A little about me
Background
“Way to go, Idaho!” That’s pretty much my favorite movie quote of all time (it’s what Ham says to Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story). As you may have guessed, I was born and raised in the potato state—in Burley, Idaho to be exact. And, yes, I worked on a potato farm. I can trace my work ethic back to the 5:00 A.M. mornings and 14-hour workdays of my youth. I irrigated potatoes (“moved pipe,” as we call it). I harvested potatoes. I ate potatoes. And I even sold potatoes. But enough about starchy tubers.
I come from a family of six brothers, three sisters and two very brave parents. I’m the fourth, smack-dab in the middle of an older and younger brother. So, with a fist coming at me from one side and a boot from the other, I learned to be a peacemaker. (The violent imagery is a dramatization, of course. We were actually very good friends.)
I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints (we’re more known as Mormons). At 19 years old, I served a mission for my church in Lima, Peru where I learned to speak Spanish. I love the people of Peru. They are some of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever met.
I’m married and have a couple of strapping boys (little bookworms, actually, but lets just say they’re “strapping”) with a girl on the way. I speak to my kids mostly in Spanish, which earns me both sneers and cheers from my peers. (Sorry about the rhyming bit; I couldn’t resist.)
Education
As a child I received a mixture of public and home schooling. During my high school years, I attended American Heritage Academy (AHA), a private Christian school with an emphasis on history. I graduated from AHA in ’97.
After my church mission, I went to Brigham Young University. I’m a blue-bleeding cougar fan. (I actually remember crying as a boy after watching the Cougs endure a brutal loss in football.) In August 2007, I received my Bachelor’s degree from BYU with a major in advertising and minor in advertising design.
Work
After working on a farm growing up, I and realized I didn’t want to do that the rest of my life.
During the summer and fall of 2004 (while going to college), I worked as a door-to-door security system sales rep for Alliance Marketing. The following year, I co-managed an office of sales reps—while still selling door-to-door—in Rancho Cucamonga, California (I just like the way Cucamonga rolls off the tongue).
Two years of door-to-door sales did my wife and I in. It was time to push through school. While studying, I worked part time for my brother’s company, FamilyLearn. Because FamilyLearn is a startup, I wore a lot of hats—from salesman and customer support, to designer, writer and animator. It was a blast! I loved the company’s mission, the product and my co-workers.
Following my final semester of school, I was a copywriter (ad jargon for writer) intern at DDB Chicago last summer. I worked on the McDonald’s (Monopoly, Olympics, quality perception and corporate image) and Chicago International Film Festival accounts.
Currently, I’m a writer/copywriter at VSA Partners, a design firm in Chicago. I’m working on the Caterpillar, Harley Davidson, Sappi Fine Paper of North America, Tishman Speyer and Avery Dennison accounts.
Some Interests
I love the art of communication—visual, audible and written. I love reading (I just wish I was faster at it), spending time with my family, playing the piano, singing, journaling and avocados (big, melon-sized Peruvian ones, preferably).
