Durham, North Carolina, United States
As I reflect on my career, I’ve come to realize that intention has been the thread connecting so much of it. To me, intention is deciding what success should look like before the work begins. It’s taking the time to think clearly about the outcome you’re trying to create, then making deliberate choices that increase the likelihood you’ll get there. When you think about it that way, outcomes become a lagging indicator. By the time we’re measuring results, we’re really measuring the cumulative effect of hundreds of decisions that have already been made. Over the past 24 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible teams and partnering with brands like Domino’s, Nationwide, Kraft / Mondelez, Sherwin-Williams, Crocs, and Ripple. Across various categories and budget levels, I’ve seen a similar pattern: the best outcomes are often a product of thoughtful decisions guided by insight, elevated by creativity, and refined over time. That belief shapes how I lead. As Co-President of Attention Arc, I’m helping build an agency around a simple idea: media yields more impact when every decision behind it matters. We combine human insight, creativity, and technology to help brands make smarter decisions and get more from every marketing dollar. I’m curious about where our industry is headed, especially given how AI is changing the way we work. Here you’ll find my thoughts on media, leadership, strategy, AI, and the intentional decisions that shape outcomes long before they show up on a dashboard.
Based on my personal experience, and those of other allergy families, I recently self-published a kids’ board book about the all-important and ever-present EpiPen. It’s called "Epi, You're My Best Friend," which is available via our website at swapniliscafe.com or on Amazon. I can’t say enough about the beautiful illustrations by my uber-talented co-worker, Nick Cook – big kudos and heartfelt thanks to him. The illustrations purposefully portray Epi as a fun, playful character, making it inviting for my daughter and others like her with life-threatening food allergies to build a positive association with Epi at an early age. I also made Epi-themed door hangers to remind us at the literal points-of-exit of our house to always grab Epi on our way out. My daughter now screams “Don’t forget Epiiiii” pretty much every time we get ready to leave the house. :-) Hopefully these gradual, yet positive exposures will help her confidently manage her allergies.
I'm responsible for developing and maintaining best-in-class client partnerships, generating new business, setting expectations and standards to train and develop our employees, recruiting talented candidates to join our growing team, and ensuring that we’re in a healthy place financially. The best compliment we can get as agency partners is that our clients see us as an extension of their team. That means we know their business, are as passionate about it as they are, and work collaboratively to tackle challenges and drive sales. Three main questions/KPIs I keep in mind regarding our people: - Are we learning and developing at our desired pace? - Are we progressing financially? - Are we having fun? All three are equally important in recruiting, developing, and retaining talent at the agency. Ad Age - Best Places to Work (2024) Influencer MarketingHub - Top Influencer Agency (2023) ADWEEK - U.S. Midsize AOY shortlist (2022)
Current: Sherwin-Williams, Shoe Show, Identity Digital, Nikon, Posh Virtual Receptionists, PulteGroup, Ripple, Samsung Past: Crocs, NewsBreak, People’s United Bank, PopSockets, Corian Design (DowDupont), S&P Global, Marpac, Nationwide Insurance • Manage media P&L, have driven 4x growth in department revenue • Inspire and encourage a department of creative media thinkers to amplify ideas so they come to life in their most powerful form. • Challenge the status quo by changing the focus of the media conversation from efficiency and exposure to driving effectiveness through creativity and engagement. • Leverage all available resources to conduct thorough analyses that allow us to assess media opportunities based on the collective value they offer. • Led global media planning and activation for Crocs in the U.S., EMEA and APAC from 2014-2022 We're thankful to have won several industry awards for the creativity and effectiveness of our media thinking over the years: Campaign US Agency of the Year Awards - Media Team of the Year Finalist (2022) Marpac Competitive Sleeping League Championship - Adweek Media Plan is the Year (2018) Crocs #FindYourFun - Effie Finalist (2016) Sherwin-Williams The Most Colorful Search Ever - Gold IAB MIXX Award (2016) Mizuno's Mezamashii Run Project - WARC Prize for Social Strategy (2014) - Silver Effie: Media Idea (2013) - MediaPost Creative Media Award: Best Communication Channel Plan (2013) Urban Ministries of Durham's SPENT - Bronze Effie: Media Innovation (2012) - Silver Effie: Media Idea (2012)
Originally inspired by a visit to the eye doctor several years back, my business partner and I have developed a whole new way to wear sunglasses. Swades are sunglasses that roll-up. They have an incredibly unique wraparound design that comfortably fit the contours of your face. Gone are the legs you normally find in glasses. Swades are extremely light, ultra portable, and are available in a wide variety of colors. Swades are unique to the point where anytime one of us wears them, multiple people ask us about them. With that being the case, we decided to put in the time, money and effort needed to create an interesting brand around the product.
Clients managed: Domino's, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Jell-O, Grey Poupon, Haggar, Under Armour, IKEA • Embraced CP+B’s media agnostic approach to strategically implement and successfully execute creative concepts and added-value integrations within their corresponding media outlets. • Led team of media supervisors, planners and assistant planners to manage media planning duties for Domino’s Pizza, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Jello and Grey Poupon. • Partnered with MindShare NY and LatinWorks to ensure that Domino’s general market and Hispanic planning goals were achieved across various broadcast channels. • Served as a media strategy partner on behalf of CP+B and some of our clients to powerfully marry creative ideas with the media plans generated by partner agencies (Horizon Media and Starcom/MediaVest). • Led non-traditional planning and buying for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Jell-O.