whatcha need?
whatcha need?
i certainly don’t know everything, but i know a good bit
From film school to apparel design to digital media and tech, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn a ton about storytelling and brand building.
And while I’d like to think that the breadth of my knowledge is too much to fit on one website page at this point, I do believe the following four buckets encompass my skill set well enough.
BRAND STRATEGY
A COMPANY AND A BRAND ARE NOT THE SAME THING.
A company is an entity that makes and sells a product. A brand is an idea. An idea of how life will be different for the people who buy and use that product.
Creating and cultivating and ultimately stewarding that idea as it inevitably grows and changes over time is a tricky and often fraught process.
Part of it is brand identity. It’s creating a fundamental and scalable understanding of who you are as a brand. Of what your viewpoint is. Of how you look and sound and feel when you communicate with the world. And then creating the structures and methods by which you remain consistent and aligned in that identity over time.
I can help with that.
The other part is brand direction. Where you’re trying to go, what your goals are, how you want to grow and evolve.
Where do you want your brand to be in a year? Five? Ten? Fifty? What are the creative methods you can use to continually steer your ship in the right direction? What levers can you pull and when should you pull them and how hard?
And how can you stay true to your core brand identity while navigating the change necessary to avoid stagnation?
I can help with that too.
CONTENT strategy
you’re in constant conversation. be interesting.
Any external touchpoint where a consumer engages with your brand — whether it's a marketing campaign or a social post or the UX of a digital product or the decor of an event — is storytelling. It’s content.
And effective content starts with effective content strategy.
”Who are we talking to? How do we want them to feel? What do we want them to do?” I’ve asked these three questions at the outset of countless content initiatives, and I can say without question that when my teams have taken the time to think through and answer them before starting the work, we’ve gotten a better result with fewer headaches. Win win.
I’ve got an entire framework on how to best structure a content strategy around a business goal, but the short version is that you start with your audience and then work through your messaging, format, channel, etc.
My forever goal: reach the correct audience in the best possible place at the best possible time to deliver the most resonant possible message to drive the biggest possible result.
CREATIVE STRATEGY
CREATIVITY IS A MUSCLE. EXERCISE IT EFFECTIVELY.
There are differing opinions as to what the term "creative strategy" actually means, but I see it like this:
Creativity should permeate every aspect of your business. It's not a department, it's a mindset. Thus I view "creative strategy" as a framework by which creativity can be harnessed and leveraged effectively for any initiative.
I know how to streamline workflows to create the necessary bandwidth for creativity to flourish. How to brainstorm more effectively. How to achieve creative alignment. How to distill ideas into action items.
In short, "How to be creative better."
CONTENT production
GREAT IDEAS ARE ONE THING. GREAT ASSETS ARE ANOTHER.
The best strategy in the world ain't worth much if it isn't executed effectively.
Whether it's words, images, videos, experiences or whatever else, quality assets are key. Particularly when marketing budgets are tight — if you’re going to spend the money to be out in the world talking to your customers, you want to look good and say the right thing, no?
Not only can I develop strategy, but I can also implement it. I can write, I can edit, I can creative direct and video direct and project manage.
And not only can I do these things myself, but I’ve also got plenty of experience wrangling large teams of talented people and guiding them to excellent outcomes.