Co-Founder and Director of Influencer Marketing and Partnerships
2010-2017 - Chicago, IL
For 8 years as Co-Founder and Director of Influencer Marketing and Partnerships at Bucketfeet, an artist-designed footwear brand, I led my team to build a global network of 40,000+ artists and steered the organization to a meaningful and lucrative acquisition after reaching $17.5 million in revenue. Specific responsibilities were largely in the field of sales (both online and retail), project management, artist research, and business development & collaborations, social media, brand voice, video/photo work and general brand marketing/PR.
Built and oversaw the development of a 40,000+ online user community representing 120 countries.
Led high profile and influential artist recruitment initiatives as well as strategic partnerships with a variety of non-profit organizations (RED, Pangeaseed, Lonely Whale, Children Mending Hearts), brands (Barkbox, Richer Poorer, Bonobos, adidas, Hennessy, Soho House), and celebrities (J Balvin, Chance The Rapper, Hamilton cast members Miguel Cervantes, Christopher Lee and Samantha Pollino, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal, cast members of The Walking Dead, Superbowl winner Martellus Bennett).
Directed overall brand voice and direction, primarily through social media marketing, CRM content- creation, events and partnerships and visual content.
Led and oversaw wholesale operations in the early years of the business, building and managing strong relationships with more than 50 unique retailers, including big-box department stores such as Nordstrom.
Responsible for in-person activations at our own brick and mortar locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, such as speaker series (which I planned and hosted) with notable guests that include Dwyane Wade, the cast of Hamilton as well as Bucketfeet collaborators and musical artists.
Expanded awareness of the brand by frequently appearing at colleges, universities, and conferences as a guest speaker as well as major cultural events. Notable speaking venues and cultural events include:
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
Stern School of Business at NYU
University of Chicago Booth School of Business, 2011-2017
Adobe Max Conference
Chicago Ideas Week (please see video here)
Forbes 30 Under 30 Panels
SXSW and Art Basel Miami.
Strategic Partnerships Consultant
June 2021-Present
Charged with facilitating introductions to a wide range of companies that MaCher, a certified B Corp organization focused on sustainable packaging, has identified as high priority targets with the goal of sharp revenue growth.
Notable successful company introductions include the San Francisco 49ers, Ralph Lauren, Rothy’s, GoPro, Red Bull, Shinola, Nike and Camelbak.
Given the high-level nature of the relationships that are brought to the business, I report directly to the VP of Partnerships as well as a key partner in the firm on a regular basis.
Business Development Consultant
November 2020-Present
Conduct market research on brands and organizations in the food and hospitality space to present to the CEO as ideal partners.
Responsibilities include ideating on prospective and existing partner campaigns (Four Seasons, Perrier-Jouet) with the executive team.
Identify and execute on guests for On The Pass, one of the highest rated food and hospitality podcasts in the United States. Most recently, I was responsible for the most-listened to episode in its history with the interview of famed music manager and pioneer of the celebrity chef movement, Shep Gordon (listen to the episode here).
Corporate Partnerships Consultant
March 2020 - Present
Strategize and execute on the launch and promotion of ADU (also known as a "Tiny Home") and "Tiny Office" products specifically as part of Corporate/Employee Rewards programs.
Gather crucial market intelligence and honest feedback through direct conversations with employees across a range of industries with the goal to deliver, in the form of data-driven presentations, viable prospective partners to the CMO and VP of Sales.
EDUCATION
University of Oregon - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Environmental Studies (2003-2007)
AWARDS AND HONORS
Forbes 30 Under 30, 2014
Crains 30 Under 30, 2013
Guest Judge, Miller Lite Tap The Future alongside hosts of the show “Shark Tank”, 2015 and 2016
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Fluent in English, Spanish and French
Experienced public speaker
Strong interpersonal and networking skills
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite