A half white often mistaken for "Latispanic...?" blended with "something... else" and "I wasn't sure." My father was the Filipino. He was also a surfer. And basically a ghost.
Anyway, I grew up singing and dancing; spending most of my youth's summers sweating it out in North Carolinian community plays (which means they were free and we mostly performed to empty seats because it's too humid to peel yourself from furniture).
Musical theater was a family event, but really all I wanted to do was be a ghost. This was my first decision regarding my professional life. Yes, at the age of four I had concluded that showing up, causing people be introspective due to the trauma of seeing a ghost and bouncehousing out of there (through a WALL) was the ultimate career move.
It was in middle school that I decided to be a writer. During second-period science, a classmate and I used to exchange prosey nonsense verses. His name was David and he doesn't remember this at all. He once wrote to me that my mouth was a graveyard. I loved it. I loved it so much that I hugged it. That was now my measurement for good writing.
I once handed my sixth-grade English teacher one of my crumpled poems (that had been stashed in my very stylish cargo pocket) and she hugged it after reading it. And then she quoted a piece of it. I began living for the hug and quote. Ghosts never got hugs (since it's impossible and there isn't really an overwhelming interest in hugging ghosts).
As I got older and realized poets and writers don't get paid very much, I decided to pursue journalism. The hugging and quoting became less and less. Really, no one hugged my papers. They were just rags with writing on them used to sop up my broken soul. Journalism was not fun. It was boring and sad.
I stumbled into a creative advertising class and fell in love with crafting concept, searching for a human truth, working stupidhard with other people who work just as stupidhard. Really, I loved how much advertising felt like flirting with the audience. And since audience-flirting is my favorite game and as close as I could get to paper-hugging and quoting, I had finally found something that felt wrong to not be doing everyday. It was basically being a ghost and writing at the same time.
I worked as a copywriter for a while in the minor leagues, but quickly recognized I probably wasn't going to be doing any flirty things anytime soon. And since everyone was on their computer all of the time, there was going to be almost no paper hugging in my future... so I had to find another way to get my kicks.
I went to the VCU Brandcenter for Creative Technology, because that seemed like the smartest, quickest way to get someone to hug their computer... or more realistically, get material in front of lots of eyes for quoting and sharing and love.
Because of this hug-quote need and share-everything world on the internet, I make work that has a purpose beyond selling more of something; I like to create experiences that support, subtly educate, entertain and empower a user. Like a ghost-writing, stand-up comedian activist counselor.
I just really want to have a moment where anyone experiencing anything I'm a part of has an overwhelming need to hug their computer. Or each other.
My skillset renders me almost annoyingly overcapable of expressing myself. When wielded correctly, I can be found leading a passionate endeavor to educate and unite against some injustice. But all of the time, I'm trying to make someone's day better.
VCU Brandcenter
Masters | Creative Technology (2013)
Skillshare (2012 - Present)
Richmond Comedy Coalition(2011-Present)
Improv 101 + Sketchwriting 101
VCU Mass Communications
B.S. | Creative Advertising (2010)
Experience Design + Content Strategy (2013-present)
Words, wireframes, testing and visual design for responsive web and mobile
Freelance Videographer (2012 - present)
Social content creation for small businesses
Freelance Copywriter (2011 - present)
social voice/social strategy/
content creation/interactive copywriting
360i (Summer 2012)
Copywriting Intern
Community Manager (2011)
Cross-platform voice for just about anything
Yelp Elite (2015)
Having entertainingly fair opinions about food.
Singer (2012 - present)
Party distraction.
1818 Productions Co-Founder (2011-2012)
Bringing Zombie Film Festivals to RVA.
Picture Taker (2006-present)
Party mingles and snatchin souls.
Residential Cleaner (2005-2012)
A humbling way to get through school.
