I am currently head of creative for a global hospitality furniture manufacturer. I’ve worked agency side most of my career, including running an agency from 2019 until 2026. I live in Chicago and outside of creative work, I’m a big reader, NBA fan, and beach volleyball player.

How many years have you been a judge?

5+

What are your responsibilities in your current role and what do you love most about your job?

As head of creative, I run the global creative for Southern Aluminum (based in Southern Arkansas) and Ramler (based in Melbourne, Australia). My primary responsibilities are implementing process and creative best practices for the team. I do a lot of creative reviews with our internal team and outside partners. I also manage agency relationships and oversee those projects. My favorite part of my job is presenting creative, although I don’t get to do it as much anymore.

What inspired you to pursue your career path?

I’ve always loved reading and writing, both fiction and non-fiction. After college I was looking for a career that would allow me to write. I tried journalism for a few years, but it didn’t quite click for me. Advertising felt like a fun mix of business, creativity, and writing.

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

I was a copywriter at a financial services firm in DC. The job taught me about the business of being creative. I started to learn how to communicate my thinking and rationale instead of just dropping my work on my boss’s desk.

What do you look for to determine excellence in video?

I think pacing is usually the first thing I notice and it’s what separates the good from the great.

What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?

We’re updating the brand of a 75-year-old furniture manufacturer. This company does absolutely beautiful furniture design at some of the most stunning hotel properties around the world. But the brand isn’t keeping pace with the work we’re doing for clients. So we’re spiffing it up!

Tell us about a moment of recognition that had an effect on you – whether personal or official? What does recognition mean to you and why is it important in our industry?

I went out on my own in 2019 and started an agency called Lovely Days Creative. The first project we did was a commercial for a credit union in partnership with the LA Rams. It was my first time scoping a project that size and creating the concept and script, etc. without a larger agency behind me. That job won a Gold Telly Award in Sports Content. It wasn’t my first Telly Award, but it was my first Gold. Recognition is important in our industry. It helps you stand out, and it’s also a nice moment to come together with your team and the client and celebrate the great work you did together.

Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?

I do a lot of free writing by hand. I like to draw. I usually start almost every concept with a print ad that I draw by hand. It helps me get ideas down quickly and it’s a good test to see if an idea can be simple enough for broad communication. It doesn’t work for every idea, but a lot of my work begins that way.

What excites you about judging for the Telly Awards?

I love seeing what’s going on in the industry. It’s become a competitive advantage for me now having done it for six years. It gives me a good pulse on what’s cool and interesting right now.