Experience

Kinnikinnick Foods Inc.

• Canada
• Food and Beverage Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Lead Marketing & Media Communications

  • Nov 2017 - Present

  Re-branding & marketing gluten-free baked goods manufacturer selling to 15,000+ stores in the US & Canada. As challenging as it gets. Kinnikinnick was 'tired'. The company hadn't spoken to its customers in years. The brand looked dusty, had a clunky website, and had been running the same print ad for years. With a fresh eye and positive energy, I guided the management team into a complete revamp. I loved learning new technical & creative skills. Honing new powers of persuasion was also a thrill. Results include: - * Creating & implementing strategy for a brand new look & feel, new logo & new packaging for 50 products. * Marketing/Advertising strategy traditional & online. * New product launches. * Built new e-commerce website, sales increased 1000% in three years. Content produced copy, videos, photography, SEO. * Store/distributor sales up 10%. * Online built 34K email subscribers in two years. * Social media, (30K FB followers, 15K Instagram) influencer marketing. * Strategic partnerships with non-profits and sister brands. * Online advertising. $5 back for every $1 spent on Facebook, $25-40 back from Google Ads. * * * Great testimonials pour in by letter & Google reviews are nearly 4.5/5 stars. * Traditional print advertising. Created lead, copywriting. * Managing public relations & media releases. Show less



Dragon Hill Publishing

• Edmonton, Alberta

• President

  • Feb 2013 - Present

  After writing a couple of Canadian Best Sellers I was asked to set up Dragon Hill to publish and market books for the popular adult and youth market. Our emphasis is on titles that enhance and improve community self-image and increase understanding and tolerance among diverse individuals and cultures. A few well-defined subject areas include self-help, success guides, indigenous and traditional cultures and biographies. After writing a couple of Canadian Best Sellers I was asked to set up Dragon Hill to publish and market books for the popular adult and youth market. Our emphasis is on titles that enhance and improve community self-image and increase understanding and tolerance among diverse individuals and cultures. A few well-defined subject areas include self-help, success guides, indigenous and traditional cultures and biographies.



marinaMmedia

• Canada
• Advertising Services

• Corporate Storyteller, Marketing Communications, Brand Builder, Content Producer

  • Nov 2011 - Present

  It's a labour of love to guide companies to define their WHY. What a thrill to tell powerful, evocative stories to build authentic brands people truly love. A brand is a story. So is a tweet. Ad campaigns, ditto. Some highlights. Taking the Italian Centre Shop (specialty grocer) from two stores to four, $33 M in sales to $66 M. That meant running the show on re-branding, marketing strategy for two new store openings, building a new website, running advertising campaigns online sales, social media and community partnerships including a new loyalty program with the Alberta Motor Association. I also tried a lot of different cheeses. Wildquest Dolphin Safaris was a dream job. I project-managed a new website build. Content-produced copy, video, photography, SEO. This small business is now flourishing and fully booked every year. The company video is still selling vacations ten years later. Re-branding Jewish Family Services needed a collaborative process to get buy-in from key staff to define the brand values and create a new logo. It’s an art to fuse a wide range of perspectives into one winning brand story. We did it. These companies have something in common. A profound belief in making the world a better place by creating community, sharing their hearts and giving the best humanity has to offer. That’s been the best part of running my own business, choosing your clients because you know you can make them better and use all the skills you’ve garnered over the years into one big powerful bullet of positivity. I love to work for clients who are brave enough to wear their corporate hearts on their sleeve and stand for doing good. Want your messaging to hit people across the head or in the heart with a compelling headline, a reason to read on and stay watching? Does your messaging reach your end goals, does it generate more sales? If not, you need marinaMmedia to design a communications strategy guaranteed to build customer loyalty and boost profits. Show less



Health-Hub

• The Enjoy Centre, St. Albert

• Director Marketing & Communications

  • Jan 2010 - Dec 2011

  Created and implemented Marketing & Communications strategy to launch three new businesses (all at once!) Spa & Wellness Retreat, Bakery and Restaurant. * Created brands and corporate identities. * Created brand collateral from yoga wear, to restaurant signage, to print ads & posters. * Marketing strategy & plan to encourage word-of-mouth referrals and promotions. * Built websites and populated them with audio-visual and print content. * Conducted PR strategy to gain free advertising. * Created ads and placed them. * Created special events and dinners. * Squeezed in some yoga in between. * PR & media relations. Writing media releases, managing visiting news crews. Show less



Donovan & Co. Strategic Communications

• Advertising Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director Business Development

  • 2009 - 2010

  Full service branding, marketing and advertising agency. Found new clients and worked on accounts such as Edmonton Public Library and Edmonton International Airports. Full service branding, marketing and advertising agency. Found new clients and worked on accounts such as Edmonton Public Library and Edmonton International Airports.



RogersTV

• Media Production
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior TV Producer

  • 2007 - 2009

  * Created and branded new strands of entertainment-based shows about food & self-development. Produced news & current affairs. * On-camera interviews. * Trained newbies and raised overall production quality. * Created and branded new strands of entertainment-based shows about food & self-development. Produced news & current affairs. * On-camera interviews. * Trained newbies and raised overall production quality.



Anaid Productions

• Canada
• Media Production
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Creative Director, Producer

  • 2004 - 2005

  Wrote, directed and produced a groundbreaking reality show about Edmonton's restauranteur family. Broadcast worldwide, the format has since spawned many other similar shows. Wrote, directed and produced a groundbreaking reality show about Edmonton's restauranteur family. Broadcast worldwide, the format has since spawned many other similar shows.



Great North Productions/Alliance Atlantis

• Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Senior Producer/Showrunner

  • 2001 - 2005

  Had a lot of creative fun with many creative people and won awards for it. Including the AMPIA 2002 for best documentary series, The Things We Do For Love. From ideas to delivery of final shows I was instrumental in all stages of TV production and marketing them for sale. Showrunner who built creative teams of more than fifty staff nationally. One of the best jobs ever, knowing we really made a difference with top-quality TV shows people loved. Wrote proposals to secure funding. Managed all stages of the production process. Show less



BBC

• United Kingdom
• Broadcast Media Production and Distribution
• 700 & Above Employee

• Television Producer/Director

  • Jan 1984 - Dec 2001

  For nearly twenty years of documentary film, current affairs, and lifestyle TV production, I worked my way up through the ranks from researcher to senior producer. I worked freelance for all the major UK broadcasters, freelance for a variety of production companies. TV is a fantastic business, demanding every skill you can imagine. Raising funds, budgeting, production planning, team-building, creative execution needing all sorts of technical prowess, musicality, and patience for the tiniest of details. I loved every minute of it. Starting out with great broadcast journalist training at the BBC, I worked on some of the UK's most groundbreaking TV shows when Channel 4 launched to much acclaim. Cerebral and smart, I won many awards on The Media Show, which policed the rest of the media world. A demanding job that needed every ounce of analytical and people skills. I was given increasing responsibility as I moved up the super-competitive TV ladder. From researcher to director, I thrived writing scripts, deciding style, managing the team, getting fantastic footage in the can and into the final film. Often to critical acclaim. I moved on to produce live studio shows with massive audiences, ranging from current affairs to ethical debates. Even a show breaking out of a TV-made prison. Sometimes, there are failures to learn from. Lifestyle and entertainment series also meant a lot of hard work, long hours and endless creativity. Show less