TEACHING & CREATIVE DIRECTION
A huge part of my career has been focused on nurturing and developing young talent. I've taught advertising classes for over a decade, and I spent the last 3 years as Director of Education at Chicago Portfolio School, where I planned the curriculum, built new programs, hired instructors, and provided career mentorship and placement.
Helping students learn how to craft a headline, gain confidence in their creativity, build a portfolio, and then be successful in their own careers has been beyond rewarding.
Below are just a few of the many, many talented folks for whom I've had the honor of teaching. I've also been lucky enough to work with a few of them as colleagues. If you're looking 👀 at my book to fill an open role, I highly recommend you check these creatives out as well.
Amanda Burger
Senior Copywriter, 72 & Sunny
amandaburger.com
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Taylor Smith
Connor Schrock
Copywriter, MullenLowe LA
connerschrock.com
Sarah Dembkowski
Senior Copywriter, DAVIDMiami
sarahdembkowski.com
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Claudia Testa
Art Director, Weber Shandwick
claudiatesta.com
Rachel Tenuta
Art Director at Arc Worldwide
racheltenuta.com
Ivy Gao
Art Director, VMLY&R
ivygao.com
Daniel Goldberg
Copywriter, MERGE
danieldidthis.com
John Wrend
ACD Writer, 72 & Sunny Portland
wrendwrites.com
Ask me about some of the programs I developed at Chicago Portfolio School:
The Pipeline Fund Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship for Black creatives. I advocated for, developed, and promoted the scholarship through an email campaign targeted at the industry's top leaders and agencies. In the first year, my fundraising campaign raised $15,000.
The Pitch, which resulted in corporate parnterships with Golin, Weber Shandwick and The Mx Group, and directly increasing our students' rate of job placement.
The Alumni Mentorship Program, which placed every graduating student with a personally selected alumnus in the industry, to help them transition into the career world, directly increasing our students' rate of job placement.
The Strategy Track, a new 9-month portfolio program for creative strategists, with classes like Brand Strategy, Brief Writing, Insight Hunting, Journey Mapping, Creative Data, and more.
An Online Workshop Series during Covid, which expanded our outreach for new students and current professionals looking for new skills.
