NY Times Geek Out

I love it when the style editors from the NY Times sound off on the slight grammatical mistakes they find. It's like candy for nerds.

Self branding is like self psychoanalysis

My new expanded website, however simple, took me months of slogging to finally get out in the cyberworld. Defining oneself to others when one relies on oneself to do well is almost as difficult and painful as the wording of this sentence. Sometimes, you need an outsider to gain perspective. That, or half a year. And sedatives.

Pizza PR kicks off for Chicago Connection

PR is about creative outreach, especially in a time of imploding media outlets. For Chicago Connection, I crafted a two-part PR plan (part I: a competitive/media analysis and idea brainstorm; part II: final projects laid out with goals, benefits, costs and timelines) that covered a wide range of outlets and uses—from a media kit to local initiatives to social media.

Now in execution, I’ll keep you posted on the results.

Alley Rep casts me as Marketing Director

One day this summer, I sat outside the Modern Hotel with Hollis Welsh, an absolute stunner of a human being. She told me about a theater company she started a few ago with Buffie Main. Of course I had already heard about it. Two of my former co-workers, the husband and wife creative duo now known as Neighborhood All Stars, designed a jaw-dropping website for the company (alleyrep.org). And it buzzed all over the news.

Somehow, I knew immediately that it would be a great fit for me, and I for it. I’m now Marketing Director for Alley Repertory Theater, a live performance stage for some of the most relevant, innovative and irreverent stuff out there. I’m thrilled to take part. It all happens at the beautiful Visual Arts Collective.

Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word.

So, how’s this for low-budget brilliance? My friend, creative consultant and the designer extraordinaire Mike Landa and I took several pages of paper and splashed on dozens of ink blot birds. Then, we drew on pen beaks. Then, we picked the ones with the most perceived personality. Then, I hand wrote my information in my very quirky and nearly illegible handwriting. Then, he laid out business cards.

Wowza! They are, in my opinion, extraordinary. I love all four. They compliment my business objective and personal identity in a way that hits that magic sweet spot a good brand should.

Way to save the day again creativity. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, meet:


The chirpy one.

The classy one.

The long-necked one.

The clumsy chick.

Ask me anything about epoxy flooring

I love my job. One day, I learn all about the micro-filtration systems on commercial backpack vacuums. The next, I’m immersed in the world of seamless epoxy flooring. Variety is my spice, and I eat it raw.

I’m particularly proud of my SEO-heavy copy for Epoxy Systems, an installation company based in Meridian. It’s straightforward and fun and sneaky educational. Even Google likes it. On last check, it ranked #2 for epoxy flooring, a term that receives 27,000 searches a month.

SEO made simple with singing sock puppets

At Oliver Russell, we were nudged to offer brownbag presentations that highlighted some niche skill that possibly held slight interest for the rest of the team. I had recently taken a virtual seminar on writing for Search Engine Optimization, a practice I first picked up and utilized while at SMG.

But how bloody boring. Even the name makes your mouth numb. What could I do with that?

Well, if you have four hours, a music-man for a boyfriend, two tube socks and a video camera, you can do a rousing musical sendoff. Afterwards, you get huge props.