By training I’m an art historian. After taking an undergraduate class on seventeenth-century Dutch art, my path took shape. I chose to specialize in that area, pursued my master’s degree in the Netherlands, and graduated after completing my thesis on double portraits in landscapes. During my studies, I gained experience working for small auction and appraisal firms and larger museums. After returning to the U.S. and finding less opportunity in the art world, I had to pivot. So-
By profession I’m a producer. I started (in a pre-covid, pre-AI advertising landscape) as a print production manager where I got my hands dirty learning everything that goes into making effective marketing campaigns from raw creative concepts. I initially managed timelines, budgets, and vendor relations, but my curiosity grew and I moved into an associate producer role where I spread my wings. I built on the foundation I had in the logistics of producing and leaned into creative collaboration. I learned how to hear my creative leads and understand their visions, and I built a network of talented and trusted vendors that I knew would be best suited to bringing projects to life. I expanded into motion producing and gained experience with commercial shooting, radio recording, animation, and VFX, until I moved into my role as a fully integrated producer. I’m now comfortable working across all media and can navigate budgets big and small, and can make magic happen in even the tightest of timelines.
And I moonlight as a translator. While living in the Netherlands during my studies, I was eager to feel more immersed in my adopted home and began taking Dutch language lessons. My reading skills eventually reached an academic level so that I could utilize Dutch-language sources in my thesis, and I continued to take classes after returning to the U.S. to improve my speaking and comprehension skills, eventually reaching a C1 level. I also took part in the BCLT Summer School “Literature from Flanders” workshop where I learned about the art of translation and gained invaluable experience through collaboration with translator peers. Now that I’m back in NL, I work on translation and editing in my spare time.
But what I’ve learned is that it’s all related. My sharp eye for detail that sought out brushstrokes and underpaintings during my academic career comes in handy checking color proofs and legal copy during retouching and edit sessions. As an art historian I learned what makes a composition effective and I use that to advise my creative teams when reviewing illustrations and layouts and storyboards as a producer. Simultaneously working with various internal teams, vendors, and client stakeholders gives me the ability to clearly communicate and translate ideas and feedback which in turn informs my actual writing and translation work. My career path hasn’t been a straight line because my experiences are constantly in conversation.
If any of my skills could be a good fit for your needs - please don’t hesitate to reach out.