MY STORY

At my core, I’m most passionate about our environment. In college, while studying Zoology, Animal Behavior and Photography, I worked alongside my professor, Dr. Penny Perkins, photographing specimens for a published zoology lab manual. This experience had a profound effect on me, as I realized I could merge my personal passions with my professional goals by using my camera as a medium for environmental storytelling. Shortly after, I attended the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography, graduating in 2005 with a BA in Visual Journalism, where I built skills in video production, editing, photography and other digital media tools. My first video was focused on Domoic Acid, and later used at the Ty Warner Sea Center on the Santa Barbara Pier to an audience of 400k visitors a year.  Since then, I’ve traveled the world working alongside some of the most respected marine biologists and scientists, shooting environmental content that has been used by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, National Geographic and Discovery websites and channels and as supplemental educational material on McGraw-Hill’s digital education platform. Additionally, I have built an extensive library of over 1,000 stock photography and footage clips of cultures and landscapes around the world that are currently represented by major stock houses, including rights managed and royalty-free content.

Outside of environmental media, I have a personal interest in sustainable industries, specifically sustainable food, product and travel industries with a focus on how the social and environmental initiatives of a business impacts farms, manufacturing, sourcing, distribution and philanthropy. Since 2005, I have kept a pulse on not only the media and technological industries but the global efforts, processes and innovations of environmental non-profits, businesses, certification agencies and their impact on market demand and digital communication trends.

In 2015, after learning about the toxic components of candles and seeing an opportunity to create not only a better candle but better candle company, I co-founded Terralite. Getting my hands dirty making candles became a therapeutic way for me to break away from the digital world and craft something meaningful with my hands. Terralite became one of the first candle companies to make coconut wax candles scented with only pure, organic and wildcrafted essential oils as opposed to paraffin wax and synthetic fragrances. In 2018, with the support of Obama’s America Invents Act Pro Bono Program, Terralite was officially issued a patent from the USPTO for inventing a new type of candle wax composed of plant based, sustainably sourced, non-gmo ingredients. This wax is used to make our tealights and pillars and are the first candles on the market to be Fair Trade Certified by Fair Trade USA.

My media background and passion for our environment, helped to build the corporate and marketing foundation of Terralite. Since then I’ve assisted other entrepreneurs, professionals and businesses with communicating their story and services on and offline.  Putting my media hat on while bringing my global and local knowledge to the table helps to create a more wholesome experience with my clients as we work through the creative process.

I am currently based out of the coastal community of Oceanside, California where I freelance as a Digital Communications Consultant and Multimedia Producer. Aside from running Terralite, I am also a co-founder of GEOguides, a California Benefit Corporation focused on developing an online booking and travel directory for sustainable businesses and travelers.