Role: PR and Influencer Campaign Director, Event Producer
The Compact is a feminist summer camp for grown-ass women. An all inclusive getaway for 100 badass babes in the in northern Cali, the camp was filled with activities that included: archery, friendship bracelet making, dance classes, pool parties, feminist bingo, a slumber party, fancy campfire s’mores, and basically anything else awesome you can think of.
“The dopest shit I’ve ever done.”—Addie, Camp Attendee
I collaborated with the sales team to build the event deck and website, consulted with programming to make sure the event schedule was balanced, forged partnerships with actually awesome brands, and helped with on-the-ground logistics ranging from documentation strategy to camper emotional support.
The camp sold out in a day (!!!), so the focus shifted from sales, to inviting key industry influencers to get brand partnerships.
Notable attendees included: Rachel Wilkerson Miller of Buzzfeed Lifestyle/ Goodful, Liz Stanley of Say Yes Blog, model Nicole Vaunt, photographer Ashleigh Reddy, Dana Suchow of Do The Hot Pants, Nicole Gonzalez of Lillies and León, and Karla Quiz of James Fox Co.
Swag bag items included items from COOLA, Kleenex, Better by Giving (b+b), Drifter Grooming, BeeKeeper’s Naturals, Swanson Health, Oh, You TEAse, Zen Women’s Relief Balm, and DynaTrap.
Partnerships I secured included Polaroid—who sent instant film and printers so we could take home mementos of our fun, and Camp’d Out Tents—who provided a beautiful tent to our campers for cozy reflection and excellent selfies.
“Honestly, our gift bag should have been called things [I] forgot to pack in [my] suitcase, but normally can’t live without”—Maddie Eisenhart, The Compact CRO
With this kind of response from our influencers, next year’s camp waitlist is already filling up: “I really could go on and on about how amazing my experience was but I’ll leave you with this. Not once was I asked ‘what do you do’. Not once did I hear the mention of social media… I got the chance to feel the energy of 100 incredible women for 4 days and I’m a better person for it. I never felt judged or scrutinized in any way. Instead I felt welcomed and loved by every single individual I got the chance to talk to and engage with…. It has been over a month and I can honestly tell you that I have been implementing all that I learned in different ways every single day.”—Nicole Gonzalez, Lillies & León
Role: Brand Director, Growth Marketing, Content Manager, Digital Strategist
A Practical Wedding may be the largest indie wedding publisher, but the real claim to fame is their engagement. I helped develop the APW commenting system, which is both rated #550 in the world (yep, that’s the entire internet) and manages to be wildly smart and welcoming. I also doubled the traffic to our website to over a million uniques a month and found opportunities for growth on all our platforms.
A huge part of my strategy included diversity and inclusion: reflect a broader scope of love so that more readers see themselves in the content. To accomplish this took extensive outreach (including to my personal icon, Lindy West), a shift in editorial strategy, and a willingness to shoot our own stock images. Unsurprisingly, many of the posts that showcased less-served populations (people of color, curvy people, indigenous folks) were the exact ones that went viral. The thirst for representation is real.
In a lean team, it’s essential to quantify where our efforts are best spent, so I created systems to streamline our data and analytics. Realizing 70% or more traffic was from google, I executed an SEO strategy that allowed our content to dominate almost all major wedding keywords. I also created trainings on best SEO practices for all staff, and recommended a mobile-first site redesign.
I analyzed content engagement metrics to recommend expanding our sex and career content, to retain audiences who loved our welcoming community but were no longer compelled to engage in wedding planning content. These posts continue to do well, and often receive comments like “It's posts like this that make me adore APW!”.
I grew the APW instagram by over 500% through various means: starting popular proprietary hashtag (#weddingpetwednesdays), crafting partnerships with aligned influencers: @alanajonesmann, @Damakslove, @lisadieder, @cococakeland, creating viral #apwmantras, researching to find the best wedding trends, and making sure our platform was visually inclusive. When Janet Mock—a black, trans, style icon— told press she used our feed to help inspire her wedding planning, I knew we’d succeeded.
Other projects included a spearheading a media partnership with Bullish Conference, press placements with Nerdwallet and Tripadvisor, representing APW at conferences (Mom 2.0, Love Union), and collaborating with the sales team on media kit, outreach, and syndication deals.
My strategies resulted in viral posts (Buzzfeed, Huffpost), a placement in Refinery29, and contributed to high-profile campaigns (Modcloth, Crate & Barrel, Squarespace).
Role: Vice President of Community
SpankChain is a blockchain based financial ecosystem for the adult industry, which includes a payment wallet and crypto camsite. I guided the community team, creating directives for expanding our reach amongst potential users, as well as deepening our relationship to the adult industry.
As part of a larger brand audit, I conducted user interviews with both core markets: performers on our video streaming platform and site visitors. I analyzed interview results to craft recommendations for the product team, identify blockchain and gamer communities to target for audience growth campaigns, and double down on a mission-driven communication strategy. I also created a team culture survey, then published the team survey results alongside the story of how SpankChain is revolutionizing the adult payments industry.
Awareness initiatives I spearheaded included fostering a close relationship with the leading industry trade association (Free Speech Coalition), pitching mentorship programs + educational resources, collaborating with Nylon Magazine + Kink Out to raise $35,000 for an emergency sex worker fund, and outreach at industry events (Crypto Invest Summit, EthBerlin, Slutwalk, SWOPLA, etc). I also spoke to tech leaders personally about sex and sex worker positivity, furthering our reputation as educators and advocates.
I launched a data driven approach to digital strategy. Testing different approaches, we learned that quotes and images from live events, chosen strategically and hashtagged properly (ha!), received some of our highest engagement rates: from #devcon4, #blockchainbeach, #EthBerlin, #EthBerlin, and #YNotCamAwards. I also trained our social media lead on how to formulate data-driven storytelling approaches.
Communications and press were my department, and I worked on team medium posts, press responses, and assets for various media. I also built a database of all press contacts for future ease. Results included profiles in leading industry publications like Xbiz (adult) and Coindesk (blockchain), as well as placements in mainstream outlets like Quartz, and Forbes.
Role: Head Designer, Marketer, Storyteller
Vaunt & Sol was creative project in collaboration with artist Nicole Vaunt, which combined sustainable fashion, eastern silhouettes, and wearable art. The items used primarily eco-friendly textiles (including some manufactured locally) and were made in the NYC Garment District.
We created 4 collections—hand painting one, and commissioning artwork from Monica Canilao, Conrad Roset, and Amylin Loglisci for the subsequent three.
Our work was featured in a runway show during NYFW, The Wall Street Journal, Brooklyn Magazine, Beauty Launchpad, Creem Mag, LOGO TV, and various micro-influencer fashion blogs.
Our products mostly sold on our online store, but were also carried at In Support Of in Manhattan, Su’juk in Brooklyn, and a pop-up shop at Ninobrand in Philadelphia.
Role: Community Lead
GO was a community-curated open studio project. The borough-wide initiative was designed to foster personal exchange between Brooklyn-based artists, their communities, and the Brooklyn Museum.
I served as Community Lead for Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy neighborhoods—reaching out to local artists and residents, holding workshops and information sessions, and running the open studios team during the weekend hours.
The projects inspired more than 18,000 people to attend open studios across Brooklyn, with over 1700 artists participating. In addition to overall press, Hyperallergic did an entire feature on Crown Heights.
“Some neighborhoods had residents turn out in force; feedback from Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens indicate the majority of foot traffic came from their own neighborhoods with higher engagement than anyone expected.”—Brooklyn Museum Blog
Role: Digital Community Builder
I crafted a digital identity for art titan and post-modernism icon David Salle that convinced him social media was worth it.
Long refusing to partake in digital conversations, and unconvinced by the merits of social media, David Salle had agreed to give it a tentative try. While Salle’s works are in most major museums and art history books, his status means his image is intentionally curated to protect multiple interests.
My challenge was how to respect the his creative legacy while showing something fresh, authentic, and inviting. I wanted to use social media to access a younger generation of fans. Plus, since he didn’t engage on social platforms, the institutions that existed on there (Rubin, MOMA, etc) couldn’t engage him directly.
The results? I re-strategized Facebook efforts, increasing fans (majority under age 40) by 70% and average engagement by 113%. I established and built a vision for instagram. Qualitative results included samples of museums, other legendary artists, and young students all tagging and commenting with the studio and his works.
He was convinced, and decided to move social in-house. The studio still uses the instagram account I built, which has now grown to almost 15,000 followers.
“I VERY much appreciate all that you have done - you got things going in a real way, and I would not have been able to do it without your help.”—David Salle
Role: Assistant Event Producer, Email Marketer
Gemini & Scorpio is many things—a massive weekly NYC email list for offbeat happenings, a producer of lavish costumed affairs for hundreds of attendees, a spectacular loft space in the heart of Brooklyn, and a commercial production company. What pulls all of it together is a strong dedication to the weird, the wonderful, and the fabulous.
I supported the CEO in all aspects of the businesses, from editing and mailing out the list, to stage management and hospitality, to operations. Some notable projects I worked on included:
Amanda Palmer Block Party—celebration of the first ever $1,000,000 Kickstarter, a massive block party that included a performance with the Grand Theft Orchestra, copious revelry, and an after party for VIP donors.
BBC America’s Annual Party—A 1920s speakeasy in an "abandoned" warehouse that ultimately turned into a futuristic nightclub. G&S curated the full night's lineup of entertainment, including trapeze and grand scale fire show—over two dozen performers in all. The event was a huge hit, resulting in a stunned AdWeek review proclaiming, "BBC America may have set a new bar on Thursday evening with a Dionysian party."
Legends of Alcatraz Bank Heist—To promote J.J. Abrams' groundbreaking TV series Alcatraz, a series of immersive crime-solving events were staged. Participants deciphered clues, investigated crime scenes, interviewed suspects, solving crimes, and—if they’re lucky—won all-new Ford Mustangs. G&S consulted on the NYC "crime" location, sourced all props for the event and promoted to our local audience.
Photo 2,3,5,6, and 8 by Linus Gelber
Role: Event Producer, Host, Marketer
To build on momentum regarding the refugee crisis and detention centers, I was tasked with coordinating a fundraiser that brought together a cross-section of local Oakland businesses to conduct a raffle and political call hub… in one week’s time. Though hasty (human rights waits for no-one) the fundraiser resulted in $3,000 raised for RAICES, and 100+ calls made to local government.
The event was thrown in by A Practical Wedding in partnership with Sequoia Diner.
Businesses that donated included: Revel Wine, Camino, The Kebabery, Preserved,Tartine Manufactory, Highwire Coffee, Subrosa Coffee, Bossed Up, Beauty’s Bagel Shop, Communitē Table, Body Mechanix, Minted, and Good Bonez.
Role: Co-founder, Creative Director, Curator
Lowbrow Society for the Arts was a a New York & San Francisco based art collective that aimed to create immersive arts experiences that were both accessible and non-traditional.
“This world is but a canvas to our imagination,’ wrote Henry David Thoreau… Lowbrow Society for the Arts puts Thoreau’s words into practice.”—The Villager
We organized and produced 15+ publicly accessible multimedia art events and installations featuring 100+ local emerging artists, musicians, and performers. Highlights included:
Great Expectations: The Opulence of Alone—A sold-out weekend-long choose-your-own-art-adventure. Every visitor was given a flashlight to explore all the mysteries the space had to offer. Participants stumbled into ghostly photobooths, bumped into Mrs. Havisham, discovered installations to the woebegone, dropped in on storytelling in pillow forts, and shed light on living statues.
MOVE! Wearable Art Parade—MOVE! was an experiment with bringing art to unexpected places, in the form of a pop-up parade that filled three subway cars. Everyone was encouraged to display their “body of work” and we had a vast array of photography, illustration, multimedia work, recycled fashion design, superhero armor, and dinosaur costumes. Musicians performed, snacks were served, pole dancing and face painting wowed the crowd. By the time we arrived at our destination, we’d pied-pipered our numbers into more than double the original crowd.
Urban Ho-Down—An art show inspired by nostalgia for childhood memories of circus adventures, masked carnies, and pinstriped popcorn bags… Urban Ho-Down was an ode to Americana. We displayed arts-in-context, displaying kitschy art alongside calliope tunes, bike powered hay rides, a pie eating contest, apple bobbing, ukulele + accordion playing, a puppet show, and free popcorn (complete with vintage popcorn maker).
A short list of collaborators included: Dewars Whiskey, MeanRed Productions, Brooklyn Museum, The Gowanus Art Fair, The Mission Arts and Performance Project (MAPP), and Score! Free Swap.
Coverage included Paper Magazine, Gothamist, SF Bay Guardian (as an editor’s pick), Time Out New York, and a variety of local outlets.
Role: Program Coordinator/Producer, Arts Presenter, Stage Manager
Based in SF’s Mission Disctrict, Red Poppy Art House is an arts presenting non-profit with a program of that highlights both traditional and contemporary performing arts. During my tenure, I ran the programming for nearly 150 multi-disciplinary events—from music, poetry, dance, and literary events, to workshops and lectures.
I also helped coordinate the Mission Arts and Performance Project (MAPP), a free bi-monthly decentralized neighborhood open studio. MAPP takes common spaces and—for one evening—transforms them into whatever people imagine: including free live music, spoken word, performance art, film screenings, BBQ's, and unorthodox conversations. It also invites disparate communities in the Mission into each others homes, to deepen the sense of unity in the neighborhood.
At the Red Poppy, I was always looking beyond the regular acts, conducting extensive outreach to fill the art house with a broad spectrum of talent. Events ranged from rural Brazillian dance nights, to a Sitar & Tabla Festival, to tango dance workshops, to a Klezmer Brunch.
I also stage managed a portion of the performances on the ground: coordinating musicians, lighting, sound, seating, bar, door—while emceeing the event, and doing major donation asks from the audience.
