
BRAND BUILDER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR + TEAM LEADER.
Who I am.
I’m the great, great, great, great grandson of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States. Okay, that’s not true (but it’s fun at parties). I’m really an English major from Iowa who moved to the Bay Area 20 years ago, and managed to make something of his life. I am a creative.
What I do.
I concept, I direct, I present, I write, I brand, always searching for those moments of, “Wow, I’m not sure I’m ready for this.” Those moments tell me I’m on the right track. They’re where all my breakthroughs have occurred, and how I’ve grown as a leader. My world has been immersed in brands for nearly two decades. Big brands and small brands. B2B brands and B2C brands, across a wide range of industries.
I’ve undertaken numerous brand evaluation, brand strategy, and brand execution projects over this time, and enjoyed some satisfying successes. What I’ve learned is that branding is ultimately about storytelling. The best stories surprise and delight while helping companies differentiate themselves from their competitors. Whether it’s food and beverages, CRM systems, technological apparel or WAN optimization, the excitement and creativity of communicating brand differentiation is what gets me up in the morning (and keeps me up at night while I check things out on my laptop).
My favorite definition of brand is “a promise kept”. When I take up the daily challenge of telling a brand story, I think of boundaries and guidelines, because for me operating within those restrictions is where brands happen, and where true creativity flourishes.