I help organizations untangle and rebuild digital systems that aren't working. I'm also a globe-trotting Alaskan who runs a boutique digital & media services production house called gracestudioDESIGNS.
Over the years I've lived and worked in Tokyo, London, Long Beach, San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City.
I value excellence, integrity, and character. I believe life's biggest successes come from building authentic relational equity with others.
Friends and associates often refer to me as a, "human Swiss Army knife— the one with all the tools." I'm a fashion designer by trade, and my DNA is that of a creative and serial problem solver. I'm one of those 50/50 left-brain, right-brain people — equal parts:
creative/holistic/organic thinker
facts/logic/linear thinker
It means that in addition to seeing what's possible, I also strategize, plan, and execute.
I enjoy helping others climb — and conquer — their project and operational mountains by providing the expertise, tools, and endurance required to reach their goals.
I do this by partnering with them to ensure the most impactful version of their brand story gets told in relatable, compelling, and contextually relevant ways.
While digital media is often the primary channel, I also utilize traditional storytelling and communication mediums when they serve the message better.
My area of expertise lies in helping companies and organizations build digital systems that work. This often starts with how they look and sound online — but my skill set and experience extend well beyond the realm of marketing. I’m able to see from a 30,000-foot view as well as down in the weeds.
In front of the screen, I help with things like:
Consulting
Branding, brand identity, voice, and cross-platform messaging
Social media and websites
Content strategy, creation, and copywriting
Online community management
Cross-platform customer service and engagement
Behind the screen, I help with things like:
Digital ecosystem audits
Platform and website optimization
Information architecture, content strategy, and SEO
Developing operational systems, policies, and playbooks
One-off initiatives — websites, video, film, and live productions or events
Building meaningful, long-term relationships with clients is important to me, and I consider it a privilege.
I especially enjoy working with organizations that not only have a powerful story themselves, but intentionally create space for others to tell their stories as well.
I enjoy partnering with organizations to help them navigate the complexity of modern digital communications. Whether that means doing the work myself or helping train and equip internal teams, my goal is always the same: setting people and organizations up for long-term success.
A hopeless techie and gadget geek from the moment I laid eyes on my first computer at age five and full-blown theater nerd by age nine, I left my parents' home in Alaska at age 18 to study fashion in LA. Quite the paradox for a girl who loves fishing and the mountains.
After interning for a Paris-trained, Newport Beach–based couturier and training to become a buyer at Nordstrom, I traded my fashion aspirations for globe-trotting adventure.
Armed with little more than a trunk full of creative problem-solving skills and a desire to see what was possible, I landed in Tokyo, Japan.
There, I pivoted my career path by immersing myself in the training, education, and cross-cultural communications industry. Publishing, print design, writing, and remote team-based project management quickly became part of my growing skill set.
An easy segue into photography, film, and video production followed as invitations to join project teams began arriving. In a serendipitous turn of events — on the heels of a lot of hard work — our team won two awards for a film production.
That experience pulled me deeper into the world of digital storytelling and media production. Along the way I began traveling to even more far-flung places and eventually started getting published as a travel writer.
In 2016, I gathered my menagerie of experiences, talents, and hard-earned skills and began piecing them together. The result was a multi-faceted, mobile, location-independent digital media production house now known as gracestudioDESIGNS.
If your website, messaging, platforms, and digital tools aren’t working the way they should — or you simply don’t have the time or internal resources to manage it all — it may be time to bring in outside help.
That’s where I come in.