I AM a creative director, DESIGN EDUCATOR, and brand strategist with 15 years of growing do-gooder and feel-gooder BRANDS IN THE CPG, food & bev, RETAIL, AND health & wellness INDUSTRIES.

Over the last two decades I’ve grown over 100 direct-to-consumer brands in all stages of their businesses - from small fry to IPO - while growing a thriving and award-winning creative agency, Studio Millie, of my own.

I've created brand experiences for thousands of guests, worked with celebrity clients, positioned brands for going public, overseen award-winning campaigns, created strategies to see bottom lines soar, and razzle-dazzled the pants off of consumers through creating compelling visual brand identities and rebrands. Yet, through it all, my greatest accomplishment is growing creative teams (and genuinely enjoying) leading, fostering, and mentoring creative types and right-brain personalities.

THINGS I DO WELL

CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

My biggest passion is leading teams of right-brained creatives. I have expertise in both building teams from scratch through running Studio Millie, and taking existing strong teams to the next level. I have mastered the art of merging business constraints like budgets + timelines with intuition and emotional intelligence - all in the name of leading creatives to produce their absolute best work. Ask me about flamingos and I’ll tell you how I keep creatives inspired + collaborating.

BRAND STRATEGY + BRAND BUILDING

I believe that the robots can take our jobs in design and copywriting, but they can’t take away our ability to create meaningful stories. I am obsessed with trend forecasting, research, and consumer behaviour and have made it my life’s work to weave this knowledge into relevant brand stories through visual design + the written word to create unforgettable brand experiences that stand the test of time.

GRAPHIC DESIGN + COPYWRITING

I am a classically trained creative, with degrees in writing from the University of Calgary and Graphic Design from Parsons New York. I’ve written and designed anything you can imagine from pitch decks to logos to custom waffle cones for ice cream. I believe I was put on this earth to make things prettier and make more sense. While I love overseeing high-level creative and managing teams, my writing and design background allows me to roll up my sleeves where needed and get the job done.

EDUCATION + MENTORSHIP

I’ve stood on the podium as an Associate Professor at Humber College, Centennial College, and Miami Ad School, teaching new sections in branding, colour theory, and graphic design. I love shaping the next generation of creatives as a mentor through the RGD, as well as a judge for their student design awards, and a portfolio reviewer. The future is bright!