I'm a creative director. I'm a writer. I'm a lover, not a fighter.
I majored in English and Film at Michigan State while managing a "clothing store" (at least that's what we told the cops it was).
Then I headed to Doner where I worked on Mazda, cut my teeth on lots of international film production, and worked on countless other accounts and pitches.
From there I made my way to Leo Burnett. Working on Buick and GMC stateside and Chevy and Cadillac globally. I was involved in the winning pitch for Leo's Chevy win in Dubai. In the UAE, I learned how to sell Chevrolets to Saudi women who weren't allowed to drive.
At Doner, I played a major role in winning the JCPenney account. And I was a Creative Director, responsible for all U.S. creative (broadcast, print and digital) on Serta and select Tier 1 Jeep and FIAT assignments.
At Campbell Ewald I led creative on OnStar and Country Inns & Suites. And I pitched in on IHOP, Harley Davidson, Travelocity and new business.
At Merkley + Partners in NYC I served as creative director on Mercedes-Benz responsible for traditional, digital and social work for US and Canada.
At Zillow, I led Studio Z (Zillow’s in-house creative agency) consisting of a team of writers, art directors, UX and UI designers, developers, producers and content strategists. I created and managed work across the Seattle, San Francisco and New York offices, and work closely with 72 and Sunny, Media Monks and other agency partners.
On the side, I’m a founder and Executive Creative Director of a vegetarian food truck "Shimmy Shack" – which PETA named one of the Top 5 Food Trucks in America.
But my proudest accomplishment is my family. My wife Brenda, 2 daughters, Miette and Nika, and Australian Shepherds, Roux and Bowie keep me grounded in this crazy business.
So I look forward to chatting with you. Maybe we’ll even think of some cool things together. But we’ll never “ideate” together. Sorry, that’s lame.
