I am an endless creator. I’m a writer, designer, artist, photographer, and sculptor who continually learns new skills to add to my creative toolbox.

I am also, and maybe most importantly, a wonderfully weird individual. 

Not everyone would be quick to admit they are weird. A lot would shy away, but I embrace it because it not only makes me who I am but allows me not to get too rigid or set in my ways, and in a creative field, there is nothing better.

I was never one to follow traditions. While most middle schoolers were joining sports teams or hanging out, I would fill my time in sales booths for my father’s archery sponsors, selling equipment that I would never use (the archery bug didn’t take hold of me, but the selling bug did). From that time, I learned that one technique didn’t work for every sale. Each person has their own unique look at the world, and I shouldn’t close myself off to that, and instead learn as much about other people as possible.

This weirdness continued when I decided to buck a “safe” job and go to school for video production. That’s how I ended up at the University at Buffalo (where I earned a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Media Studies). There, I fell under the advisement of a teacher who had broken grounds in video art (and also introduced Lou Reed to John Cale, which, to an audiophile, held almost more importance). He fueled my weirdness.

I brought his teachings and my previous experience in sales with me when I took a position at the Baltimore video production company, Tonal Vision. My boss (one of the first women to break the glass ceiling at Proctor & Gamble) encouraged me to think outside of the box. She would say, “Frank, I’m great at business, but I’m not great at being creative. That’s why I hired you.” Her business sense and my creative thinking brought in clients bigger than a small production company usually would have. I embraced learning from each and every job we took (and I still look back on those teachings). 

In the time between writing and directing commercials, music videos, and web series, I started working more and more on graphic and web design. I took a chance and returned to school in my 30s to get another degree in Fine Arts. That’s how I found myself at the Community College of Baltimore County (one of only two NASAD accredited colleges in Maryland). I again got lucky with great teachers who saw my creativity and pushed me further. I graduated with a 4.0 and decided it was time to move back to Upstate New York to be closer to my aging family. 

With a heavy heart, I left my position as the Creative Director of the production company and took the role of Web Designer at Davin Healthcare, a family of healthcare companies near my hometown. I brought my years of experience with me and quickly expanded beyond web design. I now have the role of Creative Design and Communications Specialist. My co-workers know of my unique perspective and often come to me when they’ve hit a wall and need a second opinion. Almost every other day, I get a slack message or an email saying, “tell me why this design isn’t working.” In my position, I easily work with logical programmers, creative marketers, a legal-minded vice president, and a big-thinking CEO. I can easily flex my approach to each different co-worker (this skill goes all the way back to selling archery equipment in middle school).

This unique perspective and my flexibility are why I embrace my weirdness. I’ve run complicated film shoots as well as completed projects independently. I feel comfortable with the logic of coding websites and the creativity of listening to a song and creating a music video. I have a lot of knowledge in the creative field, but I also know that I don’t know everything and that I can always learn more (and always try to learn more). 

Mostly, I believe in designing and creating for the future. We should look forward, not behind. I believe in offering accessible options and bringing everyone to the table. 

I’m not a conventional person, but I’ve lived long enough to know that it is a strength, not a weakness. I embrace being weird, as I think everyone should.

Accomplishments & Awards

• 2023 Two novels slated for publication with Inked In Gray Press

• 2022 Short Story “The Soul of a Bat” published in Autumn Nights Charity Anthologies 4

• 2021 Short story, “Deathbed Confessions Aren’t Beholden to NDAs” published in Autumn Nights Charity Anthologies 3

• 2016 Photography published in Fell’s Point (Images of Modern America) by Arcadia Press

• 2016 Outstanding Achievement in Sculpture & Student Leadership – Community College of Baltimore County

• 2015 Poetry published in Fine Print Literary Magazine

• 2015 Television, Internet, & Video Association of DC, Inc (TIVA) Peer Award: Silver in Commercial: $10k & Under

• 2014 TIVA Peer Award: Gold in Video Editing

• 2014 TIVA Peer Award: Bronze in Production

• 2014 TIVA Peer Award: Bronze in Entertainment – Non-Fiction: Under $25k