What do you do for Emery? I spend time leading leaders. I co-founded Emery with my wife in 2014 and have been slowly assembling a team of my favorite people on earth. What do you do outside of Emery? Writing music, playing with my kids, drinking Mushroom coffee. Where did you used to work? Alongside leading this agency, I’ve been a pastor at a small church in New England for the past 10 years. It feeds my soul like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. Why do you exist? To help grow fruit on other people’s trees. What’s your solution to all the world’s problems? Honest conversations with our egos in the backseat. By land or sea? Sea, in my father’s small outboard boat, “Ole.” Creativity is… Embracing limitations and thinking within the box. Something interesting about you? I’m obsessive in learning new things. Whether it’s cooking, learning about a rare species of seahorses or leadership principles. I dive as deep as I can go in a short period of time and then take it with me when I go. Originally from: Westford, MA Studied: Visual Communications with a focus in Graphic Design, and Masters programs in Leadership. Secret talent: Unicycle. Spirit animal: Sea otter. What’s been the greatest adventure of your life so far? Raising two wild, creative, gentle children. What’s the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever worked on? My marriage. How do you approach your work? I tend to build the airplane while it’s flying through the air. Not from lack of discipline, but for love of progress. I hold things with an open hand. We experiment, we iterate, we observe, we adjust. I’m not a “set it and forget it” kind of guy. What are some influential factors that have shaped your career? My faith and spirituality have been critical in forming my character as a leader. Without faithful men and women speaking into my life regularly, I’d be chasing my tail. I continue to position myself under great thought-leaders like Seth Godin, Richard Rohr, Tim Ferriss, and Rob Bell. What, in your opinion, makes Emery special? People and process. In the history of the world, there has never been a team comprised of these exact people. We are unique. We thrive in one another’s blind spots. And as we look around, we don’t see anyone else doing this work in the manner we’re doing it. Favorite quote? “If you don’t know who you are, you’ll be whoever someone pays you to be.”

Elyse is a leader of leaders. When she’s not dancing with her kids in the living room or speaking on stage at church, she’s meeting with entrepreneurs to help them realize their potential. She has experience at every level of the Org. Chart, and now helps run the agency she started with her husband in 2014. She is passionate about spirituality and loving the people around her.

What do you do for Emery? Throughout my time with Emery my role has changed a few times. I have been with the team since the beginning, and I have done everything from general design and one off projects to complex custom web design and development. I grew into my role as an Art Director, and I am currently heading up touchpoints/design. What do you do outside of Emery? I enjoy playing with my dogs, going to nice restaurants with my wife. I like to lift / exercise. Additional work for my church. I like doing yard work and other various projects around my house. Where did you used to work? I used to work for a 48 year-old design firm out of Denver, Colorado (Design & Image). After that, I used some of my experience and knowledge to work for myself as a freelance for 5 years. Why do you exist? Yikes. That’s deep. What’s your solution to all the world’s problems? I don’t have one … nor do I think anyone else does. I think the world would be a better place if we just loved each other for our differences, as opposed to using them against one another. By land or sea? `{`and which vehicle?`}` Land. I’m good with my feet on the ground. I have a Volvo … I’m good being satisfied with what I have. Plus its safe! What frustrates you? Not being able to do something on the first try. Website cache, and walking behind slow people in a grocery store without enough room to pass. Creativity is… In everybody in some form or another. I think as humans we all have special talents and viewpoints that different from each other. A solution doesn’t have to be sexy to be effective. Design is… What I live and breathe for. It is in everything everywhere … from a stop sign, to a billboard ad, to a beautifully designed logo. Items are designed all around us to create effective communication and beautiful storytelling. Something interesting about you? Started my elementary school yo-yo and juggling club. Hold my high school diving records / All-Ohio diver. Had multiple knee surgeries (woof). I lived in Oklahoma, Georgia, Colorado, and Ohio! Youngest of 8. Originally from: My mother … Ohio. Studied: Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio) Bachelor of Science and Technology: Major: Visual Communication Technology Minor: Marketing What’s been the greatest adventure of your life so far? I think my greatest adventure has been my relationship with my wife. From the moment we said “I do” we have been on a non-stop adventure! We complement each other and constantly push each other to become better. I am incredibly proud of the life we have built together. What’s the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever worked on? Myself. I think it is incredibly hard to admit your faults and weaknesses. I have worked extremely hard to better myself every day and become better mentally, physically, and spiritually. How do you approach your work? With a open mind and open ears. You really have to understand the client in order to have a successful project. What, in your opinion, makes Emery special? For me … The people. I don’t have co-workers. I have friends. I have a deep love and admiration for the individuals at Emery. This brings out the best work in me, because I truly want to not only succeed for myself, but I want to succeed for our team. What types of brands/companies interest you? I don’t think I have a “favorite” type of client. The thing I like about our job is the diversity of clients we get to work alongside. Favorite quote? “Design is everything, everything is design.” “If you aren’t saying “hell yes” to a project … it’s a no.”

What do you do for Emery? I help people discover their identity, whether as an individual or as an organization, then I help them develop the strategies and resources to walk in their true self. This can be anywhere from discovering a brand voice to creative copy that allows others to hear them for who they are, attracting the right tribe of people. What do you do outside of Emery? I’m restless and always creating. From contributing to art and poetry magazines to throwing ceramics on the wheel to baking bread and brewing kombucha, I’m constantly exploring the textures of life. Where did you used to work? A culture newspaper, art publication, national food magazine, local NPR station, tech startup, creative agency, and beyond. Why do you exist? To be a mirror for what is true. To reflect the world to itself, in all it’s unseen glories and overlooked injustices. What’s your solution to all the world’s problems? Not the only solution, but I think if every child had at least one parent tell them everyday, “I love you,” and actually mean it, the world would be a much more generous, thoughtful, and kind place. Being loved makes greed sort of silly. By land or sea? `{`and which vehicle?`}` By Subaru or by kayak! My car is named, “Baby Subs.” What frustrates you? When people don’t see their true identity and believe in the lies that they aren’t ____ enough or too ____. We’re too hard on each other. Creativity is… In everyone. We’re told what is creative and what is not. But living, making choices, trying… it’s all a creative act. Design is… Creativity with purpose. Art in action. Originally from: Atlanta, Ga Studied: Journalism with an emphasis in Magazines, minor in Sociology. Lived in Italy for a summer to study Italian cooking and travel writing! Secret talent: Not knowing how to ride a bike. Spirit animal: Giraffe. Tall, clumsy, and hangry when not fed. Favorite quote? One of many…
“If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories — science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” - Ray Bradbury

What do you do for Emery? I help our clients understand the breadth of Customer Experience, how to view their brand through the eyes of their audience, and how to improve their customer’s journey. What do you do outside of Emery? I’m raising 4 kids with my wife, building a house in the woods of Maine, and playing as much music as I can. Where did you used to work? I’ve worked in Customer Experience management for brands like First Act Instruments and Tea Forte. I’ve also worked in sales and marketing for a variety of startups in Maine. What’s your solution to all the world’s problems? Active listening. There’s a Stephen R Covey quote about listening for the sake of hearing, not for the sake of responding. That makes a lot of sense to me. What will be your undoing? `{`your poison in the wild!`}` Coffee shops with good muffins. By land or sea? By land in an RV with my whole family in tow. Creativity is… Looking at what already exists and saying “yeah, but what if…” Design is… Stationary charades. Originally from: Kennebunk, Maine. Go Rams. Studied: Guitar - Jazz performance. Guilty pleasure Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid - even before having kids. Spirit animal: I would hope a Gorilla, but it’s probably more like a gopher. What do you want to be remembered for? I’d love to be remembered for making something great, whether it’s a family, house, or something on which to sit. If somewhere down the line someone can say, “Old Ben made that bench 100 years ago”, I did fine. What’s been the greatest adventure of your life so far? Everything I’ve done with my wife and kids. They’re a hoot. What’s the most fulfilling thing you’ve ever worked on? I live in a very small town with not much happening in the way of arts. A handful of us locals got together to start an Community Center that hosted concerts and plays. It was really rewarding to see so many people in support of local creatives, no matter their age or experience level. How do you approach your work? I like to find the end goal and work backwards. Creating a clear objective first and foremost makes all other processes much more simple. What, in your opinion, makes Emery special? The fact that each team member has a specialty, but also holds experience and knowledge in all of the areas. It allows us to seamlessly collaborate with our team and clients. Favorite quote? It’s a toss up between: “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” - Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King and And “Only the good die young.” - Billy Joel