JOE FRIEND

As a small business owner and creative professional, I have spent countless hours managing business relationships, strategically using market insight to develop my company as a competitive and individualized brand. I have a proven track record of being able to curate a specialized team in order to achieve awesome results.

Bold, new and provocative ideas make me tick. My innovative instinct coupled with my aptitude for creative collaboration allow me to pursue unconventional ideas and push the creative boundaries beyond the traditional norms. I thrive on every aspect of creation, seeing every idea from concept to analysis to strategic implementation.

When faced with new and challenging situations, I employ both proven methodology with new and innovative techniques to creatively solve difficult problems. I possess strong interpersonal, organizational, and critical thinking skills. When solving problems, I am quick analyze the task at hand and implement artful, inventive solutions.

An inquisitive person by nature, I always ask, "Why?". I question everything around me, always striving to keep my mind active, observant and energized. I look deeper into everyday things to search for their true significance, realizing that there is much to learn from everyone and everything.

A doer, a connector, an entrepreneur and a momentum builder, I have never settled for anything less than 150%. I know where I stand, but more importantly, I am confident of who and what I want to become. I welcome challenges with open arms and view every obstacle with potential and possibility.

A devout extrovert and sharer of experiences, I am energized by talking with and engaging with others. I am a strong written and verbal communicator, I love writing and receiving emails (I check my inbox entirely too often), and sincerely appreciate authentic, honest, and thought provoking discourse

Part of my core identity lies in connecting with people. Meeting, understanding and engaging with interesting and creative individuals is an underlying passion of mine. Whether connecting with people face to face or reaching out to your network through engaging and purposeful social media marketing, community is the binding glue of sharing experience, both professionally and personally.

My New Orleans roots and years of experience in the service and hospitality industries have molded me into a self proclaimed "hospitalitarian". I have mastered the art and ethic of customer service and pride myself on my ability to establish a genuine level of trust with whomever I am interacting with. I understand that great service is rooted in the ability to authentically represent a company's values while anticipating needs and gracefully addressing any and all challenges.

I am excited by the process of learning and am inspired by new ideas, the latest trends and kinetic learning. I am constantly searching for new and provocative information and resourcefully tap into a variety of mediums for new concepts and ideas. I appreciate the value of education and am a firm believer that the best learning opportunities often take place outside the classroom.

Thinking creatively produces ideas and thinking analytically produces solutions. I understand the value of both qualitative and quantitative research. When approaching a new project, I attack it from a conceptual viewpoint and then back it up with proven tactics and empirical evidence.

My five years experience as a commercial photographer and professional fine artist have fine tuned my mind to think outside the box. I have a tendency to see the world in abstract and generative ways. I have learned to tap into every medium of expression for inspiration and continue to strive to produce fresh, energizing and imaginative ideas.

With over five years experience as a professional photographer, I specialize in commercial, editorial and creative portraiture. My work has been featured in multiple, national publications and I have shot for both local and national campaigns.  A meticulous retoucher with an eye for detail, color and composition, I spend a significant amount time fine tuning my images and formatting them for both print and digital viewing. A true perfectionist, I have a trained eye for detailed skin retouching, compositing and image manipulation.