HELLO, I'M TOM.
ULTIMATELY, I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT UNDERSTANDING AND CULTIVATING CULTURE – MAKING SENSE OF THE WORLD AND MAKING THINGS HAPPEN.
I'VE PROFESSIONALIZED AS A MAKER, THINKER, AND WRITER THROUGH A MULTI-PRONGED CAREER IN ART, PHILOSOPHY, AND MARKETING.
I'VE LED AWARD-WINNING WORK IN ADVERTISING, INCLUDING CAMPAIGNS WITH REI, GENERAL MILLS, JOHN DEERE AND MORE. MAKING GREAT ADS AND BUILDING FAMOUS BRANDS IS A CRAFT ROOTED IN CREATIVITY WITH CONVICTION, CLEAR CONCEPTUAL ARTICULATION, AND CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE. I HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF ALL THREE: I MAKE AWESOME STUFF, I WRITE UNDENIABLE COPY, AND I KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO HELP BRANDS CATALYZE CULTURE.
I'VE HAD THE PRIVELIGE OF WORKING WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST BRANDS IN THE WORLD AS WELL AS INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS, ATHLETES, ACTIVISTS, AND ENTERTAINERS, INCLUDING CHARLI XCX, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, SLIPKNOT, THE INTERSECTIONAL ENVIRONMENTALIST, ICE CUBE, MARKUS GABRIEL, KYLE NG, ARMAN HAMMER, AND JJ WATT. (IF YOU IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE ALL OF THESE NAMES AND THEIR CULTURAL RELEVANCE, WE'RE PROBABLY READY TO DIVE INTO AN OUTSTANDING CONVERSATION.)
I'M DRIVEN BY CURIOSITY ABOVE ALL ELSE – ABOUT WHY PEOPLE VALUE WHAT THEY DO AND THE WAYS MINDS AND SOCIETIES ARE BUILT. THIS LED ME TO EARN A PHD IN PHILOSOPHY, WHERE I GRADUATED AT THE TOP OF MY CLASS, AND TO TRANSLATE AND EDIT INFLUENTIAL PHILOSOPHICAL TEXTS FOR PUBLICATION (SHOUT OUT TO SLAVOJ ZIZEK!).
I HAVE BEEN MAKING ART – MUSIC, ZINES, CLOTHES, YOU NAME IT – SINCE I WAS 13. MY MUSIC PROJECT HOW TO DRESS WELL HAS RECEIVED GLOBAL RECOGNITION; PITCHFORK AWARDED ME THREE "BEST NEW MUSIC" SCORES IN A ROW. MY LATEST ALBUM, I AM TOWARD YOU, CAME OUT IN MAY 2024 – I THINK IT'S SOME OF MY MOST BEAUTIFUL WORK YET.
AS A NEW PARENT, I FEEL A RENEWED CONNECTION TO CREATING SPACES, CONTENT, AND WORLDS THAT FIGHT FOR MEANING, HUMAN INTELLIGENCE, AND EQUITABLE SPIRITUAL FLOURISHING. FURTHER, MY LIFELONG DEDICATION TO EDUCATION, BOTH AS A STUDENT AND PROFESSOR, HAS GIVEN ME A DEEP RESPECT FOR INSTITUTIONS AND PEOPLE THAT INSPIRE DISCOVERY AND CURIOSITY.
A COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVE ADVOCACY IS CENTRAL TO BOTH MY PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE. GROWING UP WITH SIBLINGS WHO HAVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES PROFOUNDLY SHAPED MY UNDERSTANDING OF IDENTITY AND THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACED BY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. WITNESSING HOW ABLEISM INTERSECTS WITH OTHER FORMS OF PREJUDICE HAS INSTILLED IN ME AN INTERSECTIONAL APPROACH TO ADVOCACY.
I’VE DRIVEN GROWTH FOR GLOBAL BRANDS, CRAFTED STRATEGY AND COPY FOR ICONIC CAMPAIGNS, CREATED DOZENS OF ARTWORKS (FROM ALBUMS TO VIDEO CONTENT TO BOOKS AND BALLETS), AND MANAGED CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS FOR $100+ BILLION DOLLAR MARKET CAP COMPANIES. ALL OF THESE EXPERIENCES FUEL MY DESIRE TO KEEP LEARNING, CREATING AND STRATEGIZING, AND CONNECTING WITH OTHERS.
THANKS!
-Tom
