TIMELINE & BIO: After graduating from Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) with a dual degree in Art History and Studio Art, I joined a small ad firm in Orlando. Working on a very tight local state senate campaign during the contentious 2000 Gore v. Bush Recall, I learned the power that effective advertising has in resonating and moving people to action.

In 2002, I left my home state to move to DC and joined MSHC Partners – at the time the most innovative and creative political ad firm in the country. It was there I first worked at the intersection of data and targeting, effective communication strategy and clean, coherent design to bring it all together. In 2004, we added digital advertising to our suite of services and immediately jumped into the very contentious Presidential race working for the DNC in support of John Kerry.

In 2010, I moved back to Florida to work for Mad Dog Mail – a firm dedicated to state legislative races and state caucuses. Working more closely at the local level with clients in Colorado, Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida, I became more connected to the importance of local leadership in our daily lives.

In 2014, I joined Mission Control which remains one of the most innovative and effective direct voter contact firms in the country. As creative director, I helped build an in-house department that worked for two presidential campaigns, dozens of US senate races and helped elect more than two hundred leaders across the country.

We also successfully supported ballot measures and causes including marriage equality, fair voting rights, affordable health care, protecting the environment, sensible gun safety laws and access to quality education. 

RESULTS: I am proud to have worked for national and international organizations in support of causes I believe in. Some of those clients include ACLU, American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, Everytown for Gun Safety, Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, NEA, Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, United Nations Foundation and Voter Participation Center. 

Whether I am  hired to build a creative team or work directly with you as a freelancer to produce your next project, my creative philosophy starts on day one building a relationship of trust through transparency. Great work comes from a strong collaborative process built on mutual understanding and shared goals.

BUILDING A DESIGN CULTURE: Creative success begins with fostering a process where all stakeholders in a project are able to contribute to the success of the project. This Design Culture starts with a discussion of goals and defining objectives.

For larger projects or teams, I can include a 30-minute presentation called "creative for non-creatives" which introduces the concepts and terms that facilitate constructive feedback during the creative and execution phases of a campaign. Establishing a common language takes the tension out of determining if a project is on the right track to success.

UNDERSTANDING EFFECTIVE ADS: A great ad campaign does not magically happen. All great ads share essential elements – relevance to the audience, an effective and clear call to action and a competent design execution that elevates, rather than buries, the message. 

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: 'The Great Idea' needs to be delivered effectively. Understanding the possibilities – and limitations – of various media channels is the key to not only creating a single effective ad, but the continuity necessary to a successful 360 campaign across multiple channels. In the end, the goal is to communicate to an audience in the space where they are in the moment – whether online, at the airport, on campus or in their kitchen.

SUMMARY: Software, hardware and creative techniques have likely been revolutionized by the time you finish reading this sentence. In addition, hosted creative solutions like Canva and Wix have made turning good ideas into presentable products more accessible than ever for campaigns with limited budgets. I enthusiastically support the graphics of this new wave of cloud design software with graphic work, consulting, troubleshooting and custom templates. For efficiency, the professional tools I regularly use are listed here by level of proficiency: