One day, a long long time ago when I was a young child, I heard my mom calling, "time for dinner." After an exhausting day of playing outside with my friends, I was ready to chow down. I ran home, took off my dirty sneakers and headed to the dinner table. That's when my world was turned upside down. Sitting there on my plate were pancakes, eggs and bacon! I was so confused; why are we eating breakfast food for dinner? My mom proceeded to explain that just because it is food we eat for breakfast doesn't mean we only have to eat it for breakfast. That is the moment I started looking at the world differently. The creative seed was planted in my brain and has continued to grow.
I began my education at a community college as a photographer. I love taking photos and capturing special or unexpected moments. During my studies, I took an advertising course. The instructor saw something special and suggested if I liked it, maybe I should look into graphic design and advertising. As it turned out, I really enjoyed the strategy and creative process. I then applied and was accepted to the Art institute of Philadelphia and embarked on a new journey. After graduating in 1999 with a degree in Specialized Technology and a major in Graphic Design, I began working in the Philadelphia area.
I was previously employed as an Art Director at Allebach Communications in Souderton, PA. This role has provided me the opportunity to make a huge impact on the agency.
Contributed to the agency doubling in revenue during my tenure.
Senior Art Director of a creative team that more than doubled in size.
Expanded the agency’s capabilities into digital, social media, motion graphics, sound editing and photography; trained the creative team on these same capabilities.
Directly contributed concepts and designs to major pitches, which landed new business including: Entenmann’s, Mrs. T’s Pierogies, Utz, Alouette, Hatfield, Steak-umm, Pretzel Crisps, Sabra, Univest Bank & Trust, and Covance Laboratories, etc.
Successfully managed and coordinated projects from concept through completion.
Effectively built, motivated and directed design and production teams as well as copywriting.
Responsible for training and managing designers as well as their workload.
Coordinated with account executives and vendors to meet all project requirements.
Successfully translated subject matter into concrete design for various printed and digital projects.
Created design themes and graphics for marketing and sales presentations, training videos and corporate/consumer websites.
Developed brand guidelines and oversaw their implementation.
Provided art direction for photo shoots, video shoots and radio spots, as well as voice talent for numerous online videos and radio spots.
Winner of multiple awards for concept and visual design; Philly Gold: silver and bronze; Addy Awards: multiple silver; Art Directors Club: gold.
As a kid, I had no idea where life would lead me, but once I caught the creative bug, I couldn't shake it. Thanks Mom!