Case Studies
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation
Founder Transition, Organizational Transformation, and Brand Strategy
THE CONTEXT
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) is the voice of the global drinks industry. Each year, TOTCF invites industry professionals (from bartenders to distillers) to New Orleans for its annual conference, Tales of the Cocktail, and the industry's most prestigious awards program, the Spirited Awards. In 2018, the organization underwent a founder transition and restructured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that required strategic leadership to navigate the shift while simultaneously growing its brand, audience, and revenue on a global scale.
THE APPROACH
Initially, as Chief of Staff, I facilitated the founder transition with the new leadership team. In this role, I led the organization's rebrand, developed its non-profit initiatives, and spearheaded new signature events at TOTC. I developed the Grants Program and committee structure, reestablished the Education Committee and Spirited Awards Committee with an emphasis on expanding global reach and prioritizing diverse perspectives, and created the Beyond the Bar initiative championing sustainable lifestyles for bartenders. Transitioning to Director of Creative Development, my work spanned brand strategy, strategic roadmapping, creative direction, business development, and cross-functional project management; overseeing content creation, event production, and digital marketing campaigns. From 2019 through 2023, I acted as Creative Director for the Spirited Awards. The COVID-19 shutdowns required pivoting the ceremony to virtual, hybrid, and back to in-person formats and to reimagine the audience experience at every stage. This adaptive period led to the development of assets that match the caliber of the OSCARS, including the Digital Playbill, Spirited Awards Directory, and an official media partnership with FORBES. My final project as a full-time employee was leading concept development and execution for a two-year partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board. I continue to work with TOTCF in a consultancy capacity and as a special projects manager.
THE IMPACT
REVENUE GROWTH
AUDIENCE GROWTH
FACILITATED GRANTS
TICKET SALES
SINGAPORE PARTNERSHIP
120% during tenure as full-time employee
50%+ growth in digital marketing following
$250k during two-cycles of direct management
15% increase in conference ticket sales
28M+ impressions and 340K engagements
Q Mixers
Creative Campaign Strategy + Audience Engagement During COVID-19
THE CONTEXT
As the Official Mixer for Tales of the Cocktail 2021, Q Mixers needed a marketing campaign that would cut through the noise of a pandemic-era landscape. While gathering restrictions limited in-person events, the brand hoped to maintain its visibility, engage its core bartender audience, and create meaningful connections during a precarious time for the hospitality industry.
THE APPROACH
I provided creative direction and project management to develop a campaign that went beyond traditional digital marketing. The first phase, launched during Tales of the Cocktail 2021, incorporated mentorship opportunities with industry thought leaders, mentor-curated liquid-to-lips cocktail kits shipped to mentees and social media giveaway winners, and virtual happy hours that paired each featured mentor for a thoughtful conversation about the hospitality industry that I hosted each day of TOTC2021. The campaign created real value for participants, not just marketing KPIs and audience impressions. In 2022, this program evolved into a video marketing campaign inviting attendees back to New Orleans for the 20th anniversary Tales of the Cocktail conference, featuring industry leaders sharing stories about why the event matters and practical tips for attendees.
THE IMPACT
IMPRESSIONS
ENGAGEMENTS
SCOPE
3M+ across the collective campaign
Nearly 95K total engagements
Two-year campaign spanning virtual and in-person activations
Billy Reid
Retail Leadership, Client Development + Operational Excellence
THE CONTEXT
Billy Reid is a CFDA award-winning designer and retailer known for a Southern-rooted approach to American fashion. As Store Director of the New Orleans location, a secondary market for the brand located an hour from Billy's hometown, I was tasked with building a loyal client base, driving revenue, and establishing the store as a community hub while upholding the brand's national standards.
THE APPROACH
I led the New Orleans team with a focus on relationship-driven retail. I curated quarterly in-store programming, hosted weekly clientele meetings with our team, and trained staff to create detailed end-of-day recaps and client notes. These elements built a culture of intentional client development from the ground up. I developed the operations manual for the brand's Made-to-Measure program on a company-wide level, turning a secondary offering into a significant revenue driver. My store's performance earned me the opportunity to lead roundtable discussions at biannual symposiums for store directors focused on client development and relationship management, and I developed the structure and was the concierge for the brand's first VIP client experience at Shindig No. 9.
THE IMPACT
REVENUE
MADE-TO-MEASURE
FACILITATED GRANTS
CLIENT RETENTION
BRAND INFLUENCE
$1M+ in annual sales
Program grew to match, and often surpass, monthly sales in the brand's NYC location
$250k during two-cycles of direct management
Set store-level UPT benchmarks that proved difficult for successors to replicate
Led national store director roundtables; developed inaugural VIP concierge program
New Orleans Airlift
Interim Executive Leadership + Organizational Sustainability
THE CONTEXT
New Orleans Airlift is a nonprofit born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, committed to forging connections between people, ideas, and cultures through groundbreaking public artworks. Its most notable project, Music Box Village, is a 13,000-square-foot landscape of musical architecture where each sculpture serves as both an instrument and a performance platform. After serving on the board of directors, I was asked to step in as interim executive director during a founder-led transition to help the organization find a path to operational and financial sustainability.
THE APPROACH
I took an embedded, diagnostic approach by facilitating strategic planning sessions and branding workshops with the board and staff while getting into the details to understand the organization's true cost structure. I completed a comprehensive cost analysis that identified the actual hourly cost of operating Music Box Village and outlined a structured scheduling framework. This schedule was designed to mitigate those costs and create a ritualized set of programming to encourage habitual attendance and provide a more intentional experience for the venue's audience. Throughout the engagement, I collaborated closely with the staff to explore and outline multiple viable pathways to financial stability.
THE IMPACT
This engagement delivered a clear-eyed financial picture and an actionable operational framework for an organization navigating significant transition. The cost analysis and scheduling model gave leadership concrete tools to make informed decisions about the venue's future, and the strategic planning work provided multiple pathways to fortify New Orleans Airlift as an institution of artistic experimentation, education, and economic vitality for the city of New Orleans.
Blue Dream
Embedded Operational Consulting + Organizational Structure
THE CONTEXT
Blue Dream is a well-established retail brand with strong energy and a loyal customer base that did not have the operational infrastructure to match its growth. The business lacked foundational systems and team documentation needed to scale sustainably and maintain consistency as it grew. The founder engaged me for an embedded consulting engagement to build that foundation from the ground up.
THE APPROACH
Through a hands-on approach, I combined in-store observation, operational diagnostics, team development, and brand strategy into a tailored roadmap for organizational structure and transparency. I conducted a comprehensive business operations health check to assess current processes, pain points, and opportunities before building the assets the brand needed: an Employee Manual establishing operational standards; a Brand Book outline codifying voice, visual identity, and photography guidelines; Job Descriptions and Training Guides for each role; a Management Resource to support leadership development and monthly, quarterly, and annual planning; and a Loyalty Program structure to deepen customer engagement and retention. Each deliverable was designed to be owned and maintained by Blue Dream's existing team and not dependent on outside support.
THE IMPACT
This engagement represents what embedded consulting looks like in practice. Rather than delivering a strategy deck and walking away, I worked alongside the team to understand their day-to-day reality and built tools they could actually use. Blue Dream now has a cohesive operational and brand framework, complete with feedback touchstones and success metrics, that positions the business for its next phase of growth.