LAUREN
COOKE

PROFILE

CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVER

Self-starter, results-oriented, innovative, and analytical with a drive for change. Over 12 years of design and marketing experience. Utilizes strong creative and project management skills and a high attention to detail to achieve goals on time with minimal guidance required. Develops teams to succeed through strong communication skills, support, and empathy. 

EXPERIENCE

Bestow, Senior Director of Creative

Jan 2024 - Present

Responsible for overseeing branding and creative direction for Bestow, a B2B life insurance platform for top insurance carriers.

• Led and motivated an in-house creative team while effectively collaborating with external creative agencies and freelancers, ensuring seamless project delivery within allocated timelines and budgets.

• Spearheaded the transition of Bestow's brand from D2C to a fully enterprise-focused business, aligning all marketing and branding efforts to target B2B clients.

• Developed persuasive sales and investor presentation materials for Bestow's cutting-edge SaaS platform, driving successful partnerships and fundraising initiatives.

• Directed the overhaul of Bestow’s website to clearly communicate the company’s shift to enterprise solutions, resulting in a more streamlined and effective experience for B2B clients.

• Directed on-set production for talking head interviews and enterprise videos.

• Led brand strategy and product design efforts for a new product offering within Bestow launching in the fall of 2024.

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Bestow, Creative Director

May 2022 - Present

Responsible for the branding & messaging of the brand Bestow Life Insurance Company, known for DTC Instant Term Life Insurance and a B2B Enterprise platform and services for other top life insurance carriers.

• Directed and managed the workload of an in-house creative team and worked directly with creative agencies and freelancers to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery.

• Developed a new CLM campaign that saw a 143% rate increase in purchases from the previous CLM campaign.

• Directed on-set production for brand photography and video shoots to rebrand projects and engage audiences through brand storytelling.

• Directed and collaborated with UX designers and web-development team to relaunch bestow.com into an omnichannel website in September 2002.

• Responsible for launching new brand guidelines in full brand refresh in September 2022.

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Snap Kitchen, Creative Director

September 2021 - May 2022

Responsible for the creative direction and execution of marketing assets for Snap Kitchen, a DTC & Retail brand known for healthy and yummy ready-to-eat meals shipped nationwide. 

• Directed and managed the workload of an in-house creative team and worked directly with creative agencies to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery.

• Directed on-set production for food photography and commercial shoots to engage audiences through brand storytelling.

• Directed and collaborated with UX designers and the web-development team to implement new features for a better customer journey on snapkitchen.com and the iOS app.

• Initiated/implemented automation processes for the designing of food labels/packaging as well as the updating of menu items on the website, saving an estimated 20 hours per week of design time and 20 hours per week of data entry.

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ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE & MONDO, SR. CREATIVE PRODUCTION MANAGER

January 2017 - 2021

Responsible for the direction and execution of marketing assets for Alamo Drafthouse Corporate (supporting 40+ company-owned and franchised movie theaters) and for pop culture-focused e-commerce brand Mondo (supporting the collectibles, posters, and vinyl teams).

• Directed and managed workload of large creative team, including graphic designers, video producers, photographers, and production coordinators to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery.

• Directed on-set production for product photography, food photography, and commercial shoots to engage audiences through brand storytelling.

• Developed content strategies for consumer tiki line at Mondo to expand reach beyond owned audience through specific influencer and brand partnerships.

• Implemented UGC Campaign #mymondo and increased customer engagement by 30%.

• Initiated/implemented new project management system for company to manage projects/requests/approvals/billing. Recognized by CEO in company-wide meeting.

• Increased on-time delivery by 25% even as workload increased by 8%.

• Streamlined and centralized our vendor relationships to save the company est. $200k+ a year in paper printing alone.

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ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA, GRAPHIC DESIGNER

JUNE 2016 - 2017

Built local and national-level 360 marketing campaigns with applications on-screen, in-theater (print & digital), email, web, social, and everything in between.

• Worked alongside Creative Director to develop updated Brand Guidelines to strengthen consistency in a growing brand.

• Built an approval process for venue-level design participation, including the creation of an internal Design Certification program.

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LITTLE SKUNK CO, OWNER/FOUNDER

2012 - 2017

Launched small business specialized in creating whimsical decor for the young and young at heart, including pennants, pillows, wall art, t-shirts, and more. 

• Featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, Etsy Homepage, Amazon, Michaels, Renegade Craft Fair.

• Increased revenue 87% in year two and 167% in year three and maintained 5-star rating in customer reviews over 1000+ sales on Etsy, Amazon, and Squarespace eCommerce.

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MUTUAL MOBILE, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, PEOPLE OPS

2011-2012

Member of People Operations (HR) team, focused primarily on IT and Employee Lifecycle enrichment. Led team of five IT support specialists in US and Hyderabad offices. Delivered timely technical support and training to employees. Procured and administered systems for employees in all offices. Developed US New Hire orientation, both instructor-led as well as self-driven material through iBooks. Coordinated events such as annual All-Hands meetings, monthly Town Hall meetings, and Happy Hours.

In one year, facilitated the administering and on-boarding of 100+ new employees.

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APPLE INC, GENIUS PREVIOUSLY MARKET VISUALS MENTOR, SPECIALIST

2006-2011

Translated techno-jargon into plain English to ease customers’ apprehension about their technology. Diagnosed basic to advanced hardware and software problems. Performed timely repairs on computers and iOS devices. Provided expert training to customers.