• Recruited at launch to take Rihanna’s vision for a revolutionary new inclusive line and develop/define who Savage X Fenty was and how that would be portrayed to the world.

• Created all brand messaging, personas, tone, voice, best-practices, partnership guidelines, brand books, etc., that served as the blueprint for implementing new innovative and unprecedented social media and marketing

  strategies that told the world, “Didn’t they tell you that we were Savage?!”

• Assisted in the E2E planning and execution of all monthly campaign shoots ft. Rihanna, celebrity partners, and. models – requiring the ability to adapt to changes in Rihanna’s schedule, contract and time management, and capturing content on set.

• Managed the social media content calendars and editorial calendars (populating, copywriting, editing, approving, posting), and created monthly, quarterly, annually, and project-based reports that I presented to the larger teams - including Fenty.

• Developed unique promotional campaigns for the six (6) brick-and-mortar national retail store openings where I partnered with locals who embodied their city’s traits and immersed myself in their underground world to authentically capture and convey their story in alignment with Savage X Fenty’s mission.

  (Ask me about this experience!)

• Developed multiple Webby Award-winning social media campaigns and experiential activations to promote the #SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW Rihanna’s collection of fashion shows celebrating music, culture and “every body” (and forced the competitor to pause their shows). Examples:

  • VOL 1: The Savage Xperience: Closed out NYFW with an immersive experience that transported fans onto real campaign and show sets with Rihanna’s actual looks. This resulted in a significant spike in fan UGC, organic show promotion, and crowd control.

  • VOL 2: Savage, Not Sorry: Teaser campaign that creatively mocked Instagram’s censoring of Rihanna – and is still imitated (but never duplicated) by brands today. Despite being the result of pivoting due to pandemic mandates, it was the highest-performing series until VOL. 3 with ~1bil impressions.

  • VOL 3: Savage in the Streets: An experiential event that transformed SoHo into the Red-Light District – giving fans an exclusive peek at show looks.

• People Manager responsible for two (2) direct reports, four+ (4+) indirect reports, and the internship program.

• Expanded DEI efforts by successfully advocating for allocated budgets, diverse hiring panels, and implementing new social media campaigns including:

  • #PULLUP: Unprecedented evergreen social justice campaign launched in 2020 & named for Rihanna’s iconic quote.

  • #SAVAGEXPRIDE: 360-degree LGBTQIA+ campaigns ft. real fans, employees, set crew, GLAAD & LA Pride.

  • #SAVAGEXGAMECHANGERS: Highlighted fans who were making a difference in their communities by placing them in real campaigns.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

SENIOR STRATEGIST, BRAND + SOCIAL MEDIA

• Ultimately crafted and created the "brand" that is Savage X Fenty. Everything from the tone, voice, persona, best-practices, messaging, social media strategies, influencer content, platform aesthetics, and every public-facing communication, copy or asset was either briefed by me or came through me in the editing and approvals stage. All final approvals came from the Fenty team - who I had great rapport with - and Rihanna herself.

• Developed the Webby Award-winning social media campaign for the #SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW VOL. 2 - which was a direct result of having to pivot due to the pandemic. Also developed the social strategies and IRL fan engagement opportunities for VOL. 1 & VOL. 3. After all, didn't they tell you that I was a Savage?! (That's the last time I'll use that line...I promise!)​

• Successfully planned and hosted six (6) grand opening celebrations for the brick-and-mortar retail store openings in: Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and D.C.

• Launched four (4) new social media channels for the brand. NOTE: The big three (3) - FB, TW, IG - were previously secured in order to own the handle, but not managed. Highlights include:

  • Developing the approved TikTok launch strategy in collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion.

  • Launched the brand's YouTube channel as a dedicated home for exclusive content from Rihanna, celebrity Partners, Ambassadors, behind-the-scenes campaign footage, and other engaging longer-form video content not available on the other platforms. This led to a significant and steady increase in views and subscribers.

    • The channel launched during the holiday season so to increase relevancy we partnered with comedian Heidi Heaslet for a Savage X Gift Guide.

• Consistently grew the major social media platforms by ~1.5M organic new followers YoY. Instagram steadily witnessed 1M organic new followers YoY due to the emphasis placed on this channel, the ability to be more "Savage," and the majority of our target demographic being active on the platform - which also allowed for more unique engagement opportunities.

• Successfully ​averted online and social media crises that protected the brand from major controversies or scandals, and most importantly, shielded Rihanna from any major backlash. This was accomplished by taking proactive measures on social media listening, and prepping the Customer Service team (aka GMS) on how to proceed should they come across spikes in negative chatter.

• ​I should mention that because of the brand's influence and Rihanna's introduction of models of all shapes, colors, genders and identities into the industry, the competitor put their televised annual fashion shows on hold for four+ (4+) years and made visible changes to their marketing efforts. You know what they say: That Rihanna reign just won't let up! (See, I got a whole catalog of one-liners ready to go!)

+1M YOY

+1.5M YOY

ALL CHANNELS

INSTAGRAM

+4

NEW

CHANNELS LAUNCHED

500+

500+

4

4

AMBASSADORS MANAGED & VETTED

#SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW (THE FASHION SHOW) ROBUST SOCIAL CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES EXECUTED

15+

15+

NEW COLLECTION LAUNCHES + CAMPAIGNS PER YEAR BACKED W/ FULL CREATIVE, MARKETING, PR & SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES

INFLUENCERS MANAGED & ON-DECK FOR COLLABORATIONS

1K

1K

"Pose, bish!"

This candid shot of Rihanna was taken just days before VOL. 2 premiered and was the most-liked photo for Savage until promos for VOL. 3 went live.

Although this didn't necessarily age well, I thought this was worth including since it was a significant moment.

Rihanna personally selected Christian "King" Combs to be the face of the Men's Line - which debuted in 2020's VOL. 2. There's a cute story as to why, but remind me to tell you in person.

However, the campaign shoot took place much earlier in the year and I got to shoot him alongside pro photog (and Rih's good friend) Dennis Leupold.

They look d*mn good together.

This was taken at the opening of the LA Savage X Fenty brick-and-mortar. The crowd just outside the frame was insane!

Personal anecdote: Rocky is the most kind, genuine person. Periodt. I first met him back in NYC in 2012 backstage at Wild 'n Out. We were in his green room and my boss (the reason I was there) wanted a photo with him. So I took out my phone and everyone huddled in the pic. Rocky then stops and yells for his friend to come over. "You should be in the photo, too." He said to me as he motioned for his boy to take the phone. I still have that photo, and shows how something so small can have a big impact.

"Dem Savage Boiz!" World Tour! - Unofficial Name.

DJ Inferno, our resident DJ (and close friend of Rihanna), and I hit the road to open the brick-and-mortar retail stores across the country. This was stop 2: Houston, TX.

He spun the hottest tunes while I emceed the events; keeping the crowds engaged, sharing content (and tagging us), giving out swag to the most dedicated fans, and captured content for our own social channels. I also managed all influencer and VIP visits.

[Bonus Q: Can you guess which two (2) artists we were not allowed to play? Email me your responses and one (1) person might get something pretty cool from this experience]

#SAVAGEXIRL

Opening Sxf's First Six (6) Brick-And-Mortars Across The US.

#SAVAGEXGAMECHANGERS

Spotlighting Our Fans Who Were Doing Good In Their Communities And Changin' The Game.

#SAVAGEXPRIDE

A Pride Campaign By the Community. For the Community. Featuring the Community.

Gifs That Add Attitude To Any Social Post.

#SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW

GIPHYS

The Culture, Fashion, and Celebrities That Changed The Industry.

Rihanna

Rihanna

Paris Hilton

Marla Toussaint

Me!

TELL THE WORLD YOU'RE SAVAGE...

...WITHOUT TELLING THEM YOU'RE SAVAGE.

#SAVAGEXPARTNERS

#SAVAGEXPARTNERS are the highest-tiered collaborators on a collection or brand moment. Unlike influencers or Ambassadors, Partners have creative input from start to the final X-ecution. Rihanna approves, or hand-selects, all Partners.

MY ROLE:

• Created lists of all possible Partnership opportunities based on upcoming brand moments, collections, current events and more.

• Brainstormed and compiled lists of possible Partners for these brand moments and included justification, possible backlash and negative responses to partnership, budget expectations, duration, legal factors (timing, delivery, potential responses to Partner not abiding by contractual obligations, etc.), and all other information that could be asked when presenting.

• Pitched list of possible Partners during planning meetings.

• Once approved, helped facilitate the Partnership with celebrity. This included, but was not limited to:

  • Making an introduction to their team(s).

  • Drafting contracts and deliverable requirements. This required working closely with our legal team.

    • Editing contracts based on feedback.

  • Making introductions with other teams (Styling, Design, etc.) who would be working with the Partner.

  • Making note of special requests and requirements from the Partner - whether it was dietary or personal preferences.

  • Managing editorial timelines and social media calendars to ensure teams were aligned and assets, messaging and launch materials were approved and ready when needed.

• Attended all campaign shoots with the Partner to ensure their guidelines were followed, capture behind-the-scenes content for social media and marketing purposes, and to serve as a familiar face for the Partner and their team (sometimes it can be overwhelming being on a set and not know anyone so I would help to put the Partner at ease if needed).

• Drafted all messaging, social media post copy, and talking points for both internal approval and the Parner's approval.

• Updated calendars to reflect approved assets and copy.

• Developed miscellaneous, easy-lift activations, usually designed social media, that would help elevate and promote the partnership (contests, fan shoutouts, etc.).

• Posted to all social media channels, monitored sentiment, and engaged with community.

Thee Stallion

SAVAGE X

💋

Megan Thee Stallion

SAVAGE X

WE

THE

BEST

WE

THE

BEST

DJ KHALED

THE MOULIN ROUGE

SAVAGE X

The Moulin Rouge

(Pictured: Mya & Christina Aguilera)

NAZANIN & MIGUEL

SAVAGE X

Nazanin Mandi & Miguel

SAVAGE X

Normani

Normani

(PS - Remind me to tell you about the time I was stuck in an elevator with her & Bella Hadid)

SAVAGE X

Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney

SAVAGE X CARAMEL CURVES

SAVAGE X KEHLANI

SAVAGE X SOTO SOSA

Manuela Soto Sosa, an LA-based tattoo artist, designed a collection of sheer pieces adorned with her signature "Baby Girl" designs.

SAVAGE X

THE USHER RESIDENCY

Rihanna hand-selected Caramel Curves, a Black, all-female biker group in NoLA, to be the face of a collection. We then went to The Big Easy to capture the group on their home turf.

I could create an entire page dedicated to Kehlani - who always went above & beyond, performed significantly higher than others, and overdelivered on assets. She's so dope.

For Usher's Vegas residency, custom Savage X pieces were created for the dancers. Usher got some X-clusive pieces, too, of course.

#XXSAVAGEX

(FT. JOAN SMALLS, PALOMA ELSESSER. SHOT BY ADAM SELMAN)

They're no "Angels."

This was our first major V-Day collab and featured four (4) top models. Rihanna's good friend (and designer of her sheer "Gatsby" dress), Adam Selman, shot this.

You'd never even know it was the day after Halloween and no one on set had slept yet!

#SAVAGEXIRL

#VEGASISSAVAGE

SOCIAL MEDIA

#HOUSTONISSAVAGE

#DCISSAVAGE

#PHILLYISSAVAGE

#ATLISSAVAGE

#LAISSAVAGE

MY ROLE

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

OVERVIEW

• Savage X Fenty initially opened six (6) brick-and-mortar retail stores across the US. Those citites included: Las Vegas, Houston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta and the District of Columbia.

• Nothing that the brand did was small, so each opening was an event - complete with pre-promotion, celebrity or influencer guests, and branded freebies (X-clusive Savage X canned beverages, Savage X candies, stickers, posters, and more).

• To ensure the grand opening went smoothly, and to bring a lil' Savage to the party, our resident DJ, DJ Inferno, and I hit the road to each new retail store.

• Created the social media promotional strategies for each city - including the development of city-specific messaging, copy for social, marketing, website and public relations/media, shot lists, assets, and more.

• Extensively researched locals in each city who embodied the brand, but weren't necessarily influencers (which made the task a welcomed challenge).

• Led the outreach, negotiations, contract management, scheduling, and creative direction for the promotional videos ft. the local talent.

• Emceed the grand opening events, kept the crowd engaged, encouraged social posting, gave away comped product to those who waited in long lines, and other tactics to ensure customer sentiment remained high.

• Posted live to Savage X's social media channels to highlight the events, raise awareness within the local community, spotlight fans, and increase engagement.

• Managed influencer and celebrity appearances at each event, including the invitations, agreement negotiations, product delivery (when applicable), and fan interactions.

• Got in good with neighboring stores by introducing myself and the brand, and giving out product and X-clusive items, so they'd be more likely to look out for the store and employees (yes, even VS).

• How do you promote the same event in six (6) unique cities without being repetitive? This was my initial challenge as we geared up for the openings. The solution: Make the promotional campaigns about the city and its people - not the brand.

• For each individual city, there was standard pre-promotion that included branded assets, messaging, and all required information.

• Additionally, the brand featured individuals from each of the six (6) cities who embodied "Savage" and ran their streets. These weren't necessarily influencers, but locals who the cool people knew you had to know. Examples include:

  • A teacher by day and exotic dancer by night who used the money to provide learning materials and opportunities for her students.

  • A dancer who toured with various artists and was in the process of creating an agency.

  • A radio DJ who founded his own radio station and pulls in the same numbers as the major FM stations in the region.

• Each city's local promotional campaign (with the exception of Los Angeles) involved the following duties:

  • Flying out prior to the store's opening event to meet with the local person(s) to be featured.

  • Shadowing them to capture their city through their lens - which was not the tourist-friendly destinations, but often the underground parts you don't see.

  • Conducting an interview Q&A with the subject about what makes their city "Savage," how they live our brand values, etc.

  • Compiling all footage and creating detailed briefs that I sent to the Art Department back in LA to edit.

  • After receiving the final videos, I posted them to the brand's social media channels. Snippets were also created and sent to the subject, along with draft copy, for them to use.

    • NOTE: For legal and other purposes each piece of content had set durations and were removed once the term expired.

"Dem Savage Boiz!" DJ Inferno & I.

The City Girls performing at the Vegas store.

LA turned up & turned out to get a glimpse of Rihanna during the opening event.

X-clusive branded snacks created for the openings.

Interactive vending machine that gave fans X-clusive free items used to promote the store.

The line wrapped around the corner of the Houston store.

SAVAGE X CITY GIRLS

SAVAGE X CITY GIRLS

The City Girls had Vegas on Lock!

The duo helped us celebrate the opening of the Las Vegas flagship store with a live performance. Fans who weren't Sinning in the City with us could tune in live on social media to watch the performance and shop the "lewks." #SavageXIRL

GIPHYS

SAVAGE X

SAVAGE X GIPHYS

X-ECUTION

MOMENTS

You may have noticed the branded Gifs and Stickers above (and if you didn't, you can't miss the legs below). Cool, right?!

As the brand continued to implement new campaigns, events, and initiatives the need to creatively differentiate or emphasize them on social became clear. So, I developed the brand's Gif and Stickers strategy that allowed both Savage X and the fans to add some Savage to their posts.

• Created sets of detailed briefs, with each "set" relating to a different brand initiative or campaign.

• These briefs were then sent to the Art Department along with a calendar invite to chat about any potential issues, answer any Q's, and to ensure we're all aligned.

• Once final versions were received I uploaded them on the back-end for the world to enjoy.

All Gifs and Sticker sets were created to either celebrate a moment, promote a product launch, or highlight the brand in some form. 

This was to ensure that the brand wasn't over-saturating the platform and that team bandwidth was being used efficiently. 

Examples of brand moments included:

• The #SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW (Vol. 1, 2, & 3).

• New X-clusive Product Drops.

• Celebrity Collaborations / Partnerships.

• Iconic Quotes. 

• #SavageXPride.

• Highlighting Brand Messaging.

  ...and much more. 

STICKERS

GIFS

Check 'em all out here:

OVERVIEW

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

The #SAVAGEXGAMECHANGERS initiative was launched during the height of the 2020 #BlackLivesMatter movement. It was designed to spotlight fans who were doing great things in their communities and Changin' the Game!

Number of separate rounds of the campaign.

GameChangers featured in total.

Every GameChanger featured received the following from the brand:

A comprehensive marketing push surrounding the GameChanger and their causes, which included a full social media campaign, press release and media opportunities, video shoot for social, and cross-promotions from all Savage X channels in order to drive fans to their pages.

A flight and hotel stay in Los Angeles (whgen applicable), and placed in a real Savage X Fenty product launch campaign shoot. They used that opportunity to share their stories and bring awareness to their causes.

A substantial financial contribution to support their organizations or causes.

An entire collection of Savage X Fenty product.

3

Applicants who nominated themselves or others.

15K

12

• Savage X Fenty followed Rihanna's lead and one was one of many brands that participated in #BLACKOUTTUESDAY - pausing all sales and marketing for the day.

• This micro-campaign was part of the larger #PullUp initiative and named for Rihanna's iconic quote.

• #BlackoutTuesday

• We put our money where our mouth is: It's Savage X policy that when making statements or taking stances we also list resources where fans can take action, and make financial contributions to all organizations listed.

#SAVAGEXPRIDE

Savage X Fenty

released their first Pride collection in 2021.

The entire campaign was for the community, and by the community - meaning everyone who worked on the campaign was a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

This included:

• Models*

• Savage X Fenty Employees*

• Makeup Artists, Stylists*

• Photographer (Quil Lemons)*

• Fans and Micro-Influencers*

• Set Crew

*Indicates team/team member was also featured in the Campaign.

Model (whose name I'm drawing a blank on, forgive me), Denzel (SYTYCD AUS), Gigi Goode (RuPaul's Drag Race).

Yours truly.

Vol. 1

THE SAVAGE

perience

An immersive and experiential celebration of music, culture, and fashion outside of Brooklyn's Barclays Center - home of the #SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW Vol. 1.

Multiple immersive "cubes" transported fans onto sets of Savage X Fenty campaigns - with actual pieces worn by Rihanna.

• The show closed out NYFW '19. Thousands of fans would be flocking to the venue - already knowing what the hype was about.

• Celebrities and talent would be arriving at the arena throughout the day, but no leaks or photos could be captured so privacy and crowd-control was crucial.

• We already had NYPD support and road closures, but we knew that alone wouldn't stop crowds. So, with support from Amazon (the official sponsor) and the AOR, the Savage Xperience concept was born.

• This allowed fans to enter the world of Savage X Fenty while simultaneously (and strategically) keeping the crowds occupied as they waited in lines for the "cubes," danced and vibed with a live DJ, and could even grab some custom product.

The Strategy

Ceraadi

Vol. 2

SAVAGE

Not Sorry

Savage is being able to turn a negative into a positive.

Savage AF is spinning two (2) negatives into a Webby Award-winning social media campaign.

With only months until Vol. 2 was set to take place, pandemic mandates forced the teams back to the drawing board. The concepts, venue, assets, choreography, talent - everything - had to be scrapped. This, of course, included the show teasers and pre-promotional strategies.

In 2020, Instagram decided that it had some score to settle with Rihanna. The platform was constantly censoring her posts. Sometimes going so far as to remove content altogether.

It was so prevalent and obvious that users began calling out Instagram on this.

1.2B+

Social Impressions.

Also the Highest-Performing Campaign Until Vol. 3's Teasers

The Negatives

Overview

The Outcome

Someone forgot to tell the platform:

I digress. The result was a teaser campaign that creatively mocked the unnecessary censoring of the Bad Gal while giving fans a preview of show "lewks" and talent.

Playing off the platform's "Sensitive Content" warning labels, a "Savage Warning" with copy to match could be swiped to reveal a model from the upcoming show. The posts were also designed to encourage engagement from users who would double-tap instead of swiping.

Fans were quick to make the connection and showed love. No noticeable negative sentiment came from the images, and best of all, it earned us a Webby Award in the Social category (1 of 3 the show snatched that year).

It was also important that the campaign accomplished the below goals:

Didn't They Tell You That We Were Savage?!

Often imitated. Never duplicated. Very shortly after launch, many brands started posting their own versions of the campaign. The biggest offenders were Chipotle (who was quickly called out by fans until all posts were removed), and AdoreMe (a direct competitor).

✓ Sensitivity and awareness of the global pandemic (ensure social distancing in assets, post copy not alluding to it or off-color references, etc.).

✓ Can't reveal or hint to the location of show.

✓ Be as d*mn good as the original pre-pandemic concept.

<-- The Show's premiere date (10/02)

Some of the Show models featured include:

Paris Hilton

Rico Nasty

Cara Delevingne

Gigi Goode

Irina Shayk

Nazanin Mandi

Vol. 3

SAVAGE STREETS

in the

An immersive and experiential SoHo street takeover that transported New Yorkers to Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District. Well, Rihanna's version, that is.

The event promoted the third (3rd) volume of the #SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW.

Opportunities included:

• X-clusive previews of actual show "lewks."

• Meet-&-greets w/ the show models.

• Photo opps w/ the models and installations.

• Giveaways of X-clusive merch & fashion show pieces.

115M

Social Impressions

Attendees

1.8K

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