This project was given the green light two weeks before I took over the team that would create it. The learning curve was steeeeeep to say the least. Our three-person editorial team gathered a writing crew, partnered with an external art director and internal designer, coordinated content with our video team, and led a series of concepting meetings to get this work done. A year and a half later, we launched an innovative youth resource that uses infographics and a problem-based learning pedagogy to engage teenagers in faith formation. That's no small task.

The original. This remains the best-selling brand in the Sparkhouse youth portfolio.

The Lutheran version was so successful that we brought in a new batch of writers to help us create a Methodist version.

A version just for the Presbyterians.

The Dialogues brand was born out of a desire to do... something... in the face of an increasingly divided society. I led my team in developing a resource that would walk small groups through seven weeks of conversation on topics like the refugee crisis, sexuality, and race. We worked with progressive voices on each subject, creating a collection of essays, a highly structured facilitator guide, and a documentary film that connects each week's topic to the lives of real people. The result is some of the most meaningful work of my career.

The documentary component of this resource was so powerful that the team created a version for home use.

This is the consumer version of our team's documentary for the Sexuality unit. It's beautifully done. Click to watch the trailer.

Essential viewing for anyone who wants to dismantle white supremacy in the church. Click to watch the trailer.

This companion book to Queerfully and Wonderfully Made fills a huge whole in the church resource market, offering a positive, affirming resource for adults who work with teenagers in faith communities. I led my team through the approval process for this resource and served as a contributor as well.

"A must-read guide for all queer and questioning Christians (and their allies, too)!" [Starred Review] —Kirkus Reviews. I helped my team craft a compelling proposal and P&L that made the case for this necessary resource for teenagers. The book was named one of the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Review and I'm incredibly proud of it.

Our portfolio of youth products was filled with a bunch of fantastic long-form curriculum. What we didn't have was a brand that could fill the gaps in a program year. Our competitors were churning out plenty of four-week studies, but we knew we could do it better. We pulled together our Product Design team, and in-house graphic designer, our video team, and our top youth editors to create a cool, thought-provoking topical study for high school students. Using the principles of human-centered design, groups use sticky notes and video to articulate and fine-tune their thoughts on big theological topics. We created five four-week units: Prayer, Sin, Salvation, Mission, and Bible.

Our Frolic brand of early childhood resources was initially aimed at children birth to three. But we knew there was a need for fun, play-based curriculum that churches could use to introduce simple spiritual themes to preschoolers. My team extended the Frolic brand with this move into a new market, doubling sales and lifting the whole brand with a refreshed marketing strategy.

We created a one-room model of our most popular curricular resources, the award-winning Spark brand and the video-based Whirl brand, in response to customer feedback. Some customers were working with decreasing numbers of kids in their classrooms and looking for ways to consolidate. Others were experimenting with multi-age classrooms as a way of helping kids connect with one another. Whether they were working with dwindling numbers or just trying something new, we gave them two fantastic options for getting kids engaged in faith formation.