Benton’s. The smoked bacon and country ham supplier to the world’s finest chefs and restaurants. From The French Laundry, Momofuku, and Husk to your own home kitchen, Benton’s brings the smokiest flavor to your plate.

All of their meats are smoked by a hand-fed hickory fire that runs nearly 24/7. This intense attention to detail sets Benton’s apart (by a long shot) from their competitors.

We wanted to lean into this product element in a fun way by offering organic cloth dryer sheets. Smoked right next to the world-famous hams, these dryer sheets come in a limited edition custom box.

I concepted and designed the box, took the promo photos, and designed the micro-site.

*these completely sold out the first day they were on sale

Ode to Smoke
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

To most people, that phrase means something unsavory is happening.
At Benton’s, nothing could be further from the truth.

Because the smoke here was born of a lifelong pursuit of perfection.

It started with a proud family tradition based on centuries-old methods for dry-curing and smoking meat.  And that smoke became an obsession for Allan Benton.

The temperature. The timing. The intensity. It’s all carefully crafted for an aroma that’s primal and pure.

When you open the door to our smokehouse, tendrils of smoke curl and swirl out toward you like a tantalizing finger beckoning you forward.

To an outsider, it might seem like the hickory and applewood burning around the clock are what fuels the flames responsible for this one-of-a-kind flavor. But it only takes a minute with the Bentons to know their passion is where the real heat comes from.

So I guess what we’re saying is “Yeah. Where there’s smoke, there IS fire.”

art director
designer
photographer

agency: Tilt C+P
engraving and woodwork: Big Secret
copy: Bart Rowell
creative director: Scot Crooker
field photos: Doug Buerlein
video editing: Madison Munson

From the Marshall’s clearance rack to a screen near you…

backstory:
Tilt had recently won several awards for the R8: Last Lap video we did to celebrate the end of an era — the last Audi R8s being produced. A few weeks later, I found myself in the discount store Marshall’s and noticed a pretty sweet-looking R8 remote control car. Unsure if it even operated, I picked it up on a whim. A couple of batteries later, and this thing is actually pretty cool. After driving it around the office and certainly annoying some of the team, we decided to go ahead and make a 1:1 match to the actual Last Lap video, because… why not?

Honestly, it came out better than I imagined it would, so here it is for you to enjoy as well.

*Vertical video for social.

creative director

creative team: Mia Dickerson, Carlos Estrada, Manhatten Royal, Jacob Canary, Madison Munson
editor: Madison Munson

Designed digital screens and updated signage for the Capital One Arena and made this little video to show ‘em off. Enjoy.

art director

creative director: Constance Eisele
copywriter: Bart Rowell
producer: Jack Nester
editing + colorist: Justin Ihara
cameras: Ian Hawkins
agency: Tilt C+P

Richmond legend Nick F on film. Spent the afternoon chopping it up over four rolls of film - Ilford B&W Delta 400, Ilford B&W HP5 Plus, FujiFilm 400 and CineStill 400D on a Pentax K1000.

Album + promo art

90’s hip hop aesthetic / period correct gear

*these are lo-res uploads. actual images are crispy.

photographer
creative director

When Tilt C+P renovated their downtown office, we wanted a video to go out with the open house invite. Several concepts were pitched, from animated shorts, stop motion dances, and standard video tours.

I wrote this short... poem? prose? about the bricks in the building. I think the office was originally built in the 1700s and you can see the life it's lived in the old bricks, paint, and where walls and doors once stood.

It felt like that was something unique to the space. A lot of design studios and agencies have the latest equipment and fancy offices but something about being in an historic building in an historic city felt different.

This is a video about those bricks.


writer
director
voice-over

creative director: Scot Crooker
producer: Jack Nester
post producers: Angie Leaf, Nick Costa
cameras: Ian Hawkins
art directors: Logan Buerlein, Eric Serviss
audio: Eric Heiberg
editors: Madison Munson, Larry Whitlock
shout out to Eric Eisele for the VO coaching

Bristol Rhythm & Roots has all of the best parts of a music festival and none of the worst. Well, I did see one guy throw up on the street, but you’d be hard pressed to find anything else to complain about.

My friend Woody asked me to travel with him and his band The Piners to document a weekend of music and several performances they had on the schedule. I figured it would give me a chance to dust my camera off and see if my knees can still handle crouching in the photo pit. So I did. and despite being a bit sore when I got back, it really wasn’t too bad. In fact, the trip was great.

Here are some images I took from the fest. I’ve got an article in the works, so I will post that when it’s published. So, until then, enjoy all the hats…

photographer

Helped concept this spot, then somehow got talked into being the “talent” when our expecting father fell through at the last minute.

Pretty fun one from the Tilt C+P crew.

creative director: Eric Eisele
creative team: Bart Rowell, Carlos Estrada, Constance Eisele, Eric Serviss, Manhatten Royal, Sharhonda Lewis, Sylvester Tucker
editor: Madison Munson
audio: Mike O'Conner

We were asked to find a way to hype up a new initiative from Capital One that… rolls out over the next few years, is complicated tech heavy content, needs to bring energy and hype to the project to get buy-in from stakeholders, needs to include a list of product-specific features, and… probably some other mandatories that got lost in my mental shuffle as I’m typing this out.

We pitched several ways into this and landed on a movie preview concept. It feels tech-y, we got all the features in there, and it enabled us to jump from scene to scene in a familiar format.

Pretty stoked on how this one came out.

***BONUS CONTENT***
The lower video to the left is the second in this series. This video uses sports training as a metaphor for a technology that serves three specific lines of business. Each LOB is represented by a different sport. Follow our tech associates errr.. athletes‍ as they train, analyze their performance, and prove to be true champions.

art director

creative director: Constance Eisele
illustrator + animator: Vanessa Appleby
copy: Bart Rowell
post: Angie Leaf
audio: Eric Heiberg

Designed this graphic for t-shirts and crew neck sweatshirts for streetwear brand [NAME REDACTED] in honor & celebration of the historic Khende Wiley sculpture Rumors of War unveiling at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I designed this with obvious inspiration from Master P and his No Limit Records entrepreneurial spirit and design style. I felt there was a parallel spirit between the two artist’s (Wiley and Master P) vibes and I wanted to highlight that in a streetware style for the people. Also, to remain ‘period correct’ we had these printed on beefy cotton tees. I also made some promo stickers to give out as well.

These limited edition shirts sold out on the first day.

art director
designer

Selects from the Wes Freed Memorial Concert Photos. Was asked to shoot Woody Woodworth & the Piners performance. But you know I had to do more.

Tried out a new old favorite roll of Kodak T-Max 400 film + digital images. Figured I’d use the film for backstage portraits of the performers and the digital for the performances.

per usual: these uploads are lo-res. proper shots are extra crispy.

artists include:
Patterson Hood
J. Roddy Walston
Woody Woodworth & The Piners
Beex
Horsehead
Slack Family
Mag Bats
Louis Ledford
Armistead’s Armi
Barstool Heroes
Jeff Hall
Joe Cat
DJ Jay Leavitt

Fun little one-off for Hoka’s trail shoes. Using photography taken while actually running trails. This feels almost like a throwback ad. But, really, what’s more primal than running through the woods? plus, I hear 90s aesthetics are back, so there’s that.

Choosing not to show the product, and instead using the runner’s perspective and lush environments helps connect to what trail running is all about.

Photos were taken while hauling ass through various trails throughout the Pacific Northwest. The colors really hit different out there.

creative director
photographer

Capital One sponsored a Twitch / Minecraft e-sports tournament and wanted a spot that highlighted their Virtual Card Number benefit while also playing in the blocky Minecraft/twitch world.

Balancing that with the Capital One brand guidelines was a little tricky but I think we pulled it off.

We even managed to fit a few easter eggs in, like the Visagoth on the customer’s desk at the end.

art director

creative director: Constance Eisele
illustrator: Doug Fuchs
copy: Bart Rowell

For this project director Kent Belle really wanted to explore the y2k / trash / vaporwave / maximalist look. I think at one point he even said “imagine if David Lynch had a Russian soap opera.” at least that’s what I have in my notes. “strange and surreal.” that’s written in there too.

director: Kent Belle
producer: Kent + Nikita Moyer
cast and crew @ higherlowsfilm.com

New logo and rebrand for nonprofit “HomeAgain”

This was a fun and rewarding project to give back to the community in a small way. HomeAgain does amazing work in helping the unhoused population. We went through many concepts and ideas, some of which I really loved, and landed on the ‘mailbox.’

A mailbox represents so much in such a simple item. A permanent address. A place to be found. Somewhere to receive letters, information and even bills. For the kids, it’s knowing Santa will visit. It’s the first thing you see when you arrive at most homes, yet many take such a simple object for granted.

art director
designer

creative team: Carlos Estrada, Scot Crooker, Constance Eisele, Christie Hach

My good friend Parker opened a coffee roasting business on the French Broad River in Asheville, NC.

Coffee so good it’ll wake ya from the dead.

art director
illustrator: Brandon Hingley

Checkmate Chess Club identity with the lettering assist from the legendary Brandon Hingley.

art director
animator
designer

Spent a large part of summer ‘22 concepting, designing, and shooting the national campaign for Capital One’s updated tech initiative. We told the stories of three associates and the breakthrough tech innovations they created.

Deliverables included 3 video spots, animated digital banners, social graphics and a reddit megathread, still photos and more.

art director

director: James Bartolomeo
copywriter: Bart Rowell
creative director: Eric Eisele
photographer: Todd Wright
production: Tilt C+P

I was asked to design and art direct this flyer for a speaker series featuring Roger Gastman. Known for his impact in graffiti culture he founded While You Were Sleeping, a legendary graffiti magazine; did Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop (which earned an Academy Award nomination for best documentary), curated several award winning art shows across the world and runs the Graffiti Museum in LA.

For this project I partnered with the best letterer I know - Brandon Hingley. Since Roger has such a colorful history in graffiti culture, we used several classic and iconic letter styles in the flyer.

Claudia Gold aka Claw Money was slated to join Roger but had to drop at the last minute (she got her own talk a few weeks later).

p.s. censored out client info for privacy/legal

art director
copywriter: Chris H

Had the honor of producing an event with the legendary Charles “Chuck” Barkley and Spike Lee.

In addition to the event itself, I partnered with Richmond hip hop legend Nickelus F to produce an original song and music video to promote and introduce the topic(s).

Had to take this one down due to client privacy, but ask me about it and I can show you.

One of the highlights of my career includes Spike Lee referring to my designs as “dope.”

art director

copywriter: Daniel Jones
copywriter: Toni
art director: Anna Jones
creative director: Jerome Frederick
production: GSD&M

Live & In Person is an event sponsored by American Songwriter Magazine. The first one was in Muscle Shoals, home of FAME studios and the Muscle Shoals Sound (Arethra Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Percy Sledge, Clarence Carter, etc.). Live & In Person is designed to be an intimate, all inclusive weekend in iconic music destinations.

The logo is a Gibson "open book" headstock with a highway sign as the bottom, representing music, travel, the music highway. The bar graphic and color scheme are designed to be adapted to future events in different locations. 

Attendees received a custom box (pictured) with swag and info prior to the trip to hype them up.

art direction

photos by Jason Myers

I traveled with the World Pediatric Project to Belize City to document specialist surgeons volunteering their time to operate on children in need. My father is a photographer and let me tag along for this trip and this is a short video I produced for the WPP. 

producer
videographer/editor

The first in a series of consumer education videos, I art directed and designed the initial illustration for this topic: Business VS Personal Credit Cards.

It’s a journey y’all.

art director

creative director: Constance Eisele
copy: Bart Rowell
illustrations: Charlie North
animations: Anna Kolantis

Art directed this photoshoot for trumaker mens clothing launch in Nashville. Images were used as creative for several events to introduce the menswear brand to the region. Photos by Jason Myers. 

art director

Drew this shirt out for my friends at WNRN radio for their indie rock show Les Temps Purdue spring ‘22 fundraiser. Tune in.

In November 2016 I went to Classic Studios in Bristol TN/VA to produce and document Woody Woodworth & The Rebel City's debut record. Half of the band lived in the Washington DC area and I was bringing a studio player from Nashville with me, so we met in the middle — Bristol, Birthplace of Country Music. I produced the album as well as recorded and edited the teaser video and the live acoustic song as promotional media to use as we near the album's release date (Spring 2017). Engineered by Gene Hughes, a most excellent dude. 

producer
art director
videographer/editor

Concepted, art directed, designed and produced the booth experience and swag for Capital One’s presence at OSCON. OSCON is a conference celebrating the open source computer coding community. We went with the theme “Into The Great Wide Open Source” and designed the booth to feature elements of the Pacific Northwest (the conference was in Portland, OR) as well as swag that supported this theme.

The booth was a huge hit and attendees lined up to talk about Capital One’s technology as well as grab some free swag: custom Nalgene water bottles, custom Field Notes notebooks (local tie-in with a partnership with Portland’s own Aaron Draplin), custom patches and bandanas.

art director
designer
producer

copywriter: Chris Hull
creative director: Jason Taylor

To celebrate a corporate client’s massive move from data centers to complete cloud processing, we worked with upcycling artist Gabriel Dishaw to commission this giant pegasus sculpture as a permanent custom piece for their art collection. Made entirely of materials from the actual data center, this piece represents the idea that we literally cannot go back (since the center has been destroyed and this sculpture is made from the servers, cabling etc.)

There are a ton of easter eggs and subtle messaging built into this sculpture. Things like the 8.11 number represent the petabytes of data that moved during the evolution to the cloud. We chose some of those messages and Gabriel came up with a couple on his own.

The process for this was really fun. We toured the data center, identified key materials we could use, had them shipped to his studio, worked closely together through concepts to the final subject to it’s crating and unveiling by professional art handlers in it’s permanent home in Richmond, VA.

bonus item: for the CFO (who is a big Star Wars fan) we commissioned an additional Boba Fett helmet, built in the same style, using parts from the data center as a gift for this incredible achievement.

*This project won the only gold award at the In House Agency Forum show of over 20 submissions from this client.

creative director: Jason T
copywriter: Chris H
producer: Jaci Alberts

Fat Natty’s pop up pizza logo.

Commissioned Sharee Miller (Michelle’s Garden, Don’t Touch My Hair, etc.) to celebrate Capital One’s presence at Afrotech conference. We made a t-shirt to match and there was so much love for this art that we ended up printing a full color version for Blacks in Tech summit a couple months later.

copywriter: Chris Martin

3st of The Month - A monthly celebration of booze.

Sounds good to me! A collaboration with Nashville's Food Sheriff and Mountain Agency, 3st of The Month is every month on the 3rd. Each event is a unique theme (Juniper June - Gin, Tiki-tober - Rum, Whisk(e)y VS Bourbon, etc.) and the art needs to represent the 3st brand as well as the specific month's theme. I designed all the posters as well as support signage and branding. 

3st of The Month is always a good time, always sold out, and is always something to look forward to each month. A loyal following and support from liquor and beer distributers and the city of Nashville has helped 3st raise over 20K for non-profits in Middle Tennessee. Check the video recap out that I recorded and produced after each event.

producer
art director
designer
videographer

Beav’s BBQ logo and branding. Brainstormed more than a few ideas, overnight, next to a 1,000 pound smoker, cookin’ up some delicious bbq. I ain’t mad at it.

art director
designer

AWS re:Invent is one of the largest technology conferences in the world. Capital One wanted to have a presence at the conference that invited and enabled attendees to have engaging conversations around the tech they are creating. My team pitched several concepts and we ended up on an 8-bit cloud theme. Nostalgic, fun, inviting and a nod to the video game culture that is relatable to nearly all attendees made for an all-around awesome booth experience.

Since swag is such an important part of the conference experience, we decided to lean into the Vegas theme and create custom playing cards (in partnership with US Playing Card company – the world’s premier playing card manufacturer). In order to bring attention to the small sized item, we hired Paul Robaia – a young, up and coming cardestry and magic expert. He was instructed to emphasize cardestry and sprinkle in some magic tricks to engage attendees who were in line for swag. This activation put the focus on the actual swag item (the custom playing cards) and was a unique experience and worked out wonderfully. There were also t-shirts that matched the card decks as well as the booth graphic(s).

Overall, the booth experience turned out great. They won top sponsor awards from AWS and booth traffic was up significantly over previous years.

Had a lot of fun on this project.

art director
experience designer
production desi;gner

creative director: Jason Taylor
copywriter: Chris Hull

photos by Jan-Eric Mowinski

Red Bull Sound Select is Red Bull's live music program. The tagline is "Break Music" and their mission is to help breakthrough artists get exposure and opportunities. I've produced about 15 events for RBSS, including on-site activations, digital promo, and unique themed give-aways.

I'm a music lover and have spent time in the industry so I always enjoy working with brands who share my passion for music. Red Bull Sound Select is a great program for young bands and the events are always a good time. It is important to Red Bull that these shows are unique experiences, so there is always a budget and emphasis on doing more than just a poster. Small touches like custom hand stamps and larger installations such as graffitiing the show poster onto walls in high traffic areas were a fun part of this gig. 

creative director
art director
designer
producer

Custom Zen Cards printed on soft touch laminate paper in a custom box printed on Neenah Patriot Blue paper and stamped with gold foil. I designed these as swag for Capital One’s booth at the PyCon conference. PyCon celebrates the Python coding language and these custom decks were given out as swag celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 20 Zen Principles of Python.
Printed and assembled by Worth Higgins & Associates in Richmond, VA.

art director
designer

copywriter: Chris Hull

For this project I (and copywriter partner Chris Hull) commissioned artist Aaron Woodard to paint this custom portrait of Python founder Guido van Rossum for the PyCon 2019 conference. This intentionally over-the-top artwork is full of references to the Python language, Monty Python movies (namesake of the language), and easter eggs galore.

The art was then printed on a 3,000 piece puzzle to serve as an activation in the booth. Research showed that attendees are into gaming culture and could lean into introverted personalities, so we wanted an activation with a low barrier to entry that would resonate within the culture.

The painting went on to the PyLadies auction, which raises money for women in coding. It smashed the record ($3,000) and sold for $9,001.00.

It was a huge hit at the conference, and being able to raise that much money was a success all around.

Client: Capital One.

Creative Director: Jason Taylor

Update: Based on the success of this project, we did it again in 2021. This time, the portrait was an interpretation of the Python logo, in the same imagined world as the original. This is the last image on this page.

Logo and Branding for Symphonic Records. The round mark can be used for social media and as an icon when appropriate. The mark’s cut is where the stem would intercept the note (in the music note at the bottom) and also represents a needle in a record’s groove. dig it.

creative director
art director
designer

After tremendous growth in the market, Red Bull wanted to host an unforgettable, post holiday party for the Nashville service industry. Red Bull activates “Red Monday” as a special thank you to the restaurant and bar industry who work the holidays, special events, and busy seasons. Because of the special nature of the event, no details are too small and the experience must be second to none. 

Working at Mountain, we conceptualized a multi-faceted secret warehouse party at an undisclosed location tucked away in an under-developed warehouse on the Cumberland River. In this space, we converted a 10,000 sq ft abandoned meat packing plant into three rooms with a surprise portion unveiled mid-way through event. It was epic. Real epic.

art director
producer

To celebrate a corporate client’s presence at Grace Hopper Celebration 2021 and to recognize Women In Tech, I art directed, storyboarded, created animation templates and style guides for this video that served as our virtual presence in our virtual booth.

In addition to the booth concept, I designed a matching swag box that was shipped to all attendees as a thank you gift and follow-up messaging opportunity all under the “She Made It Happen” campaign wrapper.

The swag was an intentional partnership with Ajiri Coffee and Tea, which is a non-profit organization that works to empower women in Kenya through micro-lending programs, classes on coding, and education programs to create a full cycle of sustainable aid.

art direction
animation
concepting
social media

copywriters:
Chris Hull
Stephanie Anderson

creative director:
Jason Taylor

La Tavola is a monthly, informal wine class led by wine expert Robin Riddell Jones. La Tavola is Italian for 'a set table'. I created the handwritten logo as a nod to the casual vibe and added a subtle "table" underneath to accompany the name and message. Each month I printed a different menu and silk screened the notebooks for attendees to take notes on wine and all of the great stories Robin had.

art director
producer

Had the pleasure of co-producing, recording and mixing these fine country songs by my friend Woody and his band The Piners.

Mastered by Welcome to 1979 Studios, Nashville, TN

Pressed by Blue Sprocket Pressing, Harrisonburg, VA

Co-Founder (built with Kiernan McMullan), Creative Director and Chief Producer/Engineer for American Cadence Records, a not-for-profit record label established in 2012. This was a great opportunity to combine my professional background in marketing and advertising with my love of music production. Through my efforts with ACR, we were able to play several official SXSW showcases, produce vinyl records, and do photoshoots with great photographers including Joshua Black Wilkins, tour the US and Europe and do our best to give back to the community. 

creative director
art director
producer
owner

LP Building Products original content magazine Engineered Wood is a great resource for smart building products, design trends, and building news. At GS&F I produced several issues of Engineered wood. Responsibilities include spread design, color correction, and final print production files. 

art director
producer

CHARGE is an entrepreneur storytelling conference held each year in Nashville, TN. Founded in 2014 by Mountain Agency and Jumpstart Foundry, I was hired to brand the event and create an identity for it. I designed the logo, brand standards, and support art for the event (both years). 

designer
art director
producer

Bridgestone's original content magazine TreadLife is an entertaining and informative magazine for Bridgestone retailers to provide for their customers. Issues include articles on tire tips and maintenance, Bridgestone initiatives & campaigns and a promotions calendar. At GS&F I produced several issues of Treadlife. Responsibilities include art direction, spread design, color correction, and final print production files. 

art director
producer

Designed this bandana for Woody Woodworth & The Piners album release. All the flash tattoo illustrations are references to lyrics from the album.

designer

Fresh from Florida, Jason Myers wanted update his brand to represent his personality and new location in Nashville, Tennessee. We explored a lot of vintage signage, classic photography elements and fun ways to incorporate his logo and brand into merchandise and leave-behinds when he pitches his work. 

art director

songspace was new to the market and wanted help getting the word out to songwriters, publishers, record labels and other influencers working in the music industry. I designed a series of happy hour hangs with bartenders in a casual, private agency environment. They successfully acquired new customers and interest in what songspace was doing. 

producer
art director 

I like this piece because it is a classic Didot and Gotham sans/serif pairing with the messy sketch graphic. 

Working with Yelawolf and Interscope Records we produced a series of album release events and media buys for Yelawolfs new album “Love Story.” 

With Wolf, we conceptualized, produced and executed secret warehouse parties in NYC, LA and Nashville over a 1 week timeframe for over 600+ lucky fans, to experience an exclusive opportunity to hang with Wolf in an intimate venue setting. We took raw spaces and created Yelawolf’s Gothic Southern Americana world. The events had a live performance from Wolf’s new album featuring Bones Owens on guitar, Klever on the turntables, surprise guests and were followed by a listening party of the entire album. 

With surprises that ranged from Travis Barker playing drums unannounced, to other legendary musicians making cameos, the Love Story parties were a solid hit with top influencers, music industry moguls, media and fans alike. Yelawolf’s album hit #3 on Billboards Top 200 in it’s 1st week.

Creative Director: Nathan Brown

art director

This was an internal logo for the Delta region within Red Bull's Sound Select teams. I was asked to include a water element and a triangle shape. I included some of the final directions I worked on just to show an example of my process (post sketching). 

designer

Construction Chris was one of East Nashville’s finest carpenters. He was one of my best friends and I was happy to help him design his logo, website and branding as his business expanded rapidly through his excellent sense of craft and skill level. 

Tragically, he passed away in a motorcycle accident on Aug. 3rd, 2015. I'll keep this here as a reminder that there is a relationship and spirit in all things. Sharing the human experience is a crazy thing. 

Art Directed this music video with long time collaborators Dylan White (Please + Thank You Motion Pictures) and Kiernan McMullan. Filmed over a couple days, you can see a couple cameos of me if you look close enough (2:28 — Indiana Jones hat, backstage at War Memorial).

I also recorded, mixed and produced the record this song is from. You can hear it here. 

producer
art director