THINGS I’VE DONE: Creative Direction, Copywriting, Team Building, Management, Creative Strategy, Brand, Broadcast, Video, Digital Experiences, Mobile, Social, Direct, Design Thinking, Agile.

PLACES I’VE BEEN

UBS Wealth Management Americas

Director, Brand Copy and Content, Jan. 2022 to Jan. 2023.  Led in-house team of six copywriters and freelancers for all digital content for major business segments (multicultural, athletes and entertainers, women, small business Financial Advisor, FA recruiting). Duties included:

  • Leading the team to conceptualize, develop, and execute the creative ideation of great strategies, campaigns and content and presenting them compellingly to leadership.

  • Partnering with the businesses to assist in the development and refinement of creative briefs.

  • Partnering with external agency vendors and managing projects we worked on with them.

  • Providing creative leadership, inspiring a culture of creativity. Embrace and nurture the brand while creatively interpreting and adapting it and developing a reputation for great concepts.

  • Understanding insights and research and applying them to campaign and content development

  • Instilling a passion for collaboration, teamwork, and inspiration throughout the department.

  • Mentoring creatives in the department, taking a vested interest in their professional development.

Columbia-Threadneedle (the asset management arm of Ameriprise Financial) – Director, Digital Content Strategist, April 2021 to present. Lead a team a writing/design/development team delivering content for a variety of projects across the firm. Duties include:

  • Partnering with team members and leadership to deliver best-in-class content for our digital products; identify areas of opportunity including process improvements, and training opportunities.

  • Ensuring quality and drive consistency across products and channels, leveraging voice, tone, aesthetic, and content standards.

  • Managing content governance and approvals process for assigned programs.

  • Participating in research including user-testing, customer journey mapping and persona development.

  • Onboarding and adopting Design Thinking and Agile processes for marketing communications projects.

Prudential Financial — Content Strategy and Creation, Aug. 2020 to February 2021 (contract): Duties included creating compelling brand content all Prudential Financial products in owned channels and paid channels including email, site merchandising, digital banners, direct response, and other various media for all insurance products (individual and group), retirement, and annuities.

Facebook (via Pro Unlimited) –Sr. Content Consultant (contract), Sept. 2019 to Jan. 2020

  • Provided copy, creative and strategic support for Blueprint (the digital marketing education and training platform) for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, including brand narratives and voice, web, email, collateral, video.

Chase, New York, NY –Executive CD, Sept. 2016 to Nov. 2018 for Inner Circle (the in-house creative agency). Led creative output across all products: credit cards, retail bank, mortgage, auto loans, and small business.

  • Supervised remote teams in Wilmington, DE and Columbus, OH. Duties included:

  • Directed marketing communications campaigns that consistently outperformed controls in .com, email, direct mail, and digital banners across all business units.

  • Worked with the bank’s external agencies, to co-author brand guidelines and brand voice documents, as well as collaborating with them on select projects. 

Prudential Financial Brand Marketing & Advertising, Newark, NJ – VP, Group Creative Director, Dec. 2013 to Aug. 2016.:

  • Created compelling brand content and advertising for all Prudential Financial products including annuities, mutual funds, group and individual insurances, and retirement plans, including video, digital experiences, social, print, outdoor and collateral.

  • Launched organization’s PGIM brand with integrated campaign including targeted TV, digital experiences, print, and outdoor aimed at institutional investors and Wall Street influencers that helped establish Prudential as major player in the asset management space.

  • Created and developed job descriptions and more defined career track for employees that aligned more closely with organization’s corporate titles and provided a true career track. 

J.P. Morgan Corporate Investment Bank, New York, NY – Global CD & Senior Writer (contract), Employer Brand, Mar. to Dec. 2013– Led strategic & creative development for global campus and experienced hire recruitment campaigns for the bank.

  • Authored consumer insight and creative brief that informed new campaigns.

  • Planning and conceiving communications across digital and brand channels.

  • Advised and helped develop plan for expanded in-house creative team for future needs.

Digitas, New York, NY – Group Creative Director 1998 – 2012. Executed campaigns, platforms and tactical projects for American Express (consumer and small business cards, Establishment Services and OPEN). Additional accounts included CNN.com, TIAA-CREF, Allstate and Pfizer.

  • Managed and developed a team of over 30 CDs, ACDs, art directors and copywriters on the American Express consumer business. Helped grow business to over $33 million.

  • Conceived and sold in a 360° acquisition campaign that won the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card work. In a depressed economic environment and shortened time frame, webeat the client’s year-long acquisition goals with over 800,000 new cards in just over nine months.

  • As a follow-up the next year, sold in a hybrid acquisition/brand campaign that improved the Card’s Net Promoter scores and still met the client’s aggressive acquisition goals.

  • Rotated from consumer cards to small business (OPEN) in 2009. Oversaw digital and direct work that helped reinvigorate the account and grow it to $14 million by 2011.

  • Led new business efforts on CNN.com and HomeAway vacation properties. Co-wrote account planning deck for the HomeAway pitch as well as leading creative development.

INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES 

Co-Chair, ANA Talent Forward Alliance, 2018-19

ANA In House Agency Committee, 2014-2018

ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Committee, 2016-2018

4 As Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) Program Mentor, 2015-2021

YOUTHFUL INDISCRETIONS

The usual shenanigans, and a B.A. in Journalism, California State University, Fresno.

A (marginally) more mature outlook, and an M.A. in Advertising, Syracuse University.