Would you like to know more?

Hit the dropdowns below for a sampling of what I’ve been up to for the last 20+ years. This is going to get a little “LinkedIn Language” so you may want to hold onto something.

Dynamic Brand Marketing Leader with 20+ years of experience building world-class identities for iconic video game and e-commerce powerhouses. Comfortable leading teams and providing creative direction that crafts evocative, narrative-driven global campaigns that create emotional resonance with players. Proven track record of elevating gaming brands into the global cultural conversation through the high-impact combination of art & design, earned media, partnerships, live activations, and community building. A strategic leader dedicated to fostering passionate communities and developing exceptional teams.

Core Competencies:

  • Brand Strategy & Creative Direction: Crafting a uniform and complete campaign that blends thoughtful storytelling with captivating design elements. .

  • Global G2M Execution: Leading end-to-end creative direction and execution.

  • Cultural Relevance: Leveraging earned media, influencer networks, and community building to ignite passions.

  • Creative Leadership: Directing agencies and internal teams in the production of trailers, key art, and digital content.

  • Data-Driven Growth: Utilizing AI-driven analytics and market research to optimize ROI and customer acquisition.

  • Stakeholder Engagement: Expertly guiding C-Suite and external partners through complex, high-stakes transitions.

  • Team Development & Management: Building and directly managing diverse and multi-talented marcomm teams.

  • Strategic lead for an award-winning developer/publisher, overseeing the operational roadmap for multiple franchised titles, white label products, and brand initiatives.

    • ‍Cultural Resurgence: Successfully repositioned "educational" titles as "prestige entertainment," resulting in 1,300+ earned media placements and permanent inclusions at the NYC Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Smithsonian.

    • Evocative Campaign Development: Directed the global launch for Beyond Blue, crafting a narrative-driven campaign that generated 1B+ impressions and was nominated for "Indie PR/Marketing Campaign of the Year."

    • Creative Direction: Served as Creative Director for in-game "Ocean Insights," bridging the gap between product essence and external marketing to ensure a cohesive, emotionally resonant brand story.

    • Global Scale: Managed robust, omnichannel budgets, orchestrating paid media, social, and influencer strategies across global regions and first-party stores (Xbox, PlayStation, Apple Arcade, Epic).

    • Strategic Partnerships: Facilitated high-level collaborations with the United Nations and the Peabody Awards, elevating the brand’s global presence.

    • Team Building: Responsible for hiring and managing an internal team of marcomm professionals, facilitating their growth and development within the company

  • Directed brand-voice and community engagement for the premier creator of high-end pop culture memorabilia.

    • Creative Marketing: Launched unique consumer engagement activations, including exclusive San Diego Comic-Con "stunts" and "in-world" SMS programs that bridged the gap between digital and physical fandom.

    • Brand Consistency: Set the global "voice and tone" for all communications, ensuring a unified brand presence across partnerships with major licensors (Marvel, DC, Star Wars).

    • Community Growth: Drove a 156% increase in social traffic and an 180% increase in organic reach by pivoting to a content-first strategy focused on emotional storytelling and emerging platform trends.

    • Revenue Optimization: Generated $400k YOY increase through strategic shifts in affiliate channels and influencer-led co-branded efforts.

  • Architect of the brand identity for the leading D2C retailer in the "geek culture" space.

    • Brand Reinvigoration: Led a comprehensive rebranding effort to update the D2C voice, ensuring the company remained the primary authority in "fan-centric" marketing.

    • Mass-Scale Activations: Developed integrated communications and event outreach plans for high-profile product launches, fostering deep fan interaction through sponsored events and convention takeovers.

    • Thought Leadership: Managed the editorial calendar and executive media training, positioning company leaders as key influencers within the gaming and tech industries.

    • Departmental Growth: Recruited and grew the PR department, expanding the talent base to expand our capabilities.

  • Provided strategic communications and brand voice consulting for startups and established tech firms.

    • Crisis & Strategy: Developed comprehensive crisis communication plans and trained C-Suite executives on media engagement and "mission-first" messaging during high-stakes events.

    • Narrative Development: Worked with technical founders to define brand voice, identify communication gaps, and resolve internal bottlenecks to improve organizational throughput.

  • Managed media relations and secured global press coverage for local attractions through curated experiences and strategic storytelling.

    • Global Media Strategy: Acted as the primary liaison between Tier 1 media outlets and 100+ member organizations, securing consistent national and global press coverage that elevated the region's cultural profile and drove measurable consumer engagement.

    • Unified Brand Voice: Orchestrated quarterly professional development forums to train diverse partners in crisis communications and social media best practices, ensuring a unified, high-quality narrative across all external-facing channels.

    • Strategic Partnerships: Represented the region within the Mid-Atlantic Public Relations Alliance, leveraging cross-organizational partnerships to maximize collective influence and capture a dominant share of voice in a highly competitive market.

    • Bachelor of Arts: Public Relations

    • Minors: Marketing and Speech Communication

  • "I've been fortunate to work for a lot of smart people, but few who genuinely invest in your growth the way Steve does. He constantly pushed me to think bigger, trust my instincts, and opened doors to do award-winning work that stretched my skill set in the best way."

    Eric Fransen, former employee

  • "Steve has been unmatched in his PR efforts...and although it's great to witness his proactive attention-to-detail in press releases, where he really shines is when a trainwreck is imminent. His combination of diplomacy and tact solves problems quickly and effectively and has turned some of our biggest missteps into quiet victories."

    Regan Avery, past colleague

  • "Steve is a dedicated, competitive self-starter, and like the very best kinds of people you could ever work with, he's easily motivated by 'I bet you can't ___.' A++ would hire again."

    Carrie Gouldin, unfortunate enough to have me report to her