About

Since grad school at Cal Arts, my career has had two separate but related focuses, the through-line to both being storytelling.

I came to NYC in 1997 to pursue a career as a set designer for theatre and television. In addition to conceptualizing and leading the creative process, a major component was the implementation of designing the environment and experience. I had the opportunity to collaborate with producers, actors and directors alike, in addition to managing vendors, builders and the operations teams. Supervising the entire process from conception to completion was really fun and exciting stuff for a kid from Iowa.

As my career progressed, I had the opportunity to work in the corporate realm when I was approached by a colleague to design and build a trade show booth. I enjoyed working with that team in developing the story about their business, and helping them differentiate themselves from their competitors. The sense of structure that their environment provided allowed for creativity and discipline, and this is where I thrived.

With the steady growth my business Ex Machina produced, I was able to successfully develop a unique approach to client experience marketing – Action Design© - which allowed me to redefine what "experiential" means both agency- and client- side.

Recently I formed a new consultancy practice: M@T&ERSON. My first client, RGA (Reinsurance Group of America), afforded me the chance to hone my skills in having a hand in concept, creation and execution of experiences while managing a team in a corporate environment. The great success of my work there was recognized at the executive level, and continues to bring value and help preserve and grow their client relationships.

Both roles at Ex Machina and now M@T&ERSON have been a hybrid of strategy, creative direction, producing and client/vendor, agency management under the umbrella of Experiential Marketing & Design.

The common thread, the part I love, is the storytelling and collaborating on the visual and experiential aspects of that story.