD Bank, with more in the works for Netflix and Dove.

2020
FP7/McCann Dubai | CD, Copy
GMC, OnStar

From my living room in LA I wrote and led the 360 GMC Yukon and OnStar launches for the Middle East and North Africa. The launch included the first social-brand-entertainment activation in the region. delivering 2x the sales projections, and other cute stats I should probably put here.

2016 - 2021
Freelance | CD, Copy

Places: Dentsu Creative, FCB, Ventureland, 180, Saatchi & Saatchi, Decoded, Motive, Huge, Elephant, Pitch, Keyframe Films, o5 Belgrade

Brands: Ruffles, Netflix, T-Mobile, Beautycounter, Cox, WGU, SC Johnson, Corona, Mountain Dew, Smartwater, Toyota, Yonex global, Dicks Sporting Goods, FX, NFL Experience, John Hancock, Wagamama, Stiglo Design

Pitch wins: 3 for 3

2015 - 2016
Eleven Inc, San Francisco | Creative Director
I led all creative for Dignity Health - the 5th largest health care provider in the US, and Eleven’s largest client at the time. It works like a car account with 10-20 integrated projects at a time - covering brand, regional service line campaigns, internal, social and tactical initiatives across all media. I grew the business, social audience, kicked up press, and pushed their messaging from “nice” to taking a meaningful stand in culture, with a Webby nod and social engagement to rival the entertainment brands. Good times.

2011 - 2015
Freelance | ACD Copy
San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Belgrade, Dubai

Places: Eleven, Microsoft Brand Lab, Omelet LA, Impact BBDO, Impact Proximity, Luna\TBWA, Corbis, Netizency

Brands: Dignity Health, Mercedes-Benz, Moet & Chandon, Windows, Windows Phone, Sony, Skittles, Lays, Maltesers, License to Operate (feature documentary), Axiom Mobile, Olive Roots India, +a bank and energy co I can’t remember.

Pitch wins: 2 out of 3

2007 - 2011
TBWA\RAAD Dubai | ACD
Senior Writer (2007-2009)

Why Dubai? Crazy things happen there that you can’t make up. Like equal creative opportunities for women. Shocker, right? TBWA taught me how to win, how to write, and trust my gut (cause 99% of the time it’s spot on.) And why lunch is the most important hour of your day. With 26 different nationalities, the agency felt like a creative UN sitcom. I worked directly with the Queen of Jordan in an underground bunker studio. Led a 360 launch for Ferrari World (could write a book on that one). Helped integrate digital and ATL creative, and won enough new business for the agency to survive the 2009 economic crash without layoffs.

Creative lead: Twix, Pedigree, Whiskas, Ferrari World, Madrasati (Queen of Jordan), Omniyat Properties, Arabian Canal (Limitless), Anayou (Du Telecom), Eurosport Arabia, Desert Rock Music Festival, Capital Mall Abu Dhabi, bayt.com Pinch hitter: Nissan, Visa, The Fridge, CNN, Qatar Foundation, Jumeriah International, Axiom Mobile, Dubai Shopping Festival, SAE Institute.

Pitch Wins: 9 out of 12 (If I remember right.)

2006 - 2007
Publicis Seattle | Jr Copywriter
T-Mobile, HP, Citibank, Malibu Rum, Real Networks, Washington State Lottery

Helped launch the T-Mobile Concept Store, learned from some fantastic folk, who I got to work with again at Microsoft seven years later.

2005 - 2006
Saatchi & Saatchi NYC + London | Intern
Crest, Old Spice, Yoplait

Leo Burnett Budapest | Intern
NaturAqua, Ikea, Secret

Pitched and won NaturAqua, Coca-Cola’s Hungarian bottled water - the only one on the shelf that didn’t taste like underpants. This was my first brief in a real agency. We were on top of the world.

PLAY

I do more than ads. It keeps the wheels spinning, the perspective in check, and the soul happily juiced.

ENTERTAINMENT
Dab Island - Animated NFT web-series
Co-writer, Producer
TEAM: Dreamworks vets Cameron Hood + Tahir Rana, and award winning comedy writer, Jeff Jones.
STATUS: We were ready to greenlight story and a rough pilot when crypto crashed. I’d love to re-purposes this for another client/investor, or put this team to work on something else. Can share pitch and rough draft on request.

TV Pitches + Brand Entertainment
2 TV series pitches optioned by Tellfilm Zürich for Netflix at the Berlinale with an eye on strategic, symbiotic brand partnerships. STATUS: Released, re-writing.

Associate Producer - Impress Me
The first full 30 min comedy TV series to launch on YouTube, picked up by Pop TV. I didn’t do much, but my little nudge put the whole thing in motion. For my first toe dip in entertainment, that went shockingly well.

HUMOR
Currently working on some new stories and getting the doodles out in the world in a more visible way.

PRO-BONO
Art of Good — theartofgood.net
ECD, CD, Writer, Mentor, Widget
In April of 2020 a friend’s LinkedIn post grew into a pop-up “agency” of 200+ volunteers in just a few weeks - helping small businesses survive the COVID shutdown. I helped put structure and process in place and got some projects rolling that you’d never see at the typical agency. Learned A LOT in the process.

Education

Miami Ad School – Copywriting
Walt Disney World – College Program
University of Puget Sound – BA in English, Creative Writing. Coolidge Otis Chapman Bookity Nerdish Honors Scholar
Semester at Sea – Around the world in 100 days. Met Castro, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, outran a baboon, survived 20 foot seas and realized I have some language learning to do.