I was a theater scenic design major in college, and like a lot of creatives, I came out to LA to chase opportunity. I landed at a product placement agency and ended up staying for a decade, and led the company. It was a great run - I learned the ropes, worked on big brand deals, and figured out how to navigate the entertainment world. But eventually, I hit the glass ceiling. I had ideas that didn’t fit into the agency’s mold. I knew there was a more innovative way to approach brand integration, so I left and started Hollywood Branded in 2007. Since then, we’ve grown into a full-service agency helping brands become part of pop culture - through product placement, influencer and celebrity campaigns, co-branded content, and more.
Lemonade stands were my gateway drug. That, and hustling Girl Scout cookies. I figured out early on that if I positioned myself right - high foot traffic, a smile, a solid pitch - I could outsell the rest of the troop. Same with World Class Chocolate bars - turns out if you time standing in front of fraternity row at SMU in early evening hours, there are a lot of hungry guys willing to pay $1 for $10 for candy bars. I didn’t call it marketing back then, but that’s what it was. I liked the challenge of turning an idea into something that made people say “yes.” That drive hasn’t really changed.
Lots longer than 3 years ago I understood that work and life should be balanced. I’ve let go of that thinking entirely. To me, it’s all just life. My work gives me incredible life experiences - access to film sets, partnerships that spark creativity, global travel - and how I live my life, how I show up in the world, that feeds back into how I work and lead. It’s a loop. The more I embrace that blend, the more energy and momentum I actually have.
When I’m in creative strategy mode. Give me a messy challenge - like how to tie a brand into a series without it feeling forced -- and I’m all in. I also get lit up when I’m helping close a deal, or building a UNIVERSE of extensions to a big idea I have for a brand to activate on - or when I’m mentoring someone on my team and watching them rise. But honestly, I find flow late at night. That’s when I’m in the hot tub, resetting, and then diving into proposals, reading up on trends, and crafting our next big pitch or program.
I start around 7:30 am. Team meetings, client strategy calls, project planning, internal check-ins - it all blends. I don’t compartmentalize much. I might be reviewing creative decks, jumping into a brainstorm, or reworking a proposal at 10pm just as easily as I am at noon. I take a break most evenings in the hot tub, just for 15–20 minutes to reset. Then I’m back at it until the wee hours of the morning - especially if I have calls with Asia or MENA, which often means late nights. I do a lot of behind-the-scenes lifting: strategy, research, positioning, writing. It’s a lot. But I love what I’ve built, and I love where we’re going. I obviously don't get the recommended 8 hours of sleep.
What’s a personal ritual or habit you credit for your success?The hot tub. Every night if possible. Weekly or bi-weekly massages. It sounds like a luxury, but for me, it’s a reset button. It’s where I clear the clutter from the day and refocus before diving into my second shift - calls with Asia or MENA, reviewing proposals, researching trends, and sketching out new ideas. Those little rituals gives me just enough pause to not burn out. It’s my thinking space, my creative reset, and my moment of calm to reconnect with myself.
Trying to do it all myself. I thought I had to be the expert in every single thing and have my hands in every piece of work. That’s not scalable eventually - but it is what has allowed me to become super powered and drive massive capabilities and change at our agency. I understand most things. That allows me to have a bigger world view and challenge assumptions. The lasting lesson? Hire people who are better than you in their lane, and then get out of their way. That shift is making all the difference in growing my agency into something sustainable and impactful.
What’s something people get wrong about you?That I’m just the face of the agency or that I’m always “on.” People see me on stage, in interviews, or leading pitches and assume I’m extroverted 24/7. Truth is, I’m a strategist at heart. I process deeply, I do my homework, and I thrive behind the scenes just as much—probably more—than in front of the curtain. The spotlight is useful, but it’s not the goal.
Honestly, work and life are so intertwined for me that recharging isn’t about stepping away - it’s about shifting gears. I don’t need to unplug completely. I just need to refocus my energy. And when I do, I gravitate toward things with depth and story. Old bones, geodes, driftwood sculptures, stone Buddhas in my garden - those pieces hold a kind of grounding energy for me. They remind me to zoom out, breathe, and see the bigger picture.I’m also an avid traveler, photographer, and scuba diver. My work has taken me around the world - into places most people only dream of - and I’ve said yes to a lot of things that make most people hesitate. I’ve jumped out of planes, faced down sharks underwater, and gotten myself out of situations where no one was coming to save me but me.Those experiences have shaped how I move through the world. I’m not afraid of big corporate boardrooms or Hollywood egos, because I’ve already stared down far bigger challenges. My adventures have had adventures - and that gives me a different level of perspective, confidence, and resilience. I stand my ground because I’ve earned it, not just in business, but in life.
Success is freedom. It's being able to build what I want to build, with the people I want to work with, in a way that supports the life I want to live. It’s not about the hustle anymore - it’s about alignment. If I can wake up, create something meaningful, and know it’s driving value for both my team and our clients, that’s the win. And if I can end the day in the hot tub, even better.
We don’t just place products - we build partnerships. A lot of agencies stop at the surface: they get a brand into a scene and call it a day. That’s not us. Hollywood Branded thinks end-to-end. We look at how a single moment on screen can ripple into influencer campaigns, retail programs, licensing deals, earned press, even co-branded commercials. Our agency is built on strategy, not just access. And we’re known for being the ones who can actually pull it off - because we don’t wait around for the “perfect” opportunity. We create it.
If a client treats us like a vendor instead of a partner - it’s a no. Same if the brand doesn’t have clarity on who they are or what they stand for. We don’t do well in environments where there’s ego, drama, or short-sightedness. I’ve built an agency culture that’s collaborative, honest, and solution-oriented. So if someone’s looking for a quick transaction, or thinks they know better but haven’t done the work - we’ll pass.
No ego, no drama. Bring value, be accountable, and go above and beyond. We live by the belief that partnerships should always be mutually beneficial - internally and externally. That means helping each other improve, thinking ahead for our clients, and doing what we say we’re going to do. We don’t coast. Everyone here is expected to learn, do, and teach - because that’s how we grow.
I don’t hire based on resume polish - I hire based on potential, drive, and how someone handles hard stuff. I want problem-solvers. People who take ownership, are curious, and don’t need hand-holding every step of the way. Culture fit matters too. We’re a no-drama team. I’d rather take a scrappy self-starter with less experience who’s hungry to learn than someone who thinks the title does the heavy lifting.
I give people space to pitch the “what ifs” and test them. Creativity doesn’t come from being micromanaged - it comes from having room to explore and knowing your ideas are heard. We run brainstorms where no idea is off-limits, and we encourage curiosity across the board - from our junior team members to our department heads. We also operate in pop culture, which means we have to stay current, and that breeds creativity. Everyone is expected to bring something to the table - trendspotting, campaign ideas, wild ideas that might work. If you’re passive here, you’re invisible.
AI-generated content without strategy. Everyone’s racing to automate, but the output is only as good as the input - and most people aren’t giving it enough thought. You still need a real human insight, a POV, a brand voice. AI can speed things up, but it can’t replace actual connection. The overuse of soulless content is going to flatten a lot of brands that don’t understand the difference between visibility and resonance.
Brand-owned content ecosystems. I don’t mean just having a podcast or a blog - ’m talking about brands acting like media companies. Building storytelling into their DNA and using it across product, partnerships, retail, and community. That’s where the real leverage is. The brands that figure out how to consistently create content people actually want to engage with - those are the ones that will win. We’re helping clients do this now, and I’m doubling down.
Leaning into education. I started sharing what I knew - through blogs, podcasts, videos, even courses - not because it was trendy, but because I wanted to help people understand this space better. That decision brought us clients, press, partnerships, and a reputation as the experts. It positioned Hollywood Branded not just as a service provider, but as a thought leader in entertainment marketing. That content still brings in leads every single day.
Be crystal clear on your value and your voice. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Start lean, specialize, and solve a real problem better than anyone else. And don’t forget - it’s a business, not a side hustle. That means contracts, processes, margins, and boundaries. You’ll only scale if you treat it like it’s bigger than you from day one.
I would’ve charged more, sooner. I undervalued our services early on because I thought being affordable was the way in. It wasn’t. It just attracted the wrong clients and created burnout. If I had to do it again, I’d build around value-based pricing from the beginning, and I’d hire operations help sooner. Systems scale - heroics don’t.
Yes: price based on value, not just time. I learned the hard way that underpricing doesn’t win loyalty—it just signals you don’t understand your worth. We build programs based on outcomes, IP, and strategic impact, not just hours. I also factor in the stress cost—some clients or categories are heavier lifts, and the pricing needs to reflect that. If a deal doesn’t make sense financially, it’s not a deal—it’s a loss disguised as opportunity.
Growth is exciting. Sustainability is survival. I’m constantly toggling between the two. I look at growth opportunities through a filter: Does this scale without me having to touch every piece of it? If the answer is no, it’s probably not the right kind of growth. I’ve built systems, a point-based subscription model, and now partner programs so we can scale smart, not just fast. Fast growth with no infrastructure? That’s just burnout in disguise.
Barbara Corcoran. She didn’t follow the rules. She built her brand off grit, street smarts, and storytelling—and she leveraged her to sell it. That’s something I connect with. She’s direct, unfiltered, and strategic without being overpolished. She knew her value before the world did, and she didn’t wait for permission to be taken seriously. That mindset has served me well, too.
HubSpot, hands down. We use it to manage our pipeline, content, workflows, and lead nurturing. It’s the brain behind a lot of our marketing machine. I’m also really into building out ChatGPT tools and automation that make our team faster and more consistent. And Canva - we live in that platform daily. Fast content turnaround that still looks sharp.
Traction by Gino Wickman. That book gave me the structure to stop spinning my wheels and start running the agency like a real business - not a reactive hustle machine. EOS helped me delegate, track progress, and actually scale without losing my mind. Also, building my own podcast (Marketing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them) taught me more than I ever expected - interviewing 300+ experts gave me a masterclass in how smart people actually think. The fact that I'm lucky to be blessed with a brain that records and remembers everything has allowed me to become super powered from all the information I have continued to feed it.
Hybrid, but with a big asterisk: accountability over location. I don’t care where you are if you’re doing great work, communicating clearly, and owning your role. Some things are better in person - creative brainstorms, culture-building, mentorship - but deep work happens when people are trusted to manage their time and environment. We’re structured so the team can thrive with flexibility, but we still value face time (real and virtual) to stay connected. Our team comes in 3x a week if they are in Los Angeles to one of our 2 offices, and works remotely those other 2 days.
That most brand partnerships don’t fail because the opportunity wasn’t there - they fail because the marketer didn’t know how to lead it. I’ve watched brands blame productions, influencers, media platforms... when the truth is, there was no internal strategy, no follow-up, no alignment. We come in and fix that. I also firmly believe that every partnership has to be built on mutual benefit. That’s been the foundation of our agency’s success. But saying those things out loud - especially in a boardroom - doesn’t always make me the most popular voice in the room. It does, however, make me the one who gets results.
That we are not magicians - we’re architects. We don’t just make stuff happen because we know someone. We plan, strategize, negotiate, navigate politics, and protect the brand every step of the way. Good agency work is proactive, invisible, and relentless. And it takes a ton of time. You’re not just paying for access - you’re paying for brains, experience, and execution that saves you from expensive missteps.
Access to creativity at scale. We get to sit at the intersection of entertainment, innovation, and commerce - and actually influence culture. There’s nothing cooler than seeing something we dreamed up in a room show up on a screen, spark conversation, and drive real results for a client. That never gets old.
Most product placements are actually not paid. In fact, about 80% are trade-outs - brands providing product to the production to help offset budget costs. But when done right, even those “free” placements can drive millions in media value. The difference is in how you amplify it - with influencers, ads, press, and partnerships that build momentum beyond the screen.
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