I stepped into a growing company with a simple goal: Align our brand with like minded folks to help tell the First Lite story. What started as a community manager role for a single brand has grown into a key strategic director position that ensures our outbound story is front and center across multiple brands in a large organization.

From negotiating large scale and multi-year ambassador contracts, to producing commercial assets for all forms of display, to launching new product categories, to leading a wear testing program, and contributing to brand strategy- my role is as diverse as it is fast paced.

We spend roughly 170 days per year on the road. I believe a strong community marketing program must be rooted in showing up, listening well, and putting the brand in the hands of the right folks to tell our story.

Role: Director Of Community Management

A 20-year-old brewery woke up in 2014. It found over 500 craft breweries in Oregon and Washington state.

My job was to harness our vision and tell our story. With wonderful beer brewed in an iconic place, TG's story was (and is) rich in depth and history, yet largely undiscovered. I set out to introduce folks to our brand, place, and beer while also focusing heavily on sustainability, efficiency, and long term profitability. 

Role | Director of Marketing & Creative Strategy

2014 - Present

Efforts:

Creative Direction

Branding Strategy

Project Management

Beer R&D

Digital Strategy (Social, Web, E-Commerce)

Communications (Internal + External)

Field Strategy (Events, Festivals, Consumer Interaction)

Partnership + Sponsorship  

Notable Projects

A Vessel for the People

"Our drinkers hike, raft, ski, bike, hunt, fish, and generally don't do much "sitting around". It was time our beer vessel walked that walk. From creative direction to production, I project managed our first ever beer in a can, and the results were astounding. With a crisp brand, quality liquid, and a team of ambassadors- we showed our home market that we were listening. Since then, we’ve added 2 additional products to our can line.

It’s not all about IPA 

With trends still honoring the PNW love for the IPA, we orchestrated a move to capture the second best category: Pilsner/Lager. The release of TG Pilsner signaled we could compete where trends were heading, not just where they currently were. I convinced our retail partners to join us in listening to the data and get on board. The result? A 120 store expansion for TG Pilsner.

The Big Idea

"Crafting a world class beer is hard. Crafting a message about the location it comes from is really hard- especially if you brew in one of the most unknown places in the Pacific Northwest. We set out in 2014 to harness our foundation.  I worked on the strategy for "Middle of Nowhere, Center of the Universe" which described our home and history. This concept finally came alive in 2015/'16 and led our strategy on social, artwork, partnership/sponsorship, and movement toward recognition in a busy beer world."

Thinking about Paper

"We used a lot of bleached cardboard. Subsequently, we were using a lot of ink to create branded boxes nobody saw.  I led the redesign on our beer cases which cut our ink and cardboard usages by 50%.  Using this universal, brown case, we're now able to expedite our packaging and save time and money, and the cases looks pretty damn good too.  The best part? We're simply reducing our impact on the earth.

Getting Folks Through the Door: Web Presence

"With more TG consumers utilizing mobile, I led a mobile driven web redesign concept which was in need of a design and platform facelift. By highlighting our place and staying highly visual, we're able to draw users from all over the region which led to high traffic, great reviews, and the highest pub attendance in our history. It's a great experience, authentic and honest." 

The Deal: 

"It's all about relationships. In 2014/15 I was able to orchestrate market launches on Oahu, throughout the state of Montana, Boise, Idaho, and Internationally in Japan and Australia- introducing new markets to Terminal Gravity's story.  We were able to build those relationships and add crucial market presence. 

I spent my summers while I was in college fighting wild land fire across the Northwest United States. I was given leadership opportunity and learned how to make the right decision under pressure. 

Role: Type 5 Incident Commander | Engine Boss Trainee 

Efforts:

Fire Suppression 

Engine operation 

Incident command 

Helicopter Air to Ground 

Notable Work:

17 days in Utah

"I was in Utah as part of an engine task force battling the Wolf Creek Fire for 17 days. I was thrust into a scout role, in which I was hiking routes of intended fire line construction, finding adequate road access points, working with multiple agencies, and ultimately helping coral a 100,000+ acre fire." 

Fallon Worldwide is a company based in Minneapolis MN. With clients like Arby's, VH1, Comedy Central, General Mills, and Lara Bar, I met high profile work coupled with wicked smart people. Media Director Andy Rhode once said, "Harlander, you're awesome." We still hang out on occasion. I was thrown right in, and thrived. 

Role: Media Intern

Efforts:

Media Planning 

Media Strategy 

Client Relations + Pitch

Media Production  

Notable Project:

From Concept to Premier

"In 2014 the Fallon Media Department was tasked with conceptualizing and pitching the ad work for "Maron", a television show on IFC starting Marc Maron. I was able to help planners and strategists as they worked through the creative conception and what that meant for real world application. It was equal parts creative juice and analytical application that created the ad work for Maron. 

Disclaimer: I didn't produce this video. It's merely to show concept. 

Clients:

Cosmopolitan Hotel

VH1 

IFC

Comedy Central