Before I landed myself a position as Creative Strategist for RMNG, I was frantically picking up freelance opportunities sparingly, whenever they presented themselves. Unfortunately, many businesses were nervous about spending anything at all and so these short-term gigs were all I had for a little while. These one-off situations weren’t really enough to cover my rent AND my love of shopping, so operation find-a-monthly-side-gig was a go.
My best friend suggested I reach out to HR departments of brands that I love. Fabulous idea, I thought; as usual as she is both freakishly smart and casually brilliant. Being a design-focused creative, I wanted to take it a step further. From an empathetic standpoint, I’m sure it can feel daunting for talent seekers and recruiters to bring a new person on, unknowing about how their talents will contribute to a company. Do I think I’ll crush it? Yes. But how would they know that? I needed my favorite brands to really be able to see my value as it specifically applied to them. So, I got to work!
For my first outreach attempt, I targeted Dr. Squatch whose team I had actually worked with many years ago. The guys were really nice and the soap was amazing. Thus, I came up with this little ditty. Though nothing came of this creation, I continued with my mission!
If you haven’t tried Hail Marry, do it immediately. I absolutely LOVE their sweets and discovered them only a few weeks after my move to Los Angeles. I actually did end up chatting with them a bit and while they were too small to need my full services, she was very kind in requesting I keep in touch. Onward!
No hit here, either. But I will always love Kombucha. Cue Whitney Houston. Finally, onto my official success!
Sweet, sweet Coolhaus. Upon sending this to the Coolhaus team, I almost immediately got an interview. They asked me to design the Coolhaus ice cream truck wrap as a test (foreshadowing!) and once they saw the wrap and gave it a thumbs up, the rest is history! Look for my work in your local Whole Foods, Walmart, Costco, and occasionally some billboards.
I also got to name a special edition flavor and create a brand T-rex. I mean, that is absolutely sick.
