Hi! I'm Khara and I'm a creative/art director living in Denver, CO. I like campaigns of all types—especially the smart, handsome and committed ones. Even better if they're into sports and spicy food. When I first moved out west, everyone assumed I was from the east coast. When I went back, everyone thought I was from Cali. I've been lucky enough to work at some great agencies and live in 5 of the best cities in 4 of the best states as well as Tanzania. I love bright orange, being outside, the NBA, talking to strangers and 90's r&b. I'm pretty sure I was a backup dancer in my last life. And a travel agent in my next.
Accomplishments include:
Being followed/tweeted/liked by Pam Grier, Stephon Marbury, Ron Artest & Will Barton
DMing with Positive K who I originally named my IG account after and got tired of being tagged as
Performing a choreographed dance to Despacito and Rockonolo in front of 400 people at a Tanzanian wedding
Seeing my photo of my husband Derek wearing a Nuggets headband and our friend in a bar air during the 2009 Western Conference Finals. Our friend tagged Derek as Birdman, posted it to Flickr and ESPN pulled it, broadcast it and slandered them, having done zero due diligence.
Experience
Freelance Associate Creative Director/Sr. Art Director | Denver, New York & Los Angeles | 2010-present
Creative strategy, campaign concepting, art direction and graphic design for advertising agencies such as Chiat, Mistress, Beats by Dre,
Creative strategy, campaign concepting, art direction and graphic design for advertising agencies such as Chiat, Mistress, Beats by Dre,
Sid Lee, Muh-tay-zik, Zambezi, Mullen, Omelet, Strawberry Frog, Y&R, DDB, Genesis, Havas, The LAB–Jamaica, Dailey, Deutsch, McCann, Eleven, Phenomenon, Concept Farm, Hill Holliday/Erwin Penland, Publicis, Group SJR, Rauxa, FKA, The State of Colorado and more.
Clients include Gatorade, Pepsi, Jagermeister, Nestle, Verizon, HP, Glaceau, Charles Schwab, Land Rover, Visa, Turbo Tax, Advil, Centrum, Iams, Strongbow, Viking, Virgin America, Wells Fargo, Volkswagen & The Empire State Building.
Arts Professional (Communications) | The State of Colorado, Denver | 2019-2021
The pandemic started a few months after I did, and instead of creative, I did research, communications and outreach concerning the PPP Act, the CARES Act, the PUC, PEUC and PUA to help people file for unemployment and SBA loans. Conducted weekly live virtual press conferences for the media and public, sourced SaaS solutions for the inundated customer service team, reviewed all customer feedback and learned by doing. Received emails from the public, thanking us for our hard work which was very rewarding. Helped review new applicants and put on employee appreciation celebrations. As well as creative strategy, art direction, branding and graphic design for the State of Colorado’s internal creative department servicing the Department of Labor.
Marketing Director | Deeper Africa, Boulder, CO | 2018-2019
Marketing strategy, brand voice, content creation, email campaigns, marketing communications, social media, PR and customer relationship outreach for an award-winning, boutique safari outfitter specializing in conservation wildlife safaris to southern & East Africa. Customer outreach. Entire customer database and digital marketing migration into Hubspot, Buffer, Mailchimp and TrustPilot.
Marketing Consultant & Graphic Designer | Anza, Moshi, Tanzania | 2017
Marketing, creative strategy and graphic design for social business accelerator whose clients include Jasmine Bee Honey, Afrika Wear Design, Vyonne Enterprises and DataSky Technical College, as well as a number of my own personal tourism clients in Tanzania. This opportunity has been one of the great experiences of my life.
Art Director | Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco | 2006-2009
Campaign concepting, art direction and design for HP, Hyundai, Sprint, Saturn, Doritos, Tostitos & Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Art Director Intern | DDB Chicago | 2005
Campaign concepting, art direction and design for clients such as JC Penney and The Chicago Tribune
Graphic Designer | Freelance, Denver & the Bay Area | 2002-2004
Graphic design for clients and agencies such as Restoration Hardware, The Bee-Line Group & The Integer Group
Jr. Designer | BarnhartCMI, Denver CO | 2000-2001Graphic design for clients such as Quest, Vail Resorts and Wyoming Tourism
Volunteer
Tutor | Asian Pacific Development Center, Denver, CO | 2023
The APDC services and supports Denver-area refugee and immigrant communities with medical and mental health services, advocacy and education programs, including adult ESL programs for refugees and immigrants studying for the CASAS exam and/or citizenship.
Designer & Writer | We Made This, ECDC African Community Center, Denver, CO | 2018
Non-profit social business that helps train Denver area refugee women in the business and production of handmade apparel and accessory design using the fabrics and pattern designs of their native countries. The women in the program keep all monetary profits from their sales.
Marketing Consultant & Graphic Designer | Anza, Moshi Tanzania | 2016-2017
Anza is a social business incubator based in Moshi, Tanzania that helps local entrepreneurs launch their businesses.
Website Designer | Peruvian Hearts, Denver, CO & Cuzco, Peru | 2016
Non-profit educational organization that provides tools and mentorship to help local Cuzco women complete school
Education
Miami Ad School, San Francisco | Art Direction 2005
Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO | BFA Graphic Design 1999
Recognition
Ad Critic
Promotion of USA Today Ad Meter Winner
Archive Student of the Year nominee
National Gold Student ADDY and a number of regional ones
Miami Ad School, San Francisco | Art Direction 2005
Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO | BFA Graphic Design 1999
Recognition
Ad Critic
Promotion of USA Today Ad Meter Winner
Archive Student of the Year nominee
National Gold Student ADDY and a number of regional ones