Collaborations
froSkate “All Love, No Hate” Nike SB Dunk
August 2022
Karlie Thornton and I are the first Black Women to work with Nike SB on a Dunk. This process took over a year and a half and is a testament to our mission of increased representation for BIPOC women, non-binary, beginner and LGBTQIA+ skateboarders.
froSkate x RSVP Collaboration
September 2020
Alongside the release of the Nike Dunk Low “Samba,” froSkate teamed up with RSVP Gallery to release two special colorways of our “Black Skaters Matter” tee, with 50% of proceeds being donated to Affinity Community Services and the Crossroads Fund.
Professional Experience
LEAD EVENT COORDINATOR + MANAGER
Chicago, IL | Aug. 2019 - Present
froSkate is Chicago’s first skate collective prioritizing BIPOC, Women, Trans, GNC and LGBTQIA+ Skaters. I plan and execute monthly community events hosting an average of 100 non-traditional skateboarders, and special events hosting 12-3,000 attendees centered in celebrating joy, diversity & inclusion, accessibility and representation.
I manage 5 internal team members, vendors and contractors, and an average of 12 volunteers per event to orchestrate cohesive and well-organized experiences. I also provide creative direction, oversee projects and budgets, maintain and develop community and brand partnerships, and host.
I additionally oversee, develop, edit, and publish written content across all platforms, including social media, website copy, brand narratives, grants, emails, and pitch deck copy. Our previous brand partnerships include Nike SB, Meta/Facebook, The Smithsonian, Museum of Science and Industry, Arc’teryx, RSVP Gallery, Redbull, and more.
FELLOW + CIVIC LEADER
Vista, CA | Sept. 2022 - Present
The Skatepark Project (TSP), formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation, helps underserved communities create safe and inclusive public skateparks for youth. In the fall of 2022, TSP welcomed its first cohort of fellows for a twelve-month advocacy training and design program highlighting skatepark development, city engagement, community involvement, and grassroots fundraising to become creative civic leaders.
I am Lead organizer of the Redo White Birch Project, advocating for the redesign and reconstruction of White Birch Skatepark in Hazelwood, Missouri. White Birch Skatepark is the only skate space in Hazelwood, MO, a city within St. Louis’ North County. The park has enormous potential, thanks to its size and location, but is currently underutilized due to the quality of concrete, lack of access, and prefabricated obstacles.
I oversee and develop grants, content and assets for the project, manage partnerships, and advocate to city skateholders for the development of recreational infrastructure in disenfranchised neighborhoods. Members of our collective also produce and host fundraising events and develop after-school programming in partnership with local high schools to provide free educational and recreational opportunities for over 6,000 youth in Hazelwood.
COPYWRITER + CONTENT STRATEGIST
Chicago, IL | June 2021 - Dec. 2023
Gumbo Media is a Black-owned media agency specializing in telling and expressing authentic cultural stories. My work involved actualizing client visions by developing language that defines the brand’s voice, mission and values, and utilized SEO to increase website traffic and amplify engagement. I crafted website copy, 2-5 minute voice-over scripts, discussion guides, informative tool kits, blogs, and various written content ranging from 10-1,500 words.
Additionally, I engaged in strategy sessions with clients to understand their needs and goals, inform best practices, and brainstorm ideas to create meaningful projects that capture and spread brand’s stories accurately and productively. Please find examples of my work with Gumbo below:
Colbert & Associates, Real Estate LLC: Website Copy—Developed website copy for a rebrand and refresh. Copy for this site included brand story, service descriptions, mission statement and more.
Whole Futures: VO Scripts—Developed VO scripts for a 5 part piece regarding reproductive justice. Alongside the scripts, I developed toolkits and discussion guides to accompany the audio-visual piece.
SENIOR CONTENT WRITER + STRATEGIST
Chicago, IL | Aug. 2023 - Present
The Nascent Group is a premier strategic business development firm dedicated to revitalizing and growing businesses across the United States, with an emphasis on sustainable urban development, hospitality design, and community transformation consulting.
Here, I am responsible for developing and editing project narratives, deck copy, press releases, newsletters and supporting documents, and I assist with business and strategic plan development, client communications and engagement, site visits, note taking and internal recaps.
Additionally, I develop local, national and private grants to increase clients’ access to funds to complete large-scale infrastructure and urban development projects, as well as develop and moderate in-person panel discussions by crafting meaningful narratives and topics of conversation that tell clients’ stories, increase thought leadership and contribute to brand exposure.
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Seattle, WA | Nov. 2021 - Aug. 2023
This Seattle-based Public Relations agency specilaizes in the technology, space, healthcare, infrastructure and development industries. Alongside a team of talented and driven women, I developed press releases and press lists, attributed articles, blog posts, story pitches, award and speaking submissions, business proposals, monthly recaps, and more.
I pitched stories regularly to hundreds of news outlets across the nation in the technology, space, health care, infrastructure and development industries, and gained placement in over 75 different publications across clients. I also won 14 award and speaking opportunities for clients and assisted with development of talking points, panel preparation, and award announcements.
A large part of my work was to craft high-grade ghost-written content for CEOs and business leaders to increase thought leadership and assist consumers with understanding best practices, market trends, and software innovation. Please find examples of articles and blogs I’ve ghostwritten below:
Mitigating ERP Implementation Risks
The Essential Role Of Customer Success In Enterprise Migrations
PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT
Remote | Dec. 2020 - Aug. 2021
Assisted in public relations during Alfie Swimwear’s rebranding period, ensuring alignment with the brand's mission.
Facilitated communication between creatives and the brand to execute mission-driven projects and scouted influencers for product endorsements, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.
Researched and identified web designers, UX specialists, and SEO experts to modernize the brand’s online presence, and increased social media presence and website traffic, driving the brand’s growth and reach.
A ‘Thank You’ to all of the brands, clients, and organizations who’ve trusted me with their visions.
Features
Reclamation and Reimagination
November 2021
"...we’re fundamentally reimagining our relationships with power and business; we try to show up for ourselves, each other, and our people in ways that others aren’t, and in ways that others cannot."
I am so honored, not only to have played a role in crafting intentional and genuine brand language for Gumbo Media, but for some of that language to be featured here alongside our founder’s beautiful words. I truly believe this a groundbreaking piece for Black and Brown professionals and creatives world-wide. An absolute must-read.
Black History Month Campaign
February 2021
I had the most remarkable opportunity to be included alongside various other incredible Black womxn for Facebook’s 2021 BHM Campaign. froSkate’s portion features my voiceover, where I discuss the importance of mental health awareness and why the discovery of this community was so important to me as Black, queer skateboarder.
Photo taken by Victor Adetunji Johnson
A Conference for the Future of Sport
November 2020
I was invited to speak on Diversity and Inclusion alongside froSkate’s founder and a variety of incredible leaders within the world of Sport. On a panel mediated by Kim Woozy, we gave insight on our own personal experience and how others can be supportive of intersectional skaters like ourselves.
An In-Depth Interview
November 2020
“When it comes to building a community in skateboarding, we have a lot to learn from the directors of froSkate. Founded by Karlie Thornton, froSkate is a Womyn and POC–centered skate crew based in Chicago. It took less than an hour for me to be fully convinced that Karlie and her Co-Coordinator, L Brew, are the key to the future of skateboarding.”
- Adrian Koenigs, Quell Skateboarding CEO
2020 Nike Chicago Voting Campaign
October 2020
As 2020’s presidential election approached, I, along with the founder and six other members of froSkate, were the faces of Nike Chicago’s 2020 Voting Campaign. During a year of consistent and immense change, we helped tell a story of encouragement, empowerment and accountability. The shoot was managed and directed by Gumbo Media, and froSkate additionally acted on its own voter encouragement efforts, hosting informative livestreams over Instagram and holding a registration table at meetups.