By Andrea Swangard

Image by Julianne Medenblik

Our new storyteller, Jack, was on a pre-med path when he took a creative writing workshop to fulfill a prerequisite—and then couldn’t stop thinking about it. When the night before a science midterm found him writing a story instead of studying for his exam, he realized this was a new passion and it was time to switch gears. After earning a degree in English, Jack pursued an MFA in writing and started teaching freshman composition. Jack was gratified to see the writing abilities of his students improve, but he also ended up serving as a quasi-career counselor when some of his students experienced that familiar cathartic moment: They’d taken the class to fulfill a requirement, had grown to love writing (due in no small part to their enthusiastic teacher), and wanted to change their majors. 

From teaching to taglines… 

After Jack had settled into teaching full time, COVID-19 arrived and changed everything. With classes that were now fully remote and burdened by a complicated teaching structure, students were distracted and making progress was a challenge. Jack missed the in-person connections and more collaborative spirit of the pre-COVID days, so he determined it was time for another change. He missed his creative writing era and found that several authors he liked were copywriters. So, he decided to explore that path. 

A part-time job for a friend’s digital marketing business led to a full-time gig at a legal firm, where Jack researched and wrote blogs, social media posts, and emails. Another experience found Jack working with a software development company on a global rebrand, writing the company’s new tagline and collaborating to develop its voice and tone. After the rebrand, Jack felt like he had completed a quest and was ready for his next adventure. Fortunately for us, he landed at 2A! With an abundance of writing and research experience—and a talent for inspiring an audience—Jack found a great fit for his skills. 

…and fiction to fermentation 

While Jack spends a lot of time reading (fiction is a favorite), he also loves to hang out in the kitchen. Jack is passionate about experimentation, whether tinkering with fermentation recipes or perfecting his sourdough. According to Jack, “There’s something exciting about combining the right ingredients to create something great, especially if it requires attention to detail and precise timing, like fermenting or preserving foods.” This devotion to solution seeking, and the research and analysis that often accompany it, also influences Jack’s work. He thoughtfully evaluates an objective to find a combination of ingredients that makes clients respond with a chef’s kiss. Whether you’re seeking an appetizer-sized story or cooking up a complicated spread, Jack dives in with gusto to get it right. 

By Andrea Swangard

Image by Nicole Todd

Lights! Camera! Finance?  

With a degree in business, 2A’s motion designer, Jeff, found himself working in the world of finance after graduating from college. While he enjoyed the business of… business, he also wanted to explore his creative side. A major movie lover, Jeff bought a motion camera and started taking freelance jobs filming and editing. Working with a boutique production company filming spec commercials, he steadily gained experience and a passion for creative work. To be clear, Jeff still had a full-time finance job, so he was spending his off hours working this second job, which quickly gained momentum.  

After copious hours of editing film, Jeff became obsessed with motion graphics, designing stylish video overlays, beautiful backgrounds, and snazzy transitions. Experimenting with various design software opened the door to a world where anything was possible. Jeff dove headfirst into learning all things motion design via the School of Motion and a multitude of animation boot camps. He soon parlayed his experience and talent into full-time work as an agency designer—check out a very cool 3D racecar project Jeff created for IBM. 

Calling the shots on the field and on the job 

Fun fact about Jeff—he played lacrosse in high school and coached it for six years! At one point, Jeff was working a finance job, taking freelance film and design work, and acting as head coach of a high school team—all at the same time. Needless to say, Jeff has no shortage of energy. One of the many perks of having him at 2A? He is always up for a challenge. 

Jeff’s experience as a coach not only brings a can-do attitude and team-player approach to his work ethic, but contributes to his expertise at negotiating for the best outcome. His calm, level-headed demeanor coupled with a drive to bring his team success was essential for the kids he coached back then, and is a major win for his collaborators and clients at 2A. 

Bringing projects to the next level 

A key aspect of Jeff’s work ethos is considering how to make designs better. In his words, “I love having the opportunity to experiment and push a design further. Perhaps we’ve seen something similar before, so how can we do something different to elevate it?” 

When Jeff’s not busy adding sparkle to 2A design projects, he’s golfing and being a dad to adventurous 4-year-old twins. Whether he’s perfecting his golf game or experimenting with new design techniques, Jeff’s enthusiasm and desire for constant improvement make him an essential part of the passionate 2A team.  

By Mollie Hawkins

Image by Julianne Medenblik

Before joining 2A as a consultant, Michelle honed her skills as a brand strategist, marketer, and performance artist extraordinaire. Her path to consulting was nothing short of adventurous—with a few cross-country moves set to perfect playlists, of course. It’s no wonder she jazzes up client campaigns with a style that’s music to our ears. 

Michelle’s deep-rooted love for marketing, journalism, and storytelling started in high school, where she was editor in chief of the school yearbook and marketing chair of the choral department. After graduation, Michelle left the creosote bushes and Joshua trees native to her hometown of Palm Springs, venturing to the redwood trees in Arcata, California, where she literally found her voice. She practiced vocal performance and began a journey that took her to live in two countries, four states, and one district. Michelle sang her way to a degree in strategic communications and creative advertising, got hitched, adopted two fur babies, and hung a hammock anywhere two trees were close enough. While working for a brand and digital marketing agency in Washington, DC, she also earned a master’s degree in marketing from Georgetown University. 

While living on the East Coast, Michelle felt the call of the Pacific Northwest (ah, Douglas fir whispers, the steamy beckoning of so many good cups of PNW coffee…). So, she packed up her family, prepared a banger playlist, and headed west with a bevy of good snacks and a solid set of marketing chops. After landing in Vancouver, Washington, she found a job posting on LinkedIn that made her laugh, but not because of its humor. The description appeared to be lifted from her own profile and personal philosophy of work—it’s all about the storytelling. It was an ideal match. In a flash, Michelle joined 2A full time, where she uses her unique voice, passion for creativity, and curiosity to build harmonious relationships with her clients every day. 

When she’s not helping clients tell their brand stories, Michelle can be found offline—preferably in a hammock or near a body of water—exploring thrift stores and bookshops, or making music with one of the many instruments in her Zen Den. Her husband and two dogs also keep her busy, but she always finds time for a bonfire and a board game. 

By Jack Foraker

Image by Brandon Conboy

Storyteller Dre has a knack for embedding client stories with technological expertise—and for being in the right place at the right time. As an English major, Dre happened to live below a floor of computer science folks in her college dorms. This proximity helped uncover her aptitude for not only Jane Austen novels, but also operating systems. Naturally, she tacked on a minor in computer science. Also while in college, Dre worked at a coffee shop in downtown Eugene, Oregon, which was conveniently located opposite a small magazine publisher. After getting to know the publisher’s employees (and their morning coffee orders), she landed a job as their newest assistant editor and web developer. 

Bringing language arts to coding languages, and vice versa 

After a stint in Los Angeles working for the RAND Corporation (yes, that one) and Frank Gehry (yes, that one), Dre returned to the Pacific Northwest to pursue digital marketing in the tech industry. She worked at Amazon, which was seeking someone who could write both advertising copy and XML. Then she switched to Nintendo, where the company gained over six years of her talents. In that time, Dre expanded Nintendo’s West Coast marketing team, enhancing the brand’s web presence with dynamic announcements and immersive digital experiences. 

But something was still missing. While her day-to-day work was fun and challenging, Dre sought a role that would return her to writing. So, she transitioned from digital marketing to technology storytelling—or rather, at 2A, she found a role that combines both. These days, you’ll find Dre creating client assets that link compelling copy with deep technical expertise. 

And when she’s not behind the keyboard? 

Outside work, Dre’s hobbies lean toward the DIY, from writing an arts-and-crafts column in a local Seattle magazine to acrylic painting and retiling her bathroom. “I like projects where I can say, let me just see if I can do this and then keep trying until I figure out how to do it,” she says.

Dre brings that same DIY spirit to all projects. Whether you’re after the perfect drywall mount or creative collateral that captures your vision, Dre has an answer. And if she doesn’t, she isn’t afraid to dig into the nitty gritty to find it for you. 

By Mollie Hawkins

Image by Brandon Conboy

2A Embedded Consultants (ECs) are highly skilled, experienced professionals who function as contracted members of our clients’ teams. For the past two years, 2A EC Matt deWolf has been using his graphic designer talents at Microsoft Research (MSR). In this Q&A, Matt shares how he got here, what he’s doing, and why he loves it so dang much. 

Mollie: What do you do at Microsoft Research? 

Matt: So, the classic designer joke is that I “make things pretty,” right? Well, it’s more than just making things look nice, especially at MSR. Because of the global inflection point we’re at in technology, design is also about ensuring our visual language clearly communicates the message that we’re explicitly trying to send. An example of this is making sure our communications around AI visually align with our intentions. When we discuss AI, it’s important to ensure that our audience doesn’t get brought into a scene that inaccurately depicts what we want to say. The words in any asset tell one part of the story, but the imagery, color, and composition play a key role in reinforcing that textual direction. 

Mollie: That’s a fun challenge! What’s the most interesting part of working at MSR? 

Matt: It’s great getting to work with cutting-edge researchers who are wholly devoted to our mission statement: “Advancing science and technology to benefit humanity.” Something special about MSR is the non-product-related approach; not every development or mission immediately ties into something commercialized. I get to see new developments in AI research that range from determining the accuracy of image generation against a description to applications in healthcare. The breadth of work is truly impressive. 

Mollie: Can you tell me about a cool project you’ve been working on? 

Matt: MSR is piloting an episodic approach to our previous annual Research Summit called Microsoft Research Forum. This forum shares the latest findings with the global research community in real time. The event is considered a “tier 1” event for Microsoft, and it allows us to work with many vendors to develop the visual identity, web platform, and production for it. Not only is it the inaugural forum, but also we’re working collaboratively to build something great together. 

Mollie: How have you grown in your role over the past two years? 

Matt: The Research Forum project gave me opportunities to act as an art director, coordinating between design vendors, animators, developers, and internal production teams. This was a much more direct opportunity to explore these skillsets compared to some of my previous roles. I have definitely grown personally, learning to deliver constructive feedback and communicate clearly to multiple stakeholders, getting us closer to the outcomes we want. I hope to continue developing design leadership skills that support my team’s ability to do their jobs. 

Mollie: Where were you before Microsoft, and what about Microsoft makes your heart sing? 

Matt: Before MSR, I worked as a package designer at Hasbro. Yes, the Hasbro that makes Star Wars figures, Nerf Blasters, and Monopoly! But at MSR, I feel much more interested in the work. I enjoy technical things—bridging the gap between abstract concepts and visuals. Perhaps some of this comes from an adjacent design interest, web development. Let’s just say that when I write a JavaScript function and it doesn’t throw any errors, I basically feel like an MSR computer scientist. (LOL) 

Mollie: So, what else do you bring to the table? 

Matt: I think of myself as the Swiss Army knife of designers because of the different ways I’ve applied my knowledge. I have designed for print the old school way, on presses, and have designed for digital mediums. I know how to design and animate motion, as well as develop for the web, and I’m always growing and refining my leadership skills. 

Mollie: Now that we’ve talked business, let’s get down to the fun stuff. What do you do when you’re not designing? 

Matt: Outside of work, I’m an avid consumer of music and coffee. To me, music is something sacred and goes beyond listening to the radio. I love understanding the period from which the music originated, learning more about the artists, and seeing where it takes me. Layering this on top of my foundational understanding of music theory gives me a profound sense of pride when I uncover something new or view a piece of music from a new angle. And, of course, without overthinking it or applying any of that background, as humans, we all know when we like something. 

The coffee part is perhaps two-sided—not only do I appreciate coffee itself, but also I love the exploration and adventure in finding new cafes where I can enjoy music. 

Interested in becoming an EC? Check out our open roles or submit a general job inquiry if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for.  

Want to hire an Embedded Consultant? Learn more here. 

By Ashley JoEtta

Image by Emily Zheng

As the program manager behind 2A’s case study practice, Sal is key to ensuring each layer of creativity and collaboration is concocted and delivered in the smoothest way possible. 

Balancing the layers of creativity with impact 

Like the illustrious Megan Thee Stallion, Sal Thee Program Manager is a lover of community. Sal wants everyone in their circle to feel invited to the table—including 2A’s clients. Before bringing her talents to the B2B world, Sal spent their time working with art non-profits, galleries and museums in Seattle. In those spaces, Sal provided close support to artists whose work is centered on social impact and community. From curating exhibitions to managing the behind-the-scenes minutia needed to produce a gorgeous and awe-inspiring show, Sal deeply understands the intricacies of planning and implementing a project that shines and delights audiences. That’s why she approaches each project like she’s building the layers of a perfectly shareable lasagna, considering every ingredient, potential taste pairings, and the baking (and cooling) times required. And let’s be honest—a healthy pinch of anxiety doesn’t hurt when it comes to planning. 

Bringing flowers to life for 2A’s clients 

With a passion for ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, Sal brings their talent for refinement to all of 2A’s creative endeavors. Whether she’s packaging an AWS case study, finessing a Google Cloud blog, or uplifting 2A’s marketing strategy, Sal is never afraid to delve in with both hands to create beautiful arrangements. When focused on uniting flowers, branches, and other natural elements, Sal considers the harmonies of mass, lines, and colors. With grace, they find the places where minimalism sparkles. She takes this elegance and infuses every 2A project with intentionality, taste, and vigor. This guarantees fresh and effective 2A templates, models, and processes that lead to kick-ass deliverables on a global stage. 

Remembering technology can be elegant, too 

At 2A, Sal loves collaborating with humans who care about preserving and enhancing the collective. When she first started at 2A, Sal managed a case study with AWS, Siemens, and Unlimited Tomorrow—a project focused on developing affordable and accessible prostheses. Here, she gained a deeper understanding of 2A’s storytelling, creativity, and collaboration powers. While attending the interview and listening to the customer explain how AWS and Siemens were helping their robotics team provide prostheses for children and adults around the world, Sal confirmed that they had brought their talents to the right place. In her own words: “I really love that our clients empower companies like Unlimited Together to create positive change in the disability community.” 

Ready to create your next case study with 2A? Sal will ensure the process layers in creativity, brings harmony to your stakeholders, and elevates your solution. 

By Andrea Swangard

Image by Julianne Medenblik

How did music, Japan, and videogames lead our new storyteller, Ashley, to 2A? We’ll begin that answer with another question: How do you know you’re good at playing the flute? When you land a scholarship because of your mad skills! This set the stage for Ashley’s college experience, where she double majored in music performance and English. When she advanced to graduate school, Ashley came across the TESOL program (teaching English as a second language) and discovered a passion for the art of teaching. That led to an internship in Japan teaching English to folks ranging from five-year-olds to senior citizens, igniting Ashley’s love for linguistics and inspiring the right learning approach for a specific audience. It also honed Ashley’s language abilities—in addition to Japanese, she speaks Spanish and Arabic. 

Doctor Who? Finding a path for a lover of language patterns 

While pursuing a PhD in Applied Linguistics with a focus in Second Language Writing and Rhetoric and Composition (with a prestigious fellowship from Purdue), Ashley taught a writing class for engineers. She discovered a gap in teaching methods for academic writing versus industry writing, and researched ways to create customized curriculums for her students. (Ashley also won a dissertation fellowship from the American Association of University Women, but we’re not here to brag…) A professorship brought her to the Pacific Northwest, where Ashley balanced her time teaching with keeping her brain tickled by puzzles and digital games. One of these—the online battle-royale game Apex Legends—brought her to 2A. 

Squad goals: From virtual comrades to real-life coworkers 

Ashley met 2A’s designer extraordinaire, Brandon Conboy, while playing Apex Legends. Their shared love for strategy, teamwork, and being gracious winners fostered an immediate connection. Brandon learned about Ashley’s talent for writing and invited her to explore opportunities at 2A. After a freelance gig where Ashley got to indulge her passion for research and delve deeper into the technology industry, she realized she’d found her true calling. 2A snapped her up full time, and the rest is history! Ashley’s love of language and her teaching experiences (and, let’s be honest, that creative and brilliant mind) bring a dynamic approach to finding the right words to engage a client’s audience. Case in point, a piece she penned about United Airlines is one of the most read AWS case studies of 2023! 

Ashley’s passion for the power of stories keeps 2A’s ebooks fresh and its case studies cutting edge. Whether she’s practicing a new musical piece to perfection or collaborating with other gamers to navigate tricky situations, Ashley loves a challenge. And her research continues to be top notch: Whether it’s finding the winning formula for compelling copy or tracking down the choicest donut in Seattle, Ashley always brings her A-game. 

By Richa Dubey

Image by Suzanne Calkins

Visual storytelling is where Emily thrives. It’s her chance to dig into an idea, push through the surface, and pull together a design that’s fresh and captivating. As you can imagine, she likes it here at our storytelling agency.  

Emily’s story is, in some ways, the classic one for artists who’ve always been drawn to their work. As the artsy kid in school, she would fulfill requests for art or help friends with their illustrations, whether for school projects or fun. While growing up, she contained it to a hobby because “I was worried that doing anything artistic professionally would kill my love for it.” But some things are meant to be. 

“At every single internship or club that I joined in college, I realized that people always wanted me to do design work anyway—and I eventually realized that I would miss it if I didn’t do something creative.” So, she undertook a host of design-based internships and part-time jobs, including an art teaching assistant post in college. 

After these, being Emily, she put her family first during the COVID pandemic, helping out at her family restaurant. Then 2A caught her attention. Why?   

“Stories! The job description included the word ‘storytelling,’ which was one of my search keywords. I loved how it sounded, and when I looked at the 2A website, I thought, “This is the most fun group of people I have seen in a long time, and I love how they tell stories.” 

Visual stories are where it’s at for Emily— bringing art, illustration, and design together in service of a narrative (take this complex and fun illustration for Microsoft). With quiet courage and commitment, Emily unpacks the concepts until she arrives at the eureka moments when a design clicks into place. “When I can look beyond the obvious and pull the right pieces together in a design that works, it is so exhilarating.”   

If Emily had a theme song, it would probably be beyond the obvious—not only because of her approach to design, but also because it rings true for her life outside 2A. You probably wouldn’t guess this, but Emily will always commit to the bit in improv comedy. She boulders (“because I’m a little scared of it”), reads children’s books, and watches bad movies (“everyone watches the good ones, and I enjoy being a hater for a while”).  

Whatever Emily does, she brings her whole self to it.  

By Jane Dornemann

Image by Rachel Adams

Meet Carolyn, marketing writer turned marketing consultant…turned marketing writer. It makes sense—writers are curious by nature, a trait that 2A is happy to accommodate.  

Carolyn studied medieval literature, earned a master’s in English, and taught at the college level before embarking on her B2B marketing quest in earnest. Her eagerness to learn about all corners of the world has been the driving force behind her varied career, during which she created compelling content for just about every industry you can think of. Her stellar work landed her opportunities to craft copy for all kinds of companies, from tech to healthcare to HVAC and plumbing. 

After all that, she went on to perfect her marketing chops through agencies, where she wrote content for a world of different products and services. Her demonstrated ability to market just about anything—and her experience as both a consultant and a writer—is what makes her such a superhero of an addition here at 2A. 

While Carolyn’s outside-the-box ideas led to director positions in B2B and big tech marketing, she found herself on a quest for a more stimulating work culture. That’s what drew Carolyn to 2A, where she first employed her diverse skillset as a consultant before moving over to a storyteller role. 

Carolyn thrives in 2A’s collaborative environment, where she’s focused on helping clients find more effective and innovative ways to resonate with their audiences through stories. There’s no kryptonite here—the more complex or unusual a marketing challenge is, the more Carolyn is inspired. Approaching each project with the dexterity and improvisation she’s accrued over the years is her M.O.  

Perhaps that panache for the complicated has been bolstered by her literary leanings, from publishing her poetry in literary magazines to doing The New York Times’ crossword daily.  

“Doing puzzles is a lot like content marketing,” she said. “It can be a fun challenge to communicate ideas in a certain number of words or decide how text and design can best work together.” 

In her personal life, Carolyn is committed to service. Thanks to the Be the Match registry, she was able to help save the life of a patient with leukemia through peripheral blood stem cell donation (PBSC), a method of retrieving blood-forming cells for bone marrow transplants. 

The curiosity continues. From roller-skating to embroidery, Carolyn’s sense of adventure extends beyond her (new) role at the office. Whether she’s saving lives or solving the scrappiest of marketing puzzles, Carolyn is the kind of storytelling superhero our clients need and want on their team. 

By Richa Dubey

Image by Rachel Adams

The first meeting with Kate leaves you with the sense that she is not just deliberate in her choice of words, but secretly polishes each one to a high shine. She holds it up to the light, and only then, with the satisfied, tiny nod of a true expert, does she slot it into its proper place.  

As a language expert, Kate is 2A’s own lexical chef. With a master’s in linguistics, Kate has developed (and trained actors on) an authentic Dust Bowl accent for a play based on Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men; taught English as a second language in both Japan and the US at the university level; worked in academia; and simplified complex scientific and technical research into a comprehensible read for the layperson. All of this, of course, is in addition to excelling at 2A as an in-house storyteller on the agency side and an embedded consultant for Microsoft. As a former employee of both Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS), she continues to dive into technology and produce stellar copy.    

Braiding stories from different threads 

When it comes to storytelling, Kate pulls three key threads to weave a tale. First, is connection. She knows how to string the right words together to make a good story great. She can connect directly with the reader, so the message makes a place in their mind and heart. And while the message may be interpreted a little differently by each reader, Kate searches hard for the nugget that strikes relevance.

Another strand in the craft of Kate’s storytelling is precision. “How can you use a word so there is no room for ambiguity?” she asks. “Different people use words and concepts differently, so I work to make sure that we’re on the same page with respect to what they’re trying to say, and I’m focused on using direct language.”  

The last strand is Kate’s imagination. “I think of things that might not have been considered with respect to the story,” she says. Drawing on the rich diversity of her expertise, she pulls disparate elements together, coaxing them to play nicely, and finally, buffing them to produce a finished product like this piece on AI and mixed reality for Microsoft.   

From tech to the deep sea  

When she’s not creating marketing content, Kate is kayaking, volunteering for the arts, or walking dogs at the Seattle Animal Shelter. Lately, she’s been settling into her new role as pet parent to her adorable three-year-old Havapoo, Charlie, a rescue who accompanies her on her adventures.