I embrace broad responsibilities—strategy, creative, implementation, analysis—to create effective, collaborative solutions.

Education never stops, and the answer is often there if you can find a new way to see and achieve it.

Read my story below, or jump right to the résumé.

I hail from Kinfolk Holler, a shady recess of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Tennessee. After spending my early years slaying dragons (I think), chopping trees (for real), and playing concerts for cows (no comment), I packed up and headed to school in western Pennsylvania.

After graduating, I split the distance and settled in Arlington, VA, spending six months up to my ears transcribing Nixon Library oral histories. Simultaneously fascinating and infuriating (though not in the way you’d think), it was soon apparent there were better ways to pass the time. I moved into pre- and post-production, helming accessibility, design, and development across media for everyone from the U.S. Marshals and Federal Reserve to HGTV and Charlie Rose. We even earned a vicarious Emmy nod for “The Spill” on Frontline.

Two years and one love/hate relationship with a Betacam SP UVW-1800 later, I fled the Capitol for Italy and the Old World. Wandering the heavens and hells of the Renaissance, I found a love for design and came back with my MFA. Arriving back in the holler by way of Kathmandu, Bangkok, and Sydney, I traced the thin line of I-40 across the continent to Las Vegas, where the globe came together in caricature on my morning commute.

After several years building an engaged, empowered employee culture at The Cosmopolitan, I moved back to to DC and spent five years traversing the country to help build the network and shows that became BlazeTV. In parallel, I worked with PokerGO to build the premier platform for high stakes professional poker content, eventually moving back to Las Vegas to work full time.

After getting married, matriculating a menagerie (two dogs, one cat), and looking for a new challenge, I decided to go independent and freelance full time at the tail end of the pandemic.

Forged in the South, wrought in the North, wearied in the Capitol, recast in the Boot, and laboring on in Sin (City).

Strategy, content, design, development—I love the challenge of crafting the best solution that tailored content and informed design can provide. Take a gander at my qualifications, or download for cozier viewing.

Expertise

Practical

• Branding management

• Content strategy

• Copywriting (ad, instructive, technical)

• Editing

• Design (brand, digital, print, interface)

• Marketing

• Project planning/management

Technical

• Database management

• Development (HTML/CSS)

• Digital signage

• Photography

• Videography

Systems

• Adobe Creative Cloud

• HubSpot

• Salesforce

• Wordpress

• OS X & Windows

Education

M.F.A. | Graphic Design

Florence Institute of Design International
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
2010 – 2011

B.A. | Communication & History

Grove City College
Grove City, PA, USA
2004 – 2008

Awards

AIVA: Communicator Awards

2014 | Film/Video: Employee Communication
The Cosmopolitan, “Pickup Stories” | Won
The Cosmopolitan, “First Time” | Won

Achievers: 50 Most Engaged Workplaces

2013 | The Cosmopolitan | Won
2012 | The Cosmopolitan | Won

Emmy Awards: News & Documentary

2011 | Frontline, “The Spill” | Nominated

Experience

Designer/Photographer

Freelance
November 2015 – present

A few of the clients I have worked with:

• Spiegelworld | Database management, email marketing, website management

• Claremont Institute | Donor literature, reporting resources, event collateral

• Brunswick Group | Event photography, presentation design

• Americans For Prosperity | Issue-specific social creative

I’ve also done concert photography for acts including Ben Folds, Brian Wilson, CAKE, Dawes, Foster the People, Grace Potter, Greta Van Fleet, Old Crow Medicine Show, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Tyler Childers, ZZ Ward, and many more.

Creative Director

PokerGO
Las Vegas, NV, USA | November 2015 – October 2021

PokerGO is the go-to place to watch high stakes poker. I had the privilege of working on premier tournaments like the World Series of Poker, Super High Roller Bowl, U.S. Poker Open, and Poker Masters, as well as reviving high stakes cash game icons Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker and bringing new formats like High Stakes Duel to life.

• Tournament & show design | Branding, asset kits, production elements (on-set & on-screen), marketing

• Trophy design | Fostered production of iconic custom trophies and awards

• Game design | Branding, UI/UX mockups & flows, store & promo assets

• Sales | Brand integration mockups, package one-sheets, pitch presentation design

• Photography | Event photos, catalogue management

• Asset management | Organization, optimization, archiving

Art Director

BlazeTV (formerly CRTV) & Conservative Review
Washington, DC, USA | November 2015 – April 2019

Arriving in the early days, I worked closely with leadership and talent to brand, market, and build one of the first independent over-the-top (OTT) media networks.

• Show design | Branding, asset kits, production elements (on-screen)

• Photography | Talent headshots, production stills, event photos

• Marketing | Digital ad design, print & collateral design

• Editorial | Newsletter design & development, site & social graphics, policy infographics

Graphic Designer

FreedomWorks
Washington, DC, USA | February – November 2015

In my brief time at FreedomWorks, we accomplished a lot as the organization transitioned to new leadership and continued advocating its core policy positions.

• Updated and optimized brand assets and collateral

• Designed, developed, and deployed new email campaigns

• Worked with social and policy teams to create timely, issue-based content

• Worked closely with leadership and development team to create donor updates and other reporting collateral

• Branded and produced large grassroots and premier donor events

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DESIGNER

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA | October 2011 – February 2015

My work extended well beyond the title of designer, and we fostered consistent, exponential growth in guest service, employee satisfaction, and user engagement. I was challenged daily and brought all manner of ideas to life.

• Developed campaign creative across the board, from art and concerts to policies and benefits

• Wrote and edited copy for every level of the organization, from chiefs to contractors

• Analyzed, reported, and improved processes to maximize impact, understanding, and service

• Managed communities and determine content strategy across mediums

• Documented, managed, and taught systems and strategy—including communication, social, and signage

• Managed projects including creative, events, training, and upgrades

Transcriber

Sprout Technology Services
Bhaisepati Awash, Lalitpur, Nepal | July 2010 – September 2011

It is a privilege to be part of something meaningful, no matter how small the role—Sprout was that for me. In between classes, projects, and abandoned Tuscan buildings, I was able to help create production transcripts for shows and specials at Discovery, National Geographic, PBS, and The Smithsonian.

But the real impact and reward was far away from Western televisions. Just outside Kathmandu, Sprout educated and employed native Nepali men and women, giving them valuable technical expertise and the opportunity to put it to use on exciting projects for companies around the world.

Sprout has since grown and evolved into CloudFactory, continuing to innovate and deliver valuable services to users and employees around the world.

POST-PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE

National Capitol Contracting
Arlington, VA, USA | August 2008 – July 2010

Starting with 10 people tapping out event transcripts for everyone from the Nixon Library to the Federal Reserve, we soon waded into production transcripts for HGTV and Charlie Rose, finally diving into multimedia with accessibility design and development.

• Enjoyed broad responsibility for accessibility, media design & development, web design & development, print design, photography, transcription, and editing

• Mastered analog and digital formats, including Betacam, VHS, DVD, Flash, and HTML/CSS

• Managed diverse projects, including real-time, post-production, and multimedia

In under two years, we expanded capability and services exponentially, gaining new government and private sector clients across industries. We also had a hand in implementing new online accessibility standards to ensure free and accurate flow of information to everyone.