Sixteen
Years of work.

The Challenge

Getting press attention for the annual Resident Gift — a guided journal called Field Notes from an Adventurous Life — wasn't easy. In a media landscape crowded with noise, how do you make journalists care about a senior living company's resident gift? We needed a creative approach that would cut through the clutter and make influential media members experience the power of stories firsthand.

What We Cooked Up

Instead of standard press releases that would likely be ignored, we created an immersive storytelling experience delivered directly to journalists' desks. The campaign was a meticulously crafted time capsule: a series of authentic-feeling correspondence from 1955 that unfolded over two weeks, culminating in the reveal of our actual resident gift.

We created a fictional character named Millie who would send journalists on a vicarious road trip across America through a series of perfectly timed postcards and letters. Each piece was historically accurate, down to the postmarks and references (like the changing name of Hoover / Boulder Dam). The journey began in the Midwest and traveled through Yellowstone, Lake Mead, and finally to San Francisco — all documented in handwritten notes filled with period-appropriate details and touching personal reflections.

How We Pulled It Off

Sequential mailers. Carefully timed series of three mailings designed to build curiosity and engagement. Period-correct design. Our team designed period-appropriate stationery and created the vintage tourism poster with inspiration from classical travel advertisements. Authenticity as a discipline. I researched historical travel routes to ensure the timing felt authentic, and developed the narrative arc of the journey so every touchpoint belonged to 1955.

My Part In All This

I conceptualized the PR campaign and wrote the fictional correspondence for our character, Millie. The story had a personal connection for me — Millie was inspired by my aunt who had passed away in 2013. That remained a private inspiration for the project. I'm so proud to be a part of this. It was an example of what can happen when a talented team who like each other come together around a clear vision.

The Result

The campaign captured the imagination of media influencers and generated press coverage. It demonstrated the power of storytelling — which was exactly what the journal was designed to do. It earned Gold at the local, regional, and national American Advertising Awards. I flew to Los Angeles to accept the national one. Came home the next day.

The Challenge

The Kentucky Lottery was turning 30 and wanted to bring back Break Fort Knox — the first scratch-off game they ever created. Our job: get folks excited about this throwback while giving them a little Kentucky pride buzz along the way.

Playin' It Safe

Growing up in Kentucky, I'd heard about Fort Knox my whole life — whispers about gold reserves and crazy security systems. But I realized most of us Kentuckians know the name without knowing the cool details. Perfect opportunity to connect a lottery game with some genuine Kentucky lore.

What We Made

A CGI-animated TV spot that snuck viewers inside the legendary vault while dropping fascinating Fort Knox facts they probably didn't know. It wasn't just selling lottery tickets — it was giving people something interesting to share at their next family gathering.

My Part In All This

This one was my baby from the start. I came up with the concept, wrote every word, chose and directed the VO talent — and got my hands dirty with the sound design. I wanted it to feel like a Kentucky story told by a Kentuckian.

The Result

Record ticket sales (the client was pumped). But what I love most is picturing all those Kentucky dads and uncles pulling out their Fort Knox facts during summer cookouts. "Did you know that…" moments are my favorite kind of advertising success. Oh yeah, and we helped create a few new millionaires too — not a bad day's work.

The Challenge

The Louisville Zoo was getting koalas for the first time ever. Historic moment. Fuzzy visitors from down under. One problem: koalas sleep twenty hours a day after eating poisonous eucalyptus leaves. How do you build excitement around an animal that's basically unconscious?

The Solution

We leaned into the arrival itself. Koalas were making their mark on Louisville — literally. Playful koala doodles appeared all over the city: coffee shops, the tallest building in the state, everywhere. Each piece of marsupial vandalism featured their signature greeting: "G'Day, Y'all." Aussie charm meets Southern hospitality.

My Role

Concept, scripts, VO casting and direction. Found a voice actor whose delivery reminded the client of the late, great Phil Hartman — warm, inviting, exactly right.

The Result

Crushed attendance records that summer. The campaign got people sharing koala sightings and building genuine anticipation. Sometimes all you need is a friendly hello to start something special.

Challenge

Promote Republic Bank's new Tap and Go Mastercard Debit Card — highlighting speed, security, and convenience — without making another dry product demo.

What We Cooked Up

An animated spot built around tongue-in-cheek dad humor that makes the word tap memorable. Playful wordplay (tapestry, tapioca pudding, tap dancing lessons) adds personality while still covering the key benefits: security, acceptance, speed. The animated execution also solved the production constraints of the moment — which, in this case, included a pandemic.

The Copy

Role

Concept, copy, and VO direction.

The good ones sound like they were already there, waiting to be said out loud. Three in particular —

Goodbounce Pickleball Yard

The pickleball industry had embraced playful, quirky naming as a default strategy. The market was flooded with pickle puns. Goodbounce found the gap: sophisticated-yet-accessible positioning rooted in gameplay, not groceries. In pickleball, bounce represents fairness and consistency (balls must bounce 30–34 inches when dropped from 78). The word also carries psychological resonance — bounce back, resilience, adaptability. Elevated without being precious.

GoGoMeds

The prescription-delivery market was a crowded digital gold rush — explosive growth, massive investment, fierce competition (Amazon alone bought PillPack for $753 million). Finding a short, memorable, legally-available domain seemed impossible. GoGoMeds solved several challenges at once: phonetic momentum that mirrors the speed promise, multiple semantic layers (urgency, movement, encouragement), and healthcare-appropriate energy without clinical coldness. Three syllables. Clear pronunciation. Available .com.

Legato — a music therapy program for memory care

Memory care presents unique naming challenges. Atria's team needed a name for an innovative music therapy program — rooted in a real insight: while dementia strips away many cognitive abilities, musical memory often remains remarkably intact. Legato is a musical term meaning smoothly connected. It operates on multiple levels: technically authentic to the therapists, metaphorically precise for the program's outcome, and dignified enough to honor the residents' intelligence. The tagline Connecting Through Music says the quiet part out loud.

Role

Naming development, rationale writing, and presentation. Across banking, bourbon, healthcare, senior living, and consumer goods.

Some of these ran. Some of them didn't. The ones that didn't aren't here because they were bad — they're here because they were good, and that's worth something on a wall.