The science behind nicotine withdrawal

Role: Art Director

Created in Partnership with VOX Creative Studios

The aim of this project was to deliver complex scientific topics to Gen Z audiences, including the impacts of nicotine use and withdrawal on mental wellbeing. Turning to the experts on “explainers,” truth partnered with VOX Creative Studios to create two unique pieces of video content aimed at helping educate and entertain Gen Z.

A Series on giving up nicotine

Role: Art Director

Produced by Kate Stevens Bowers

Created in Partnership with Made In Network Agency

Quitters, is series from truth focused on real young people across the country giving up vaping and quitting nicotine. Narrated by Andrew Rea (Babish Culinary Universe), this 6-episode series provides in-depth interviews with people making the decision to quit vaping, and the consistent courage it can take to achieve this goal. This ongoing body of work has been rewarded the Gold and Bronze Ogilvy Awards, and the Gold and Silver Shorty Awards.

Experiential, on-the-ground, marketing

Role: Creative Director, Designer

Design support: Elijah N’kai

Videography by Fortland Productions

Every year, truth engages it’s network of youth activists in an event known as Moment of Action. Activists take part in a stunt-like, PR-making moment that directly addresses the activism work students have been engaging with throughout the year.

The event exits in-person with on-the-ground education and awareness for the general public and online with digital actions that allow for young people across the nation to take part in. These events have successfully inspired an impressive amount of engagement with our youth audiences, averaging over 85k interactions.

In 2018, the truth Zombie Protest was awarded the Gold Reggie in Experiential Marketing as well as a Silver Shorty Award.

Find real solutions to help you quit nicotine

Role: Art Director, Designer, Illustrator, Animator

Design support: Elijah N’kai

Created in Partnership with MoJo Supermarket and Allegiance Group

In a bold move to address the alarming connection between vaping nicotine and youth mental health, truth launched the "Toxic Therapy from Your Vape" national campaign. The campaign features actor and comedian Chris Parnell in an animated role as a vape-turned-faux therapist, shedding light on the misconception that vaping nicotine helps alleviate stress and anxiety. When in fact, research shows nicotine addiction can intensify feelings of anxiety and depression and increase levels of stress.

Audiences of the national campaign are encouraged to find real solutions online at thetruth.com’s Solution Space. The Solution Space is a fully interactive landing page that invites viewers into the animated world of the Toxic Therapist —only this time, he’s been kicked to the curb. Helpful tips, research and links to real life solutions are hidden throughout a custom illustrated bedroom.

Within 30 days the site broke records with an impressive 71% engagement rate.

Selling the myth of stress relief

Role: Art Director

Design support: Elijah N’kai

Created in partnership with MoJo Supermarket

The common misconception that nicotine is a stress reliever may be rooted in the cycle of nicotine withdrawal. Irritability, anxiety, and depression are some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, and using nicotine may relieve these symptoms temporarily. With our recent nationwide campaign, truth set out to educate Gen Z on the risks of nicotine addiction and its direct affect on their mental health.
Using humor, entertainment and Gen Z inspired visuals, we created a fully realized campaign identity that felt at-home on our audience’s devices. The work featured here was created to support the larger campaign across multiple digital platforms including thetruth.com, tiktok, instagram, snapchat and paid/organic socials.

Depression Stick is fake but vaping’s contribution to the youth mental health crisis is real

Role: Art Director

Created in partnership with MoJo Supermarket

Truth created a fake vaping company called Depression Stick! to expose nicotine’s role as a contributor to the worsening youth mental health crisis.

Doing good with guitars

Role: Creative Director, Designer

Because 72% of all smokers are high school age, I directed the creative aspects of a truth and Epiphone collaboration that aimed to inspire teenagers’ participation in creative advocacy initiatives against Big Tobacco. Epiphone donated more than 100 guitars with my custom designs to select high schools in communities most heavily impacted by the tobacco.

The custom guitars were first showcased at the 60th annual Grammys gift lounge, where celebrities including Zac Brown Band, BeBe Rexha, Little Big Town and Daddy Yankee signed guitars for donation.

Joining forces to save your taste buds

Role: Creative Director, Illustrator, Designer

Smoking can dull — or kill — your taste buds by inhibiting their blood supply. truth partnered with BIGS Sunflower Seeds to draw attention to the topic of tobacco, the ways in which its chemicals impact your taste buds and how sunflower seeds can help current smokers quit. truth distributed over 50,000 packets of sunflower seeds across the country - all featuring my custom drawn “dead” flavors. The activation was awarded the Bronze Reggie award in Experiential Marketing.

Empowering students with facts

Role: Art Director

Created in Partnership with Everfi

To educate America’s students about the health dangers of e-cigarette use and the opioid epidemic, Truth Initiative and Kaiser Permanente in collaboration with the American Heart Association, launched two national youth-focused prevention curriculums called Vaping: Know the truth and Prescription Drug Safety: Know the truth. These free digital learning experiences are part of Truth Initiative’s nationally recognized truth campaign. The curriculums were made available to schools by the leading social impact education innovator, EVERFI.

Vaping: Know the truth was launched in December 2020 and over 7,700 schools across the country are still actively using the course. As of November 2023, over 1 million students have used the curriculum. Prescription Drug Safety: Know the truth was launched in October 2023 and is gaining similar momentum.

Partnering to do good

Role: Creative Director, Designer, Photographer

Created in partnership with Erector Sets Inc.

truth and Cotopaxi, the outdoor gear company, joined forces to make positive changes in local communities and take a stand against tobacco. truth joined Cotopaxi for 25 of their 2017-2018 Questival adventure races. The activation included a limited-edition Luzon Daypack designed by Brooklyn-based artist Kevin Lyons.

At each Questival stop, participants embarked on a 24-hour outdoor adventure race while also doing service in their local communities. truth shared facts and resources with participants via a fully immersive, action-packed experience. To illustrate facts, attendees visited the truth zone where they had to take part in a series of custom-built obstacles.

Over 500k young people, texting to quit

Role: Creative Director- brand, logo and visual identity creator

This is Quitting is an anonymous vaping cessation program that combines age-appropriate advice, cognitive and behavioral coping strategies, and social support to help young people feel motivated, inspired, and supported throughout their quitting journey. First launched in 2019, This is Quitting was developed with input from teens, college students, and young adults who have attempted to, or successfully, quit e-cigarettes.

Ahead of This Is Quitting’s launch, I was tasked with contributing to the branding and logo development for the program. I submitted my pitch against two Full Service Agencies and successfully brought the project back in-house to the truth team.

In 2022, This Is Quitting reached a milestone of helping more than 500,000 youth and young adults quit vaping nicotine. This Is Quitting is currently one of the largest and most successful “text-to-quit” programs in existence.

Role: Creative Director, Designer

The role of truth on Social Media lives somewhere in-between education, entertainment and statement-making moments. I regularly create content for Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok. Each platform serving as a different vehicle for sharing everything from industry news to exciting digital actions.

Wearable art inspired by facts

Role: Creative Director, Artist, Designer

Custom Merch has and always will be a part of the truth brand ethos – and one of my favorite tasks. From the early days of Vans Warped Tour to the new world of Tiktok Influencers, I create designs that reflect truth’s goals to engage young people with unique, high quality and limited edition merch items.

Truth merch has a rich history and certain pieces from the campaign’s early years can even be found listed as “collector” pieces online. In my time with truth, I’ve created 60+ unique pieces of merch— fanny packs to fidget cubes, enamel pins to hoodies.

You’re registered, right?

Role: Creative Director, Designer

Launching on National Voter Registration Day, truth partnered with Turbovote on a social-first campaign titled, “You’re Registered, Right?” aimed at empowering young voters to turn out and vote during the 2020 election. As part of the nonpartisan campaign, truth offered a series of tools across social platforms including information about key dates, practical tips for getting to the polls and info for voting confidently across the ballot. The goal was to engage and motivate young people, especially first-time voters, to exercise their right to vote. The partnership with TurboVote helped young voters start the process of registering to vote while also providing help with absentee or mail-in ballots and tracks deadlines.

I am quite proud that my custom “election-style” buttons were produced and sent to activists and social media influencers to help spread this important message.

From 2012-2016 I worked for the LivingSocial, a DC start up that rivaled Groupon selling daily deals, online coupons and experiences to customers across the country. My time at LivingSocial was a defining learning experience for me. I learned to create content efficiently, and on a limited budget while also taking big creative risks.

At LivingSocial, I assisted in the launch of the company’s Instagram presence, which rapidly gained an organic following.” I also served as the director and editor on a social media video piece titled “Let’s talk about gift giving” that was recognized by AdWeek as one of 2015’s Best Agency Holiday cards.

I am passionate about theatrical design, including scenic painting and dressing. I routinely work with theatres in Northern Virginia and Maryland, sometimes working on 4-5 sets at a time.

For this work, I have been awarded several community theatre honors, including awards from the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (WATCH) and the Little Theater of Alexandria for excellence in scenic design, painting, and dressing.

In addition, I was recruited by Broadway.com to design a custom portrait background for the opening night party of the Tony-winning Moulin Rouge! on Broadway.