SKILLS
From C-suite polish to a start-up spirit to an innovation maven and visual storyteller,
my unique skill set transforms teams and takes companies to the next level.
LEADERSHIP
I thrive at strategic planning and developing roadmaps that ladder up to business goals. Through industry publications, conferences and networking with colleagues, I have my finger on the creative pulse with my feet firmly rooted in KPIs.
In my latest strategic initiative, I reorganized the entire Video department to focus on a specific brand and platform. The goal was for each producer to really go deep with the audience. As a result, views grew by 147% and our subscriber/follower growth grew by 72% quarter over quarter (2022).
DE&I is central to all that I do - in content creation, management and education. I pride myself on building diverse, inclusive teams. My goal is to produce work where our audiences feel welcome, feel seen and feel as though they can pull up a chair to our table and join the conversation anytime.
I worked on several projects with the two leaders of Apartment Therapy’s Change Initiative, an ERG for BIPOC staff. (These two leaders also were part of the Video team, one of whom was my second hire ever at the company.) Some of the projects we worked on were: a casting guide, a playbook for producing cultural-specific stories with representation included at every step of the process, conducting interviews with on-camera talent in their native language and including on screen captions in the final video and holding quarterly brainstorms for additional initiatives and improvements.
I value cross-departmental collaboration and alignment. As a creative executive, I partner with Product, Sales, Editorial, Marketing, Commerce, Audience Growth and Operations on business objectives, brainstorms and building cool things. Teamwork is the foundation to any successful project. Here are a few examples that illustrate this point.
My other strengths as a leader are in people management and creativity.
MANAGEMENT
Managing high-performing, diverse teams is at the heart of what I do. I am deeply invested in their growth and development. I know how to cultivate talent and while rare, cut those that don't perform. At Apartment Therapy, I started with a two-person team and grew it to three departments with more than 50 staff. I hired our first Creative Director, first Executive Producer, first Talent and Influencer Manager, to name a few.
My teams housed all of the creatives at the company. I had two creative directors (branded and editorial), a photo director, graphic designers, illustrators, managing editors, writers, project managers, a talent and influencer manager, executive producers, producer/shooter/editors, photo editors, a photographer and a lot of freelance food and prop stylists along with on-camera talent such as Hilton Carter and Kai Kani.
I also love building departments. At Apartment Therapy, I built the Video and Art departments from the ground up. This required a strategic roadmap, clear KPIs, budgeting, staffing, creating and implementing processes, collaborating across teams to ensure alignment and producing on-brand creative content that built audience loyalty across platforms. Above all else, it was earning the trust, respect and loyalty of my teams that made each one a success story.
I have a lot of experience with change management, which sets me apart from a lot of leaders. Given my role focuses heavily on production, the pandemic really shook my departments. I had to spend a lot of time working shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues to navigate this new way of working remotely, while keeping production moving forward. (I am proud to say we never missed a beat across video and photography, branded and editorial. Nothing fell through the cracks.)
Additionally, with all the unrest in the country and world, I spent a lot of time meeting with my teams to discuss issues, listen to how they were feeling and encourage taking time off, especially when triggered by a tragic event.
CREATIVITY
In my 20+ year career, I’ve created a lot of content. I've produced more than 8000 videos for sites and social platforms and more than 100 hours of television. I’ve been trusted by many to tell their story accurately and thoughtfully on camera. I oversaw the creation of 5000 photos and illustrations a year at Apartment Therapy - and lead the development and implementation of their first style guide ever. I also helped bring their latest brand, Cubby, to life, visually. I've written countless scripts, fiction and nonfiction. I've done hundreds of casting calls. I've sourced thousands of freelancers and hired many people from all walks of life at various levels in the industry.
You’ll find me at the intersection where innovation and creativity meet testing and analytics. I start from a place of what hasn’t been done before. What can we own that is unique to us? To me, ideas can come from anywhere. I love brainstorms and cross-departmental collaboration. From clever gifs to big-hit video series to complex, interactive programs, I encourage my teams to push creative boundaries. This is deeply rooted in a “create, test, learn” cycle.
The brand comes first. When it comes to building a strong visual identity across platforms and audiences, it starts with the brand. Understanding the brand voice and ensuring that it aligns seamlessly and cohesively across all content is one of my top priorities.
From launching Apartment Therapy’s newest brand, Cubby, to the creation of Apartment Therapy’s first style guide to launching our TikTok accounts (Apartment Therapy, Kitchn and Cubby) to ensuring our branded content feels native, I have a lot of experience with building a brand and creating cohesive experiences and content for existing brands. This was also the case at Meredith where I took legacy brands like Better Homes & Gardens and Parents and introduced them to social media. Wherever content lives, the brand is at the core and we live the brand.