University of Washington

Strategy Director, Trends and Culture at Essence

Milli

Head of Strategy

▪ Tasked with leading strategic efforts on T-Mobile’s Magenta, overseeing OLV and digital creative strategy, as well as new business initiatives
▪ Managed a remote team of 5-6 strategists, building personalized learning plans to solidify paths of growth
▪ Built and developed creative insights & briefs across multiple T-Mobile verticals, including sponsorships, phone & service launches and Hispanic focused initiatives
▪ Launched thought leadership initiatives like the “Magenta Minute,” designed to train strategists while building stronger strategic relationships with clients
▪ Reworked internal strategy process to streamline work & outputs to lay foundations for better collaboration

Saatchi & Saatchi

VP, Strategy

▪ Continued to lead the “Trends & Culture” strategic discipline, a new discipline designed to provoke unconventional work across creative, media, and content driven campaigns.
▪ Main clients include Airbnb, The North Face, Target and Vistaprint, as well as leading new business initiatives.
▪ Creative strategy lead on innovative and award winning partnership initiatives like Vistaprint’s 99 days of design
▪ Developed creative strategy to support some of Target’s first metaverse initiatives.
▪ Led new business efforts with a cross disciplinary team to win pitches with clients like Purple and Nationwide

Essence

Senior Strategy Director, Trends & Culture

Trends and Culture lead for North America. 

▪ Launched the “Trends & Culture” strategic discipline, a new offering for Essence aimed at infusing cultural insights and research to provoke unconventional work across creative and media campaigns.
▪ Main clients include Airbnb, The North Face and Google with duties inclusive of creative strategy, comms strategy, content partnerships and trend/cultural research.
▪ Tasked with creation of unique, innovative ideas to infuse into media plans across all client accounts and new business, helping result in three new lines of business.
▪ Created new thought leadership products for Essence, expanding the Takeaway to new clients and growing our scope of work on clients like Target.

Strategy Director, Trends and Culture

Creative Strategy Lead for Essence Creative North America.
We focus on developing best in class digital and dynamic/programmatic creative.

▪ Global Digital Creative Strategy and Content Partnerships lead for products across Google (Pixel, Stadia, Maps) and T-Mobile (Metro).
▪ Designed creative briefs and GTM strategies, harnessing the best of Essence’s media expertise to create innovative formats and digital campaigns for core Google products.
▪ Developed and launched digital creative campaigns for Google Play in APAC focused on the gaming vertical. Resulting creative outperformed regional standards, leading to global adoption.
▪ Founded “The Takeaway,” Essence’s only monthly thought leadership initiative spanning NA, EMEA, and APAC designed to train strategists in each region and inspire better, more culturally relevant work.
▪ Directly manage and motivate a team of 2-3 strategists, including new hire on-boarding and training.

Associate Director of Creative Strategy

Creative Strategy Lead for Essence Creative North America. 
We focus on developing best in class digital and dynamic/programmatic creative.

▪ Global Digital Creative Strategy lead for Google in NA and APAC across multiple products including Google Home, Pixel, Maps and Assistant.
▪ Specialized in developing best in class programmatic creative with 2x average industry performance in the US.
▪ Developed creative strategy for multiple digital pilot campaigns in Korea, Australia, Japan and Singapore across Google verticals.
▪ Focused on developing strategic creative direction, briefing cross-functional teams including creative and media and defining new areas of innovation, resulting in data-driven, dynamic digital creative.
▪ Developed new processes for deep collaboration between Media, Experience, Analytics and Development departments to enhance creative output and impact.

Senior Creative Strategist

Primarily supported Xbox Titles and Microsoft Services & Hardware.

▪ Strategy lead on multiple accounts including Xbox, Nike, Hulu, Tourism New Zealand and Holland America.
▪ Led and developed digital strategy for the launch of Halo 5, building experiences that outpaced industry standards.
▪ Provided thought leadership to drive new business opportunities for Nike.
▪ Led initiative to create new processes for collaboration between departments, namely Account Planning, Media, and Creative. 
▪ Created and presented digital insights for Seabourn and Holland America to elevate Razorfish as a partner, not a vendor. 
▪ Led creative strategy for internal redesign of Razorfish’s global website.
▪ Other clients worked on include Hulu, Netflix, T-Mobile, Hawaiian Airlines, Microsoft Retail, Surface, Xbox, and Bing as well as developing and pitching new business.

Razorfish

Account Planner

▪ Supported Hulu, Nike, Xbox, Tourism New Zealand, Holland America, and Bing.
▪ Helped develop creative strategy for Xbox across major titles including Halo Master Chief Collection and Dead Rising.
▪ Monitored trends in the video game space for Xbox, distilling them to actionable insights for wider team and client.
▪ Led primary qualitative research on unique segments for multiple accounts, including Nike, Bing, and Tourism New Zealand.
▪ Designed consumer strategy and digital insights for internal Nike and Hulu media teams.
▪ Generated consumer insights for Hulu pitch, leading to the business becoming a cornerstone

Junior Strategic Planner

Supported travel accounts and new business initiatives.

Strategy Associate Intern

	Provide research and content development to support technology clients including Isis, Apptio, Avanade, BT, and Varolii. 
	Compiled, organized and evaluated client media coverage reports and social media activities recap for global thought leadership campaigns
	Designed and implemented new social media processes for a global, multi-billion dollar company, including best practices, influencers and executive social plans
	Develop and support key client deliverables including press releases, executive blog posts, social media content, targeted media lists, and media briefing materials.
	Monitored client and industry news cycles to provide timely flags for clients on relevant topics and issues
	Compiled daily media pulse for distribution to 100 top executives at Isis, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile

Edelman

Technology Intern

	Managed multiple accounts including United Soybean Board, Patrón Spirits and Sunkist and oversaw daily activities which included crisis management and data analyses
	Generated unique content for social media calendars
	Tracked and reported metrics on social media coverage using Sysomos, Burrellesluce, and PR Newswire
	Created and presented fully integrated public relations campaigns for Patrón Spirits as part of an intern team
	Led agency brainstorms for Patrón Spirits designed to generate campaign marketing ideas
Updated and maintained USDA media toolkit
	Drafted, edited and compiled various marketing materials including press releases and news media pitches
	Created materials for trade show (FNCE)

MSLGROUP

Summer Insider Intern

	Worked remotely for Marketing Website Development Team
	Utilized content management system (Sitecore) to maintain and update digital assets and create unique content for multiple facets of the main website
	Updated copy for multiple areas including all letter vitamin segments
	Developed plans for SEO for all segments utilizing Excel and Sitecore
	Planned and updated new health and wellness articles weekly for display on main website
	Owned digital assets and maintained QA processes (i.e. main website and other subsidiary websites)

Nature Made

Content Management Specialist

	Discuss and implement solutions to minority interests
	Manage and organize events designed to promote a diverse business culture
    - Awarded Best Event of the Year by the Foster School of Business 
    - Increased membership by 100% through multiple events and targeted outreach programs
	Promote communication between various student clubs/agencies through collaborative events (e.g.Multicultural Awards Dinner)
	Create promotional materials for a variety of events and programs
	Volunteer with Y.E.O.C (Young Executives of Color), an outreach program targeting high school youth in the greater Seattle and Washington area.

Association of Black Business Students

Vice President of Public Relations

	Created and proposed business plans for VitaminID.com, a subsidiary of Nature Made, which included advising on changes to UX/UI, COGS, and marketing a variety of other tactics.
	Managed daily inventory and supply issues for VitaminID, including stock reissue and manufacturing.
	Delivered customer retention programs for current consumers based on a shifting inventory.
	Led QR code project for packaging materials for Target and Costco as well as key industry trade shows
	Worked in tandem with Web Development Manager on UX/UI changes to Naturemade.com and implemented content changes using Sitecore.

Chike Ume