Work(updated 42 days ago)
Experience
Worked with several hundred designers including designers from COLLINS, Porto Rocha, and Pentagram under the central belief that new technology can be used to allow designers to spend more time on the most human parts of their work.
IMG was a parent company that owned a suite of service companies including CRO, performance marketing, retention marketing, social/content marketing, and a 3PL. I was brought in to create new visual identities for each subsidiary brand, implement a creative team, and develop a system for the creative team to be able to serve the ongoing needs of the other service companies. I worked alongside the company partners to manage and implement systems across each service business and team. Notable clients included Primitive Skateboarding, Liquid Death, and Ivory Ella.
At its core, Linden Ave Studio was a creative studio that offered services across visual identity, content, and campaign work. Our client list included companies like Google, Nike, Formula 1, and Deloitte. However, to simply label it that way would be doing a disservice to what we built. In addition to amazing and inventive creative work, Linden Ave Studio developed in-house apparel that retailed in multiple countries, was a retailer of art & design literature, as well as vinyl records. It was a place where you could come watch Config and discuss your opinions of the new releases or come see your favorite local DJ on a Friday afternoon. Linden Ave Studio was a home for creative spirit to grow. As the owner and Managing Director, I wore many hats from Business Development and Project Manager to Creative Director. Sometimes I got my hands dirty as a designer, photographer, and whatever else the team needed me to be.
If you ever lived in Philadelphia, you know how legendary Ky and Rick are within the streetwear community. I had been stumbling in to this store since I was a dirty pre teen so getting to work here was an absolute privilege. I have a love for screen printed t shirts and streetwear culture. Therefore, my job was to be the resident streetwear nerd. I was put in charge of making sure that the shop maintained a community driven and passionate streetwear culture. Sometimes this would include photographing new releases, planning social content, developing projects with external partners, or fanning out over childhood heroes like Bobby Hundreds. Two highlight projects were a voter campaign in partnership with the WNBA and Converse, as well as a collab with The Hundreds for the 8 year anniversary of the shop.
This title and promotion came as a way to better encompass the very multidisciplinary work that I had been executing and overseeing. The agency had grown to where I was now able to contract help in some of the areas and balance management with execution.
This was one of those overworked and underpaid type gigs, but honestly I learned an incredible amount. This work relationship started in more of a freelance consulting capacity. The agency owner had just left his old agency and taken half of his clients with him. SEO and traditional media buying made up the bulk of the work that they were doing initially. They were having more and more inquiries about paid and organic social, so the agency owner contracted me to come in, audit the companies performance strategies and put together strategy plans for Collab to execute paid and social campaigns on behalf of their clients. I quickly took on more work to the point where I became a full time employee and was developing political campaign marketing assets and identities, managing multiple social accounts (organic and paid), designing restaurant menus, leading photoshoots on site, and a lot more.
Clients
Volunteering
The Azzim Dukes Initiative (ADI) was started by my former boxing coach, Maleek Jackson, in honor of his brother who lost his life to gun violence as a teenager. Maleek felt that if his brother had had access to more options than he would still be here with us today, and so he was working to provide those options for other young Philadelphians. Once I found out about this program he had started, I immediately asked how I could help and like most young non-profits, the answer was we need more funding. At the time of joining, the board consisted of myself, Maleek, the Executive Director who also doubled as Maleek's assistant, and Bernard Hopkins (yes, the former middleweight champion). I developed a comprehensive brand identity for the organization complete with content guidelines, and marketing SOPs. I led multiple fundraisers including a boxing match held at Rivers' Casino and attended by over 800 people, and much more. Because of our hard work to lay the infrastructure, the Azzim Dukes Initaitive was able to 10x funds raised annually, 3x the amount of kids that are served through the program, and now has a full board of directors.
I was approached by a member of the AIGA Board after they had attended some of my creative programming. The offer was the ability to continue to do my creative community work with the support and resources of AIGA. I gladly accepted. At the time, AIGA was building back up after being nearly wiped ot by COVID. During my tenure on the board, I was involved in the development and execution of a ton of programming including having Emily Oberman (Pentagram) and Jesse Reed (Order) come down the jersey turnpike to give talks. I also launched the reciprocal benefits program, an initiative that allows chapters from all over the country to provide value to their membership through discounted services, softwares, and more.
Over the years, DesignPhilly has asked me to come in and talk to high school design students at Philadelphia public schools about building a creative career. As long as I can make the date work, it's always an instant yes.
