My name is Alex. I think. I write. I travel. I eat fried locust. Scratch that. I’ve eaten fried locust. Honestly, there’s not much I won’t try or do.

But I do have favorites.

Hard work, sublime design, and perfect copy are all at the top of that list. Whether presenting from a stage or chatting over pizza, I’m an enthusiastic, inspiring communicator.

When I’m not scribbling ideas on a whiteboard, you could find me anywhere from a tennis court to a Buddhist temple. I see problems as puzzles in a world that I find fascinating. And I love to inspire that passion in others.

If I sound interesting, why not get to know me?  I built this website so you could do just that.  Here you’ll find some of my essays and creative work; you can peruse, watch, and read—anything you need to get acquainted with who I am and what I’m about.

Head of Marketing Strategy 
Basis TechnologyMarch 2018-present
– From educational booklets like The Honest Guide to AI for Risk to a grant application awarded $2 million, directed the end-to-end production of multiple major content projects
– Developed and implemented fundamental company narrative, mission statement, about statement, and branding direction
– Created a thought leadership and lead generation PR strategy resulting in scores of placements and hundreds of leads without additional company investment
– Experienced partnership creator and manager, having conceived and developed content and events in collaboration with nearly a dozen earned corporate partners
– 5 years of startup and small firm experience—environments that required initiative, self-motivation, adaptability, and a diverse skill set

Creative Director 
PrattleMarch 2016-March 2018
– Led all creative production, including all branding, the entire design and build of prattle.co, all blog content, contributed articles, videos, ebooks, white papers, brochures, presentations, infographics, business cards, icons, etc.
– Developed and led the marketing and PR team, leading to key placements in the Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, Quartz, and MarketWatch
– Developed and managed all marketing goals, reporting, analysis, and automation
– Managed promotion behind launch of niche financial product, generating hundreds of key leads at target firms

Content Director
PrattleMarch 2015-March 2016
Ghostwrote How the Fed Moves Markets, published by Palgrave Macmillan
– Managed a team of 5 Harvard and Washington University-St. Louis Alums
– Mastered sophisticated financial concepts then wrote on the same topics with low turnaround time
– Caught and rectified analytical and procedural errors within complex financial data and analyses

Marketing Intern
Javelin, IncOctober 2014-March 2015
– Managed communication with hundreds of potential clients, sponsors, and partners, proving to be a reliable, self-motivated, and proactive coordinator
– Conceived, created, and published a popular Vine video series; presented to prospects at conferences; wrote copy for websites, emails, and various marketing materials
– Conducted marketing and financial research that factored into partner-level decisions

Freelance Writer
ButcherJoseph & CoSeptember 2014
– Rewrote ButcherJoseph & Co.’s site copy
– Explained complex financial processes in inviting, intelligent, and informative prose
– Quickly mastered the firm’s product and vision

Editorial Intern/Contributor
RippleMarch 2014-August 2014
– Mentored by Alec Liu, former VICE staff writer and editor
– Trained to research, write, and proof original pieces for online publication
– Wrote the most widely shared article on the platform, “5 Crazy Payment Practices We Accept as Totally Normal,” featured in Business Insider and the San Francisco Gate

Experience

Master of Arts in English
University of Missouri-St. LouisMay 2011
– Summa cum laude
– 3.9 GPA
– Thesis: “Shakespeare Wrote No Characters”

Pierre Laclede Honors College Certificate of Graduation
University of Missouri-St. LouisMay 2009

Bachelor of Arts in English
University of Missouri-St. LouisMay 2009
– Summa cum laude
– 3.9 GPA

Education

Hard Skills
Writing, graphic design, project management, data analysis, video editing, photo editing, copyediting, and HTML/CSS coding (basic)

Software/Technology
Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.; G Suite: Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Analytics, etc.; Adobe Creative Cloud: Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, etc.; WordPress, HubSpot, Twitter, LinkedIn, and R/R Studio (basic)

Soft Skills
Leadership, strategic planning, storytelling, presenting, research, adaptability, persistence, collaboration, enthusiasm, dependability, and independent thinking

Skills

Academic
Summa cum laude (MA and BA), Pierre Laclede Honors College Scholarship, UMSL Scholarship, winner of Pierre Laclede Honors College Essay Contest, the Undergraduate in English Award, and English Department Honors

Athletic
Gold at the 2006 AAU National Taekwondo Championships, silver at the 2008 U.S. Open Taekwondo Championships, bronze at the 2007 Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships, and bronze at the 2005 AAU National Taekwondo Championships

Awards