I make smart strategy.
I ensure it comes to fruition.
I deliver winning creative results.
My own story however is not so linear.
Taking the winding path
I grew up a misfit.
Asian in a southern city, good at drawing & terrible at sports.
I developed a curiosity rooted in an outsider perspective:
Observing to understand, inspired by personal stories.
From Creative
I made large scale figurative oil paintings. I wrote & drew comics. I waited tables.
And then I served as in-house creative on beloved Thomas & Friends. I helped this preschool entertainment brand achieve #1 status in sales.
But I wanted to make more of an impact.
To Strategy
I pivoted first into User Experience design, lean research & strategy.
I took on more as our department evolved to service brand, marketing & comms strategy.
I worked with clients big and small, across the gamut of industry.
Now, I wear all the hats.
Thriving in incongruity
I help brands think diagonally.
I approach brand & experience strategy holistically.
I come at business problems from unexpected angles.
Brands are hard pressed to stand out in today’s information glut.
It takes a misfit to help brands challenge the status quo.
Be unconventional.
Brands shouldn’t be boring.
To usher them into new areas of success, they need a strategist to lead them down unbeaten paths.
Diverse inputs = Inspired outputs.
Be adaptive.
Businesses need to change with the times.
To keep pace with cultural shifts & evolving media consumption, they need a strategist to navigate this change.
Adaptability = Growth.
What I’ve done so far
Career-wise, I'm a former-creative-turned Strategy Director in the agency world.
For a decade prior I worked as an Entertainment & Licensing, client-side creative.
I helped propel Thomas & Friends to #1🥇 children’s preschool brand—culminating in our company HiT’s eventual acquisition by Mattel.
In my agency career, I’ve honed a broad skill set across user experience, brand & marketing strategy.
I’ve driven business outcomes for clients across:
🛍 CPG - Fast Twitch from Gatorade, Handsome Brook Farm, Happy Family
📤 B2B - Tetra Pak, Conductor, Constellation
⚕️ Health - Lycored, Dialyze Direct, NuSil
🍻 Spirits - The Glenlivet
👩🏽💻 Tech - Root, Google Pay
📲 Telco - Visible, Verizon
I recently led strategy on an award-winning (Clio, One Show) campaign for Verizon’s gaming 🕹work (8M views, 81% impact affinity). And I was chosen to participate in Verizon’s inaugural AdDisruptors program.
Currently, I lead strategy on PepsiCo/Gatorade's new premier sports energy drink Fast Twitch—launching fast on the heels of Super Bowl LVII.
Anytime I’m not working, I’m immersed in Web3 and keeping my toddler & infant from getting into trouble and—
Actually, hold on I’d better go take care of that now.
Let's talk!
Big Spaceship
New York, NY 2022-Current
Strategy Director
Responsibilities:
Consulting with clients to identify real, human-centered solutions to their business challenges
Managing a team of talented strategists to uncover critical insights and drive impactful work
Leading cross-departmental collaboration with Accounts and Creative in creating engaging, valuable experiences across traditional and digital brand touchpoints
Developing and presenting strategic plans across a range of client needs, including brand, content, digital marketing and business benchmarking strategy
Planning and leading insight discovery by distilling research, analysis and synthesis into a cohesive vision + plan of action
Shaping and conducting client research via user testing sessions, interviews, focus groups, qualitative surveys, observational research, and shopalongs
Building supportive design models, including: creative briefs, audience personas, journey maps, use cases + prototypes
Guiding ideation, facilitation, presentations and internal process development
Madwell Creative Agency
Brooklyn, NY 2015-2022
2020-2022
Strategy Director
Accomplishments:
Led winning pitch to secure Verizon Gaming AOR business. Launched multi-channel marketing campaign (OLV, social activation, media) to turn skeptical gamers into fans (7.2M views) & drive 5G adoption.
Led brand strategy & website content strategy to rebrand Dialyze Direct, supporting 15% growth in geriatric patients receiving specialized care.
Reversed a 4yr decline & increased applications 41% for Success Academy.
Worked with clients to meet business goals across CPG brands (Handsome Brook Farm, Happy Family), B2B/SaaS (Conductor), Education (Success Academy), Health (Lycored, Dialyze Direct), Spirits (The Glenlivet), Tech (Root, Google Pay) & Telco (Visible, Verizon).
Led department during leadership transitions (+1yr) & managed a team of 4 strategists through client workload & career development.
Led implementation of agency wide strategic practice, incl. creative briefing, workshop facilitation, lean research & supportive design models.
2018-2020
Associate Director, Strategy + User Experience
2017-2018
Senior Strategist + User Experience Lead
2015-2017
User Experience Lead
Cross-departmental collaboration in creating beautiful and functional sites, apps, and experiences.
Taking lead on stakeholder interviews, user research, competitive analysis and resulting synthesis of findings into a cohesive vision & plan of action.
Designing and planning user testing sessions, including user interviews, focus groups, qualitative surveys, observational research, and shopalongs.
Creating supportive design models, including personas, sitemaps, user flows, wireframes & prototypes.
Experimenting with new interaction and design patterns.
Mattel/Fisher Price
New York, NY 2013-2015
Global Creative Services, Senior Designer
Brands: Thomas & Friends, Mike the Knight, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam
Strategically led the creative process to develop consumer and trade marketing materials as well as branding, packaging and merchandising design systems.
Generated style guides and managed their adaptation to regional markets worldwide.
Conducted ongoing qualitative assessment and refreshment of creative materials.
Managed outside agencies and freelancers.
HIT Entertainment
New York, NY 2007-2015
US Creative Services, Designer
Brands: Thomas & Friends, Barney, Angelina Ballerina, Wallace & Gromit
Conceptualized and executed design materials for all areas of business from ideation to production (identity/logo, illustration, packaging, collateral, merchandising, press kits, retail/environmental systems, DVD, digital, etc.).
Worked closely with internal and external teams to develop style guides that protect design continuity across all disciplines.