Steve Coy

Pokémon GO

role: creative & strategic director

scope: AOR

Pokémon is the most valuable IP in the world, and mobile AR game Pokémon GO remains a global sensation years after its viral debut. To keep up with its surging popularity, developer Niantic Labs sought an agency to manage its social and digital presence. I developed the RFP response that won the business, overseeing a team that achieved double-digit growth for 5 straight years and launched an exclusive in-game event with Ed Sheeran (fave Pokémon: Squirtle).

Lowe's / Kobalt

role: creative & strategic director

scope: AOR

Kobalt is the house tool brand at Fortune 50 retailer Lowe's Home Improvement. In 2017, I launched the brand's social channels, amassing a dedicated, engaged audience the company hadn't yet tapped. I also launched (and named) the brand's popular XTR prosumer line. Over six years, brand sales nearly doubled, and one vendor reported the social media program was worth $17M to their category alone. Read the agency case study →

PwC

role: writer / editor / interviewer

scope: case studies

I served as the agency-side editorial lead on PwC's Integrated Content team, delivering dozens of case studies on the firm's engagements in industries like healthcare, energy, and cheese. I love B2B content, and considering the scope of PwC's projects, these pieces probably have the most dollar-for-dollar impact of anything I've done.

Starz: Power Season 6

role: creative director

scope: tune-in campaign

Starz' hit show Power was your favorite NBA player's favorite TV show. To generate excitement ahead of its final episodes, the NBA's Power superfans offered their theories on the season's midpoint mystery: who shot Ghost? The campaign outperformed the network's benchmarks by 35%.

2K Sports

role: concept development

scope: social campaign

2K Sports releases a new edition of NBA2K at the beginning of every NBA season. But how to keep it relevant 7 months later? I developed this campaign that combines NBA2K game footage with bars from Grammy-nominated rapper Rapsody to celebrate the best of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. It earned over 9M views, mostly organic. Read the agency case study →

Dove Men+Care

role: concept development

scope: social justice / CSR campaign

During the NBA's 2020 "Bubble" Playoffs, the eyes of the world were on the league's players and their demonstrations in support of racial and social justice. I developed the concept for this campaign in partnership with the National Basketball Players' Association's branded content studio, which secured a multi-million dollar commitment from Unilever to reshape the way Black men are perceived in the popular imagination.

Sam's Club

role: creative director

scope: app downloads campaign

Sam's Club wanted to drive adoption of its touchless checkout experience, "Scan & Go," among younger, tech-savvy customers. This campaign, featuring a (sorta) athletic in-store competition, capitalized on the young, engaged audiences of its NBA talent. Over 3 weeks, the campaign generated 10% of Sam's yearly app downloads at a fraction of their usual spend. Read the agency case study →

new business pitches

role: creative & strategy director

scope: bringing in the $$$

I spearheaded creative delivery for new business at an independent creative agency, writing just about every deck we made (and designing my fair share, too). During my tenure, I secured more than $50MM in new and retained revenue for the company, pitching and winning with the companies you see here, plus Amazon, Nike, Warner Bros, and many more. Contact me to learn more.

Streamline Healthcare

role: creative director

scope: brand identity & core strategy

Streamline Healthcare is the only electronic health records software designed for behavorial health. I headed up the team that completely revamped its brand — logo, colors, messaging, website, collateral — centering it in customer research and a strategy to differentiate the brand in a highly competitive space. What a rewarding project. Visit their website →

Ateliere

role: creative director

scope: brand identity & core strategy

Ateliere is a cloud-based media management platform that film and television studios use to package their titles for streamers. I oversaw the team that gave the company a new identity and brand architecture. The company's founder and I derived the name — Romanian for "workshop" — from something I blurted out over Zoom. Serendipity! Visit their website →

Quatrio

role: mastermind

scope: the (fake) revolution in streaming

Here's a fun one: I created this (fake) streaming company as part of a brand pitch, and to make fun of Quibi. Unfortunately, the site's been taken down, but you can read the incredible (fake) white paper on why the fourth season of a TV show is usually its best (which is true!)

Lavazza

role: creative director

scope: influencer campaign

Lavazza is Italian for "world-class espresso." The U.S. Open means world-class tennis. To activate the brand's stateside partnership as the official coffee of the U.S. Open, my team and I developed a campaign featuring up-and-coming American tennis stars, including Taylor Fritz, now a top-5 player in the world.

DIRECTV

role: editorial director

scope: subscriber content marketing

Back when AT&T owned DIRECTV and WarnerMedia, they sought to maximize corporate synergy by driving subscriber interest in Warner titles. I led a team of writers, editors, and art directors to develop content around properties like major sporting events, the DC Universe, and Game of Thrones, whose cast I interviewed at the Season 8 red carpet premiere. You can find a few choice cuts on DIRECTV's site.

PrizePicks

role: strategy director

scope: brand architecture

PrizePicks is a leading online daily fantasy betting platform. They had a logo, fonts, and colors, but to grow as a company, they needed a brand. I led an on-site workshop at their Atlanta headquarters to develop a brand architecture alongside their passionate team. I can't share the top-secret documents, but it was so successful that it led to a retainer agreement for my agency and shaped how the ever-growing brand (try to escape them!) shows up to this day.

Thought Leadership

If you've made it this far, why not read my galaxy-brained musings on the nature of creative work?

arts vs. crafts

creative capital