There is no greater social need than to belong.
I was raised by a single mom in the San Francisco Bay Area, where opportunities to belong felt out of reach. As an only child in a 700 square foot house, I was a kid who craved action, purpose, and a group of people to tackle something with. That energy had to go somewhere, so it went to the backyard.
Inspired by summer camp, I started putting on skits for the neighbors, pulling kids and the willing parents up on stage with me. The quiet Monopoly nights with Mom turned into a weekly neighborhood event, creatively titled the "The Funny Show." Every Monday. The whole block was invited.
Mom and I moved to Central Oregon in 2013, but something about those Monday nights stuck with me: belonging doesn't always happen on its own. Someone has to build the conditions for it and create a safe, inclusive environment where people can truly perform at their best.
That instinct followed me into advertising and four incredible years at the University of Oregon. In 2024, I received university funding in a startup accelerator program to launch my own creative agency. Within a year, Common Studios served 18 accounts with local businesses, produced ~60 total deliverables from logo variations to social media posts, and accumulated $8,500 in project revenue. All in all, the best part about Common Studios wasn't the agency itself; it was earning students compensation for real work and leave with real-world portfolios they earned.
To me, the best account work isn't just keeping the peace between teams or deadlines. It's knowing when a client needs to be challenged or when they need to be reassured. Determining which creative is going to thrive on a particular brief and which one will thrive elsewhere, and adapting to pivots as they come.
It's about clearing the board so the best teams and their stakeholders can Pass Go with flying colors.