EXPERIENCE

FREELANCE CREATIVE DIRECTOR / COPYWRITER

October 2025 - current

Prior agency partners include Highdive, FCB, DDB, Vitro, Pereira & O'Dell, DeVito/Verdi, OKRP, M&C Saatchi, OH Partners, Good Giant, and Tilt. 

THE HERSHEY COMPANY, Hershey, PA

Creative Lead, May 2022 - October 2025

Spearheaded development of integrated campaigns from in-house and external agencies; expanded internal scope, and integrated AI into workflows.

• Counseled cross-functional teams on brand foundations, strategy, creative briefs, research, design, and packaging.

• Kit Kat campaign contributed to 18% sales growth in first three months.

• Dot's Pretzels campaign helped brand hit #1 in category, doubling market share in three years.

• Shaqalicious launch exceeded projections by 50%.

• In-house work delivered $12M in cost avoidance in 2024; winning three pitches against external agencies.

• Exceeded Kantar LINK concept test targets across seven brands. 

DDB, Chicago, IL

Group Creative Director, August 2015 - March 2022

Led 20+ creatives on the $400M U.S. Army account across ecosystem of film, social content, digital, partnerships, creators, influencers, OOH, audio, email, local, and experiential.

• Prior to Army role, directed integrated campaigns for State Farm, Jeep, Capital One, Blue Moon, and McDonald's.

• Contributed extensively to the win and defense of accounts such as Army, Jeep, State Farm, McDonald's, Barilla, and Norton/Lifelock. 

Y&R, Chicago, IL

VP Creative Director, April 2013 - May 2015

Guided teams on Bel Brands, Butterball, Craftsman, BMO, and Carfax.

• Won Carfax pitch, launched their sales site to record traffic and revenue.

• Created Bel Brands' 2014 International Ad of the Year, while growing their social following by 400%.

• Launched Butterball’s first broadcast-led campaign in seven years, surpassing sales targets. 

LEO BURNETT, Chicago, IL

Creative Director, October 2011 - April 2013

Led work on Allstate, executing campaigns across all channels, including the brand’s highest-testing campaign, which ran for eight years. 

DDB, Chicago, IL

Associate Creative Director, July 2009 - October 2011

Accounts: McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch InBev, State Farm, and Wrigley.

GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS, San Francisco, CA

Copywriter, December 2007 - March 2009

Accounts: Anheuser-Busch, Sprint, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, NBA, Dreyer’s, and Comcast.

DDB, Chicago, IL

Copywriter, October 2005 - November 2007

Accounts: McDonald's, Capital One, and Anheuser-Busch.

R&R PARTNERS, Las Vegas, NV

Copywriter, April 2003 - October 2005

Accounts: Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Wranglers hockey, and Paris Las Vegas.

FREELANCE COPYWRITER

June 2002 - April 2003

DDB, New York, NY

Copywriter, February 2000 - May 2002

Accounts: Hasbro, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hershey’s, Madame Tussaud’s, Westin Hotels.

SKILLS

Creative Direction • Integrated Campaign Development • In-House Agency Leadership • External Agency Management • Team Building & Mentorship • Creative Operations • Cross-Functional Leadership • Creative Effectiveness • Production Oversight • Brand Storytelling • Pitch Leadership • Creative Optimization • Brand Strategy • Design Leadership

AI & Creative Tools: Adobe Creative Suite, Claude, ChatGPT, Google, Runway, Flora, Canva, Suno, Eleven Labs, Microsoft 365

CATEGORY EXPERIENCE

CPG, QSR, insurance, finance, SaaS, travel/tourism, hospitality, automotive, telecom, entertainment, retail, sports, home improvement, recruitment, gaming, healthcare, non-profit

AWARDS

Cannes Lions

One Show

Communication Arts

Effies

Clios

LIAA

Art Directors Club

Webbys YouTube Ad of the Year

National Addys

Adweek Best Spots of the Year

AICP

Radio Mercury Awards

MPA Kelly Awards

Jay Chiat Awards

IHAF Awards

Drum Awards

EDUCATION

MIAMI AD SCHOOL, Miami, Minneapolis, NYC - Certificate of Completion, copywriting focus 

INDIANA UNIVERSITY, Bloomington, IN - BS + BA, Business Marketing and Telecommunications