Brand Strategy
In a commoditized market, brand is the only true differentiator, and experiences create the most impactful memories. Through my in-house work with Lyft, and agency-side work with AOA Experience, I’ve had the opportunity to build consumer experiences on both a shoestring budget, and at a large scale. At Lyft, I led much of our most impactful experiential, working to differentiate the brand in a commoditized marketplace. Most recently, at AOA, I’m grateful to work alongside seasoned Disney Imagineers, the masters of physical storytelling, to learn the science behind creating lasting memories.
Experiential - AOA
At AOA Experience I’m working as both an Executive Producer, and Creative Strategist, on complex experiential builds for brands like AirBnb and other confidential clients. AOA is not a traditional experiential marketing agency. Founded by Disney Imagineers 15 years ago, AOA is rooted in the Themed Entertainment industry, building amusement park rides and large scale consumer experiences for Disney, Universal, Virgin Galactic, Jane Goodall, and other clients. Through my work with AOA we’re making magic on a large scale, blending narrative storytelling with technology, to create experiences and illusions that are truly mind blowing.
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Airbnb Icons: X-Men Mansion Replica
In the Spring 0f 2024 Airbnb announced their “Icons” platform, allowing guests to stay overnight in sensational places. For this projected I EP’d turning a mansion in Upsate NY into a floor-to-ceiling replica of the “X-Mansion” from the 1997 cartoon that was rebooted on Netflix in 2024.
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AOA - Coming September '24
I’m excited to share the next experience that I’ve been producing in September 2024.
Experiential - Lyft
“Magic Modes,” are Lyft’s amusement park on wheels. Throughout my tenure at Lyft I developed the initial concept of Magic Modes, created the software platform, and led the experiential execution of these sensational experiences. Ten years later, these modes remain a staple of Lyft’s marketing efforts that not only garner billions of earned media impressions and social shares, but offer a platform that Lyft can monetize with sponsoring partners to fund campaigns. Below are some of the greatest hits….
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Ghost Mode - Sony/Ghostbusters
We partnered with Sony and GHOSTBUSTERS to provide passengers in SF, NYC, LA, CHI, and DC with rides in replica Ecto-1 ghost-mobiles while they snacked on Key-Lime-Slime Twinkies and Hi-C Ecto Coolers.
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Taco mode - Taco Bell
We partnered with Taco Bell for “Taco Mode” where passengers could take a ride to Taco Bell locations and receive free Doritos Locos Tacos.
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Minnie Van - Disney
We partnered with Disney World to provide the Minnie Van service on a permanent basis at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Through this partnership Lyft generates an ongoing revenue stream, and every guest to the park who accesses Minnie Van does so through the Lyft app.
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Strange Mode - Netflix
We partnered with Netflix and Stranger Things to create terrifying haunted Lyft rides that scared lucky passengers with demogorgon’s that drop from the ceiling, slug-barfing Lyft drivers, and hydraulic loaded seats that brought the car to life.
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WienerMobile Mode - Oscar Meyer
The Wienermobile is one of the most iconic vehicles in America, and in 2021 we partnered with Oscar Meyer to let lucky passengers take a ride in this weenie on wheels.
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Yellowstone Mode - Amazon Prime Video
We partnered with Amazon Prime Video and Yellowstone to offer rides cowboy-driven Dutton Ranch trucks to celebrate the launch of Season 5 in 2022.
Culture & Entertainment - Lyft
At Lyft I was heavily involved in our Culture & Entertainment strategy, leading this work ‘21 - ‘23 with our agency partners at UTA.
Integrations - Paid & Unpaid
Lyft was selective in our approach to TV, Film and Music Video integrations, focusing on up-and-coming talent and IP that was actively “breaking,” as opposed to spending millions on established artists. We also formed strong relationships with writers and producers to develop a pipeline of unpaid placements.
Content Development
While Undercover Lyft is our most notable content series to date, where I only played a peripheral role, I led the development of our next generation of content which will come to light on major streaming platforms.
Event Sponsorships - Sundance
Rather than targeting general consumers, at Sundance we targeted content creators - the people making the magic - with a popup arcade at the pickup and drop-off location for the festival. The output is future partner ops and organic (unpaid) placements in film and television.