I was an Executive Producer of the acclaimed documentary The Seventh Fire examining Native American gang culture, working with Natalie Portman and Terrence Malick; the film was presented at the White House during the Obama administration.

I was raised at Wieden+Kennedy on NIKE during the Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods era, when W+K was considered the absolute epicenter of advertising. I was fortunate to be one of John C Jay’s assistants, working alongside and learning from some of the best creatives on the planet.

I worked with The Oregonian on a complete rebrand and advised on its transition from a traditional newspaper to a digital-first publication. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with acclaimed designer Jonathan Barnbrook, known for his work with Damien Hirst and David Bowie, as well as his extraordinary work for Occupy London.

An amazing friend of mine asked me to help him with an art/rock show he was curating in LA called “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” It was a benefit for the Santa Monica Museum of Art featuring Raymond Pettibon, Sonic Youth, Daniel Johnston, Ron English, and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, with Shepard Fairey DJing. Somehow, I ended up driving Ron English around LA, and he later sent me one of his Obama prints. I also hung out with Flea, Matt Groening, and Slash. I still think the whole thing might have been a dream.

I got to work with Tim and Eric from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! to make a wonderfully bizarre campaign for Charter Cable. Structured as an unhinged, multi-layered “infomercial,” it mocked commercial tropes while still promoting Charter’s TV and internet bundles. John C. Reilly even came in and brainstormed with us. It was an early example of “bizarre marketing,” before mainstream brands fully embraced internet meme culture. Even though the campaign dramatically increased subscriptions, the spot was eventually pulled because cable executives thought it was too extreme. Ironically, it went on to generate more than 100,000 online views and incredible exposure for a relatively small cable company. Tim and Eric would later bring their wonderfully strange style to major campaigns for Old Spice with Terry Crews and Absolut Vodka. Great Job!

My daughter asked for a catapult for her birthday. At first, I thought it was crazy, but then I wrote this spot and hired a group from Netflix Studios to build the catapult. I also really wanted to work with actor Shenoah Allen from the movie Sunlight. Voilà, birthday present. I got to work with Shenoah, my daughter got her catapult, and there were 79 fewer seatbelt-related traffic fatalities that year!

I had an amazing opportunity to work with one of my childhood heroes, Erik Estrada of CHiPs fame. We collaborated on a DWI campaign for the State of New Mexico while I was working with then-Governor Bill Richardson. At the time, New Mexico had one of the highest DWI rates in the country.

Through a mix of funny and serious work, Erik and I helped bring DWI-related deaths in New Mexico from 219 to 143—a 35% decrease. Bottom line: we helped save lives. And yes, that’s my daughter with Erik!

For more than 25 years, every Valentine’s Day has become a chance for me to dream up something bigger, wilder, and more unexpected for my wife, Anne. Over the years, these over-the-top Valentines have attracted local, national, and international media attention, giving me a way to disrupt the negative stories often told about my underserved South Valley and replace them with stories of love, creativity, family, and community. This is what LOVE IN THE VALLEY is about.