I work with brands to inspire transformation and creativity through design, music, art, and technology.
Design Leader | Brand Strategist | Creative Director
From 2016-2024 I was Chief Creative Officer at branding and design studio Trollbäck+Company where I helped businesses communicate with purpose, shape culture, and become more sustainable.
At Trollbäck+Company, I worked with an exceptional team of designers, strategists, animators, writers, and producers. While leading client partnerships, I focused on building a rigorous yet flexible brand strategy methodology, scaling our capabilities for multi-platform design and content creation, and fostering a culture of generosity and inclusivity through mentorship and professional education.
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Betterment
Brand Identity
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Disney+
Brand Identity
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West Elm
Brand Strategy
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GreenRow
Logo Design
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FX
Animated Type System
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Marriott Bonvoy
Motion Identity
Previously, I worked at VICE to launch LiveNationTV. As a joint venture between VICE Media and Live Nation, we conceived LNTV to be the premier source of insider content covering the world of live music.
Over our 18-month startup cycle, my role as Senior Creative Director grew to include oversight of brand creative and content development for video, marketing, and partnerships. As part of the LNTV management team, I helped to lead our bi-coastal staff and collaborated with executives from both VICE and Live Nation to set and maintain the strategic vision.
Why isn't there a museum of music in New York City?
This question led musician and arts activist Genji Siraisi to create the Museum Of Music And Entertainment in New York City. I am co-founder and have served as president of the executive board for the non-profit, helping build a coalition of New Yorkers working to impact local music education, culture, and historical preservation.
MOMENT is a community organized for the purpose of creating a comprehensive history of New York City music, and supporting its vibrant music communities. Operating in tandem with educators, musicians, venues, and institutions, MOMENT celebrates music culture and diversity in the context of New York City history with the goal of inspiring young artists, and preserving a legacy of innovation and artistry.
From 2012-2015, I was Executive Creative Director at design agency Eyeball, leading product launches and campaigns for Amazon, branding and marketing for New York Public Radio, rebranding several TV networks, and creating the sounds of Chase's new ATMs.
To expand the agency's full-service capabilities, I worked to grow our strategy, design, social media, and audio teams, helping the company scale to three offices within three years. Eyeball has since merged with digital agency Modus Operandi, becoming ModOp.
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NY Aquarium
Capital Campaign
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Chase
ATM Sonic Branding
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John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes
Interactive Album
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WNYC
Sonic Identity & Campaigns
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Ovation
Brand Identity
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Amazon Kindle
Campaigns
In 2002, I started Expansion Team, an audio branding agency in NYC with an international roster of recording artists. As co-founder and creative director, I led all creative and strategic initiatives, artist development, staff management, and client relationships.
I launched the firm with the ambitious mission to reimagine how music is created for brands—to be more authentic, more strategic, and more equitable to artists—and in the process, we helped pioneer a new business model for music houses serving the advertising industry. What began as a collective of musicians, bands, and DJs grew over ten years into an award-winning audio branding agency and record label that was responsible for crafting the sonic strategy and identities of many beloved brands including jetBlue, Amazon Originals, CNN International, and PBS. We merged the company with Eyeball in 2012.
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PBS
Sonic Identity
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JetBlue
In-flight Sonic Identity
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CNN International
Sonic Identity
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Amazon Studios + Originals
Sonic Identity
I joined Eyeball (for my first run) in 2000 and was exposed to new creative disciplines that blended with my passions for film and music. My role was hybrid director-editor-composer, back when the studio was focused primarily on motion design, production, and post.
Outside of work, I spent my nights DJing and my weekends on film projects. Of the handful of music videos I worked on, one stands apart. Tiga's cover of Nelly's "Hot In Herre" became a genre-bending hit, visualized by our absurdist concept of dancing puppets re-enacting clichés from popular rap videos. Unbeknownst to us, the marionette we used is a beloved character in the Czech Republic which resulted in the video being banned there, causing all manner of headaches and dubious press, and perhaps helping it become a cult fan-favorite.
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Tiga
Hot In Herre
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Showtime Next
Disc Jockey series
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Funkstörung
Music Video
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Rawkus Records
Music Videos
My early career
I'm the son of an architect and a piano teacher, but my passion for art was defined when my family moved from Berkeley to London where I attended performing arts school. I worked professionally as an actor and singer from age 12 and took my formative late-80s experiences in the U.K. back to California where I began making home videos, early computer graphics, and bedroom electronic music.
In 1997 I graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Radio/TV/Film and moved to NYC with the goal of working across all three industries. I worked on a wide variety of productions as an electrician, gaffer, or cinematographer, got an agent, pitched ideas to studios with my filmmaking partner and roommate Zach Braff, and worked on a lot of indie films that few people ever got to see.
I also DJed, continued composing, and played in a band. Our band leader, Itaal Shur, co-wrote Santana's "Smooth" (but that's his story to tell). I fulfilled many lifelong dreams in music, performing at The Guggenheim, La Fenice opera house in Venice, and clubs from Monterrey to Tokyo. I also started a label and executive-produced over a dozen records, as well as my sci-fi disco concept album "Exodus.”