Out of the Cave // Into the Flame is a book and exhibition that will feature powerful imagery and rigorous journalism strategically designed to educate readers about the UXO crisis in Laos. It will illuminate the history of the humanitarian crisis, the work being done to make Laos safe again, and will provide insight that will help ensure progress is made in the future. For more information, please visit outofthecaveintotheflame.com.

Vietnam consumes an estimated +5,000,000 dogs each year — many of which are stolen pets. Dakota is currently working on several stories that cover the dog meat and dog theft trade in Vietnam. No further information can be provided at this time because of the nature of the subjects being investigated.

Hà Nội is a city of extreme contrasts; the best and worst of humankind unfolds within it. Dakota is using photography to examine the life and people of Hà Nội that exist beyond the narrow view provided by the tourism industry. Dakota is examining what makes Hà Nội, Hà Nội in this personal project.

Dakota believes that each of us has a responsibility to try to make the world a better place. All efforts, however large or small, are important. Dakota has spent time volunteering at various schools throughout Southeast Asia, helping Hanoi Pet Adoption, and is currently working on several projects (that require anonymity at this time) that aim to make the world a better place.

I joined Compass’ design team to develop agents’ personal brands and to design effective marketing materials that ultimately helped generate both brand awareness and millions of dollars in sales. I created scores of efficacious print and digital marketing pieces—from billboards to luxury marketing books—that exceeded client expectations at Compass. Please see my dedicated Compass page for more information and work samples.

I was contracted by Movetic to strategically develop brand identities, craft innovative digital experiences, and to ideate and produce creative materials for Movetic’s clients. Each project presented a unique set of creative challenges that required close internal and external collaboration, creative problem solving, implementation of strategic creative processes, and a wide breadth of knowledge and skill. Please see my dedicated Movetic portfolio page for more information and work samples.

I worked to satisfy the growing queue of creative needs across Power Digital's content marketing, social media, web development, and internal marketing departments. I began producing exceptional creative for clients and internal use on day one. Here’s what I spent my time doing at PDM:

I was flown to Las Vegas, Nevada as a photographer and retoucher for KontrolFreek, which is the leading developer of innovative gaming accessories, to cover the CWL MLG Las Vegas Open — a multi-day eSports and digital culture festival. Over 160 teams – including the largest MLG Call of Duty open bracket ever, competed for their share of the $200,000 prize pool. I shot live gameplay during the event, photographed players and interviews, and shot product photography for the company.

I was flown to Columbus, Ohio to work as a photographer and retoucher for the MLG Gears Pro Circuit: Columbus Open, which had a prize pool of $300,000. The Gears Pro Circuit featured more international crossplay and competition than ever before in Gears of War history. Top teams from North America, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania were flown around the world to compete in this Pro Circuit.

Artizara is an online apparel company located in San Diego, California. Artizara has been featured in many major publications since it’s opening in 2002, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, NPR, Bridges TV, and more.

I had an expansive breadth of responsibilities while working at Artizara, where I worked in advertisement production, digital marketing, social media management, graphic design, web design, email and ad template production, photography, retouching, video editing, quality control management during photoshoots performed by other photographers, Magento item creation, content management, content optimization, printing, and mounting.

As Artizara’s primary target market had a very specific and sensitive ethos, my creative freedom at the company was often very limited. Nevertheless, the imperative meticulous attention to detail that the job required taught me invaluable lessons about the tools and strategies involved in running an eCommerce business, the world of business and advertising, and has also brought me to better understand cultures that are often stereotyped, feared, discriminated against, and misunderstood.

Although likes are not an entirely reliable indicator of brand affinity or success on a social media platform, I would like to note that we increased the number of Artizara’s Facebook page likes by 20,800 likes during my 22 months of employment. Before my employment, it took 41 months for the brand to attain 12,600 likes.