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.