Everything I do – every program I create, speech I write, experience I dream – is bespoke. I firmly believe that’s the only way you can find success with creative.

So many firms and consultants in the industry cite ‘best practices,’ a term which always makes me cringe. A best practice infers direct transferal of a solution – an implementation based on the observation, ‘oh, this worked over there, let’s replicate it here!’ In my opinion there’s nothing more dangerous than the replication of a solution. Instead, I talk about Promising Practice. When you identify a promising practice, you’re using critical thought to augment a solution for a new population in a new landscape at a new time.

I have a myriad of job titles ranging from speechwriter to creative director, but ultimately my purpose is to deliver messaging in an unprecedented and unforgettable way. I create programming and communication strategies for clients who want to raise money, garner loyalty, disperse information, create a community, and/or celebrate benchmarks.

90% of my work is in the live special event industry. I may be hired to bring a conference to life through interactive experiences, help an executive write a compelling speech, dream up and direct a video, or stitch together a stage program that captures and maintains audience attention. Everything falls into the creative communications bucket, but there are so many things that bucket can carry!

I think I fell into this craft after witnessing so many ineffective approaches to communication. I use my academic background in city planning and leadership to acknowledge the many ways you can tell a story – it’s so much more than simply using words! Messaging is immersive – it’s spaces and color, surprise and psychology, nostalgia and sensory. I’m so proud of having helped so many clients bring their stories to life in compelling ways, while giving audience members something they want to talk about when they go home afterwards! I’m honored to work effectively with even the most prickly speakers, make audiences feel, and to deliver the ‘wow’ factor when people least expect it.

People ask me this question all the time, and I consistently give the same answer – it’s not about what I read, it’s how I read it. If you think about my disbelief of best practices, this makes sense; a book I find valuable may not matter to you at all. When I read, watch, or research, I don’t just take in the content of the work, I look contextually at what’s presented. I’m asking questions like why a book is popular, why a fad is happening, what materials, TV shows, archetypes, articles, or films are in demand. This inquiry and curiosity allows me to relate to my audience as humans and meet them where they are, making my work better and increasing the ability for my messaging, coaching, and creative to resonate with an audience.