THE HUSTLE

Hustle. It’s not a word often associated with millennials. But it’s how I became Associate Creative Director at Jackson Marketing. And it’s how my freelance business continues to grow. 

My career started with a phone call that never came. Full-time positions weren’t easy to come by after college graduation. Nothing but internships that wouldn’t pay. But I love an underdog, (I grew up near Philly and I’ve watched Rocky at least 12,000 times), so I hustled.

This meant late-night freelancing, contract work that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemies, and selling myself to agencies while living off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

My contract work got my foot into the doors of advertising agencies. And I loved it. I worked on a lot of small projects, sure, and I did a lot of grunt work, yes, but I was able build my skillsets, sit in on some brainstorming sessions and learn how to present my ideas. I was fortunate enough to learn under an accomplished creative director who had been in the big shops and pushed the big idea over making things simply look pretty.

This was huge. The idea is king.

Once in the agency world full-time, I gained experience concepting and art directing for big brands. I did ads. Outdoor boards. Trailer wraps. Posters. Websites. Trade-shows. Squirrel Suites. Everything. One day I looked up from my Wacom and realized I have been in the agency world for over ten years, with experience ranging from presentations going down in flames, to crappier projects like an ad campaign for a one-ply toilet paper company (no pun intended) to huge opportunities/ projects for international clients like BFGoodrich and The Harlem Globetrotters. Awesome.

After work each weeknight (and many weekends) over the course of my career, I could have come home, propped my feet up and watched reruns of The Big Bang Theory. Nope. Instead, I worked on freelance. I built my business. It’s a passion that just happened to turn into a paycheck. The perfect way for me to wind down after a hard day concepting and designing is to come home and concept, sketch and work on logos. It’s what I do. It's how I work. When I am off the clock, I'm still turning my creative gears, probably digging up cardboard from a dumpster, but that is a tale for another time (or now).

If you’re interested in meeting me after work to play Xbox for three hours, you’ve got the wrong guy.
If you’re interested in doing great work and have a freelance inquiry, contact me here.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

14+ years agency experience

Various clients include: Michelin, BMW, The Harlem Globetrotters, Smithfield Foods,
BF Goodrich, Trijicon, BNSF Railway,
Napa Filters, and Wiley X Sunglasses.

11 years management experience of creatives,
art directors, UX & interactive designers

Obie Awards - Best of Show & Multiple Awards

Showcase on ADWEEK

Communication Arts Magazine - 2023 Design Annual Feature
& 3x Illustration Finalist

Print Magazine Design Annual Feature

LogoLounge trends feature & multiple book features

Graphis - Gold and addtional awards

Ad Age’s Creativity Online

Addy Awards - Golds, Regional Gold
& Judge's Awards