Marketing that feels like a movement.

You’ve got a strong product, a clear point of view,
and people are paying attention.
But you're ready for more.

Story-rich creative direction for founder-led brands.

Let's start with a conversation

This is the cycle most brands get stuck in.

Post. Launch. Campaign. Repeat.

It works… until everything starts to feel the same.

Same formats.
Same playbook.
Same results.

So even when your brand is genuinely interesting…
it ends up looking like everything else.

People don't need more content.
They want something to be part of.

Not to hand you another content plan.
You probably already have one.

I’m looking for the stuff you’re not doing yet.

The idea that makes someone stop mid-scroll.

Experiences your audience gets to participate in.

The moment where your brand feels less like a feed… and more like something happening.

That's where I get to work...

Hey. I'm Deanna.

I'm a creative director, designer, and ideas person who's spent two decades figuring out how to make people pay attention without buying their attention.

I help mission-driven brands uncover their stories and turn them into campaigns, content, and real-world moments people can't stop talking about.

I got my art degree from VCU, then spent 15+ years teaching art… while also building things on the side. Craft shows in Brooklyn, Philly, DC, and Richmond. Gallery work. An international button exchange. Street teams on MySpace. Flyers on telephone poles. Punk rock aerobics in a vacant downtown building that’s now the Quirk Hotel.

My entire career has been about getting people to show up and care.

Six years ago I started my business. Today I run The Playhouse (a community for creative business owners), design Static 9 Grids for solo entrepreneurs, build GPT tools called Robot Buddies, host a podcast called BIG FUN, Small Business, run the Small Business Kindness Project, and spend one afternoon a week doing porch hangs with other business owners.

I’ve been featured in Richmond Magazine, Richmond Parents, RVA Magazine, and a stack of zines along the way.

What I bring to a brand isn't a corporate creative director resume and that's my secret weapon. It's gallery shows, button exchanges, telephone pole flyers, and twenty years of cultural mischief. Scrappy, weird, story-rich, and totally fun.

Let's start with a conversation

What I do for brands

I work with founders and small teams who know what they’re building matters, but their marketing isn’t showing it… yet.

What that looks like depends on the brand, but it usually includes some mix of:

Not just filling a content calendar or posting more. Starting with the ideas your brand can build something around, and letting everything else come from there.

Figuring out what's worth doing.

Voice, visuals, where it lives, how people find it. I help you figure it out and make it happen, whether that's working with your team or building pieces as we go.

Shaping how it shows up.

Events, partnerships, weird little concepts, community-driven stuff. The kinds of things people talk about and pull other people into.

Creating things your audience can experience.

A quick 15 minute free discovery call to see if we're a fit.
You tell me what you're working on. I'll tell you how I think and how I work. If we click, we book the next step.

1. Quick Vibe Check

A focused 90-minute working session. You fill out a short questionnaire ahead of time so we don't waste it on small talk. We dig into what you're building, who it's for, and where the creative opportunities are.

After the call, you get a written Creative Plan: 3-5 specific campaign ideas, how each one would actually come to life (timeline, tools, who you'd need), and what I'd recommend tackling first. Yours to keep and use, whether or not we work together after.

The $500 credits toward any project work we do within 90 days.

2. Strategy Call

Once we have the plan, we figure out what to make. Some brands hire me for a single campaign or project. Some keep me on retainer for ongoing creative direction. Some come back a couple times a year when they're ready for the next big idea.

Past work has included campaigns, brand refreshes, real-world and virtual events, content series, email sequences, lead magnets, and plenty of "hey, can we do something cool for X?" calls.

Pricing is custom because every project is. We figure it out together once we know what you're building.

3. Doin' the Dang Thing

How Working Together Works:

Let's start with a conversation

This is a good fit if...

You’ve outgrown “just post more” advice

You have something solid, but your marketing isn’t reflecting it yet
You want your brand to feel more like something people talk about, not just consume