INSIDEHOOK
INSIDEHOOK
INSIDEHOOK
Role: Creative Director
Category: Digital Media
InsideHook is the essential digital lifestyle publication for “the most interesting person in the room,” serving more than 5MM monthly readers with news and advice on style, travel, food and drink, wellness and pop culture.
Design/Art Direction: Mike Falco
Animation: Michael Eugene
I was hired as one of InsideHook’s two co-founding editors in 2012 and helped to craft the publication’s initial identity and direction. As a senior editor and then editorial director, I created editorial content in various formats (written, video photograpy) across our verticals and worked directly with our Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Art Director on the ongoing vision/direction of the InsideHook brand.
Eventually I took over as InsideHook’s creative director and was responsible for all creative aspects of the brand across editorial, design, sales and marketing. I also captained our branded content division, crafting programs for a wide variety of luxury clients across various industries.
Additionally, I worked directly with our CEO and ownership to spearhead the development of InsideHook Studios and create our first white label media property for actor, writer and entertainer Neil Patrick Harris.
No matter how my responsibilities grew though, I always made sure to make time to keep writing.
creative direction
As InsideHook’s creative director, I managed all aspects of the InsideHook brand, leading editorial, sales, design, marketing and tech teams to develop and execute overarching brand vision. My two closest compatriots were Editor-in-Chief Walker Loetscher and Art Director Mike Falco, whom I worked with day in and day out to continually develop and refine InsideHook’s voice, coverage purview, content planning and overall look and feel.
The result is something beautiful, impactful and incredibly resonant — nearly 15 years after its inception, InsideHook remains an incredibly trusted resource for curious and discerning individuals and reaches literally millions of readers each month.
branded + white label content campaigns
During my tenure as InsideHook’s editorial director I worked with our CEO and sales team to develop our branded content program, securing early campaigns with clients including Blackberry, Jaguar and Cartier and growing InsideHook’s revenue 100% YOY from $1.5MM to $6MM.
As creative director I continued to grow the program and crafted impactful, award-winning campaigns for some of the world’s best-known brands in fashion, auto, travel, spirits, timepieces, tech and more.
Eventually InsideHook’s branded content division gained so much notoriety that brands including Michael Kors and Yamaha leveraged us to create white label campaigns for use on their own channels.
A smattering of my favorite programs can be found below, and if you’d like to see the breadth of my campaign work…
Michael Kors "Access It All"
Neiman Marcus "The Magic of Holiday Gifting"
Tequila Avion "Worth the Wait"
TAG Heuer "Twentyfourseven"
Neiman Marcus "Stomping Grounds"
Yamaha "Meet Your Other Half"
insidehook studios
I also worked with InsideHook’s CEO and other senior stakeholders on the development of InsideHook Studios, a division of the business focused on creating white label media properties for influential individuals with an interesting and unique take on the world (see also: the kind of thing that makes for compelling content).
I led the InsideHook Studios team in vetting, pitching and ultimately securing Neil Patrick Harris as the face of our first property — dubbed Wondercade — focused on Harris’s passion for design, food, travel and the arts.
I acted as Wondercade’s creative director, securing a launch partnership with Neiman Marcus and guiding the publication to astronomical early growth (and a Webby award).
A fun and cheeky announcement video we produced with Harris can be found below, and if you’d like to learn more about Wondercade…
events
I also lead the ideation and production of all experiential activations at InsideHook, again working with some of the world’s biggest brands in a variety of industries on events large and small.
From intimate multi-course dinners to pop-up speakeasies to a giant chili cook-off, we created all manner of fun, engaging and memorable experiences that delighted guests and drove value for our partners.
A smattering of event photos can be found below, but if you want to see the breadth of our event work (and you really should)…