To provide an idea of the range of activities that I tackle,
i figured…
"why not simply detail the tasks that i was working on DURING the week that i wrote the copy for this site?"
SO HERE YOU HAVE IT
full disclosure, this week'S TASKS WERE a bit ops-heavy, but I WAS ABLE TO FIND some executional work TO PICK UP
TEXT-TO-VIDEO
GenAI INTEGRATION
CAPABILITY AREA: CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY
CLIENT: GSD&M
A meeting invite hits my calendar:
"Rush Rip Videos for [Client] Pitch"
I meet with the team and they explain that they have been tasked with creating three rip videos within a week's time and that the client we're pitching is an automotive brand…so finding existing footage of the exact vehicles (and the current year's versions of them, no less) is going to be challenging within a week.
It was obvious that there would need to be some inclusion of generative AI to pull this off, but the team was looking for guidance on what tools made the most sense.
So, I stood up a workflow that included a tool that allowed for custom model development, so that we could train a unique model on images of the prototype vehicles (from publications, auto shows, etc.) in order to generate images and, ultimately, clips where the vehicles were videographed, seemingly for the first time ever (which we felt the clients would enjoy).
I then secured the licenses and consulted throughout the execution.
VIEW/COPY THIS WORKFLOW
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PROGRAM FINANCIAL TRACKING
CAPABILITY AREA: OPERATIONS
CLIENT: GSD&M
While many agencies have incredibly powerful tools for collecting financial data, most struggle with data visualization, which is critical for real-time decision making, especially on accounts with very tight budget parameters.
So I built a Labor Reporting Dashboard that helps compare real-time burn data against the projected burn rate…down to the current day.
Oh, and I designed it in dark mode (which should be no shock by now).
VIEW/COPY THIS TRACKER
CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL ANNUAL PLANNING (PART I)
CAPABILITY AREA: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
CLIENT: GSD&M
Full disclosure, this was probably the least exciting task of the week, but who doesn’t love a detailed project plan, am I right?
When I am asked to scope out a piece of client work, I always start with a detailed project plan, so that I have a firm understanding of the tasks that will need to be completed, how much time they will take, and which resources are best suited to execute them.
Sounds pretty straightforward for a single project engagement, right? Well what about an annual scope of work?
*steeples fingertips*
But this exercise isn’t a flagrant, time-consuming flex. Executing a detailed project plan then enables me to leverage two subsequent tools that I have built for the agency, which are critical for financial planning and resource forecasting.
VIEW/COPY THIS PROJECT PLAN
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CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL ANNUAL PLANNING (PART II)
CAPABILITY AREA: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
CLIENT: GSD&M
With a detailed annual program plan in place, I can now move onto estimating time and resources against each project/task/activity.
Enter the project estimating workbook.
The project estimating workbook is a tool that I developed for the agency which enables us to map project plan activities into individual weeks and then assign resources and hours to each week (based on the tasks that are occurring). This gives us a comprehensive understanding of how much effort a task/project is going to require and converts that effort into a dollar figure that will serve as our project estimate.
Plus, once this project kicks off, burn data can be pulled from our financial system and easily dropped into a tab that will then populate actual hours spent…by resource…by week…directly alongside the weekly hours estimates. This enables us to track project burn in real-time, flag any overburn at the resource level and course-correct as needed. This, in turn, helps make our project managers better estimators, as they can see Actuals vs Estimates at the end of the project and use that data to inform future estimating initiatives.
VIEW/COPY THIS TEMPLATE
PROJECT SHOPIFLY
CAPABILITY AREA: DIGITAL PRODUCTION
CLIENT: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Southwest Airlines has struggled with winning over Gen-Z due to the audience’s unique shopping habits and the inherent misalignment with Southwest’s booking avenues. So, the GSD&M team had an idea to meet Gen-Z where they were at; TikTok, of course. But, if you know TikTok, if content looks like an ad, TikTok users have no interest in it.
So, I was brought into the project as a hybrid Project Manager and Digital Producer to help shape what content delivery mechanisms would be best to utilize in meeting our objective. In collaboration with our friends at TikTok, we aligned on leveraging a modified version of an existing ad unit to create a first-of-its-kind “Inspiration > Booking” experience. Proving that you don’t need over-engineered ad-tech to stand out to Gen-Z and show that Southwest Airlines is a company that’s focused on innovative customer journeys.
Throughout the project, my role was to serve as the technical liaison with the TikTok technical development team, help articulate the technical requirements (and essentially shape the business case for our client’s executive leadership) and, of course, manage the project.
PRESS FEATURED TO THE RIGHT
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BONUS ASK!!!
CASE STUDY VIDEO EDIT
CAPABILITY AREA: INTEGRATED PRODUCTION
CLIENT: GSD&M
Given my proximity to the Shopifly project, when the agency requested a case study video for use within PR outreach and social…
I gladly raised my hand.
Editing is something that I love doing in-and-outside-of the agency, so if it helps alleviate some pressure from my colleagues AND enables me to flex a little bit creatively, I’m all for it.
And, hey, I got to launch my wife’s hand modeling career for an in-situ UI shot that I thought would be fun to include.
VIDEO FEATURED TO THE LEFT
AMAZON PRODUCT DEFINITION WORKSHOP
CAPABILITY AREA: CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY
CLIENT: OMNICOM
I was selected to participate within a small group of agency leaders across Omnicom (GSD&M's parent company) in a workshop with Amazon’s Innovation & Transformation team. Our task; brainstorm ideas for an AI-powered tool that would revolutionize the New Business Development process for the 1000+ agencies across the Omnicom network.
Within the first brainstorm, one of my thought-starter ideas was selected as the product that we would define and pursue, so I was asked to attend the second workshop where we would fully define the product features, data requirements and technical deployment plan.
Within this meeting, I used my experience with leading New Business initiatives to represent the needs of Growth Leads (the core users of the tool) while also leveraging my Digital Production experience to help inform user experience decision-making.
IT WAS A DAMN GOOD TIME
07
AND THAT'S ABOUT
ALL THAT I CAN SAY
MANY, MANY MORE WEEKS OF WORK SAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
WHERE TO NEXT?
ABOUT MYSELF
BIO // SKILLS // PROFICIENCIES
HOW TO REACH ME
SHOOT ME AN EMAIL
VIEW MY RESUME
BECAUSE WHY NOT
BECAUSE YOU (YES, YOU) DESERVE A BEST-IN-CLASS EXPERIENCE, THIS SITE IS BUILT FOR DESKTOP ENVIRONMENTS.
PLEASE KINDLY VISIT
*STRETCHES COLLAR*
BECAUSE YOU (YES, YOU) DESERVE A BEST-IN-CLASS EXPERIENCE, THIS SITE IS BUILT FOR DESKTOP ENVIRONMENTS.
