Karen Starc

Cell/ What’s App: 1.917.414.8679

hola@karenstarc.com

14+ years experience

Part writer, part client whisperer, part strategy — all positive creative leadership, Karen has become known as a creative hybrid. Clients have said they find her critical to their partnership with the agency. Account teammates have said that she turned unhappy clients into agency champions. And her creative team says they really appreciate her optimism, empathy and partnership.

Freelance // Vicus Partners, Frette, Beechwood Homes.

• Consulting, freelance writing.

• Soup to nuts creative execution of strategic, multichannel communications. Services include branding, tone of voice development, brand strategy, production and more.

GALE // Pella, Carson Wealth, Goldman Sachs, Cadre, H&R Block, Quest Diagnostics, EarnIn, MilkPEP

HIGHLIGHTS

• Launched an all female marathon through a powerful film with spoken word by Amanda Gormon.

• Helped establish modular design and copy systems and email sprint processes for H&R Block’s multiple BUs, at speed and scale.

• Established the product messaging and creative expression for the public launch of a newly available Goldman Sachs investment strategy.

• Developed a ‘try before you buy’ Pella AR product to be used in dynamic communications.

• Tripled the Pella business at Gale over the 3 years I’ve been on the account.

DIGITAS // FIS, AES, Accenture, American Express, SunTrust, Travelers, Mondelez, Aetna, Comcast, Delta

HIGHLIGHTS

• Wrote and concepted a 45 minute virtual event for FIS’s annual Emerald conference — essentially writing and overseeing the production of 45-minute live action and animated film with each cast member in a different location —in under 6 weeks.

•  Pitched, won, and launched the rebrand campaign for AES in three weeks.

• Created over 500 pieces of content for American Express in 2019. In 2020, American Express Co. Chief Executive Officer Steve Squeri says Amex has finally reached “virtual parity” coverage with Visa and Mastercard in the U.S.

• Spearheaded a new way of developing creative, traditionally reserved for apps and UX. “Agile.” Helped design 3 agile models we could offer to produce better, more strategic work for clients, faster than traditional agency timelines.

• Led GCS (Amex B2B) content and communications, everything from emails, to experiential content, and social to site. Managed multiple teams, projects, and client relationships. Worked to develop and evolve the new tone in line with overall brand positioning.

• Wrote an entire B2B branded content program — the first for OPEN Forum (American Express’ repository for business insights), to help business leaders work smarter.

• Pioneered Travelers’ implementation of BrandLIVE™ — Digitas’ proprietary social listening platform with creative output in under 24 hours. On less tight timelines, led the Travelers team in developing TV, radio, DM, OLA and branded content.

• Convinced Amex to do a 180’ and make their OPEN (B2B) retention marketing more humane, visually and verbally.

• Wrote site content for Mondelez to encourage people to ‘play with their food’.

• Did some very creative messaging/math that resulted in 60% lift for Comcast DM.

CHACO // LAN, 110%, IHTRA

HIGHLIGHTS

• Developed a social only campaign starring triathlete Matty Reed, including a short film.

• Created a TV campaign that viewers could engage with live via Twitter for cash.

• Curated and edited UGC for LAN.

 THE ORANGE LEASH FOUNDATION                                                   

Creative Director/ Founder

• Assigned powerful symbolic meaning to a simple, distinctive and inexpensive leash to help raise awareness of the high euthanasia rate in animal shelters with the goal of accelerating pet adoption.

• The entirely BTL campaign includes a Facebook Fan Page (2,400 fans in first 45 days) and guerrilla efforts such as dog-less Orange Leashes tied to street posts.

 Actor NY, NJ, LA. Stage, TV, Film.