Once Upon A Time...

One of the most valuable lessons of my career came appropriately enough during my early advertising days at Disney. I was in a weekly meeting with my creative director to run though what my team was working on that week. He looked at the first project I presented, a set of banner ads and asked, “So what’s the story”? His question left me confused. “What do you mean, what’s the story? I asked. It’s a banner ad.. simple. “No”, he replied. “Everything has a story, even a simple banner ad.” Something clicked. It was truly a pivotal moment in my career and for me personally. I realized I was no longer just an art director, I was a storyteller. POWER MOMENT. I never told him how that conversation affected me and over time, profoundly changed me, nor did I ever thank him for it. Thanks Sandro.

Stories share something unique that is being brought to the world. Stories tell what is needed and what may be missing. They share the questions to be answered and solutions uncovered. Most importantly, stories open the opportunities to conversation and connection.

I’ve told that story hundreds of times since then, posing the question to clients, my teams, even as my opening line of my first presentation in business school at USC, where we were asked to pitch a company expansion proposal to show our baseline entering the program. Because it was business school there was also an innate fierce competition between teams. Terrified to present, I turned to storytelling, my comfort zone. I opened our pitch with the line.. “So let me tell you a story”….. my team won. For someone who several times questioned her place in the program.. “What was I doing there? Designers don’t go to business school.” It was my storytelling ability that gave me the power to hold my own. To this day, one of my closest b-school friends lovingly teases me about that moment.. “Oh crap, here comes the Disney girl to tell us all a story. It’s over”. SMILE.

Storytime has become a center in my life. It is what I do, personally and professionally. It seemed a natural evolution that I present what I have to offer through then lens of storytelling.

As a creative director and designer I have spent over 20 years telling stories, through branding, advertising, websites, user experiences, social media and creative strategy that connected clients and consumers. I have told amazing stories for Disney, Walmart, Unilever, John Deere, Norton, and many more.

An avid reader and writer, storytelling is at my core. As a mom of 3 girls, stories are a part of our every day. Sharing and teaching my girls the value and a love of stories has been one the of the most gratifying experiences of my life.

To sell yourself or your product, to sell your service, to be successful in business and in life, you first need to answer one question?

What’s the story?

I’m here to be creative, collaborate, and help answer that.

ps. Thanks Tigger. He was my other best story at Disney.. I'll tell it sometime.