FIELD NOTE 01 EPIC MADE / APPROX. 2016–2017
01
NASA-RELATED REACTOR ACCELERATOR

Turn a clear vision
into usable direction.

THE SITUATION

Through Epic Made, I worked on the NASA-related REACTOR accelerator concept and met at NASA headquarters with the person spearheading the initiative. The vision for the accelerator was already clear. The challenge was turning that vision into language, positioning and strategic direction other people could consistently build from.

THE MOVE

I developed the positioning, audience profiles, messaging hierarchy, vision language, brand promise and strategic brief that explained what REACTOR was, who it needed to speak to and how the idea should show up in the world.

WHY IT MATTERS

The brief became an important creative-direction tool for Epic Made’s identity team, giving the designers a strategic foundation for the corporate identity while also supporting the presentations and pitches used to explain the accelerator to stakeholders.

MY ROLE POSITIONING / MESSAGING / AUDIENCE STRATEGY / CREATIVE DIRECTION

Strategy developed through Epic Made for the NASA-related REACTOR concept.

FIELD NOTE 02 EPIC MADE / APPROX. 2016–2018
02
MASA CORPORATION

A strong company
still has to explain itself.

THE SITUATION

MASA was an established custom labeling and packaging company serving major clients, but its sales team struggled to clearly explain the company’s value, identify the right prospects and articulate what made the offer different.

THE MOVE

Through Epic Made, I interviewed leadership and built the strategic message architecture around the business—clarifying the value proposition, target market, customer profiles, brand story, master brand strategy and sales-facing language.

WHY IT MATTERS

This wasn’t a visibility problem. It was a clarity problem. The work gave the sales organization a more useful way to talk about the company, understand who they were pursuing and communicate value without relying on product specifications alone.

MY ROLE VALUE PROPOSITION / AUDIENCE STRATEGY / SALES MESSAGING / BRAND STRATEGY

Strategy developed through Epic Made for MASA Corporation.

FIELD NOTE 03 BRANDSMASH STUDIO / 2024
03
LEAD SALES ENGINE

Differentiate the product
before the market decides for you.

THE SITUATION

LEAD Sales Engine was entering a crowded SaaS category where too many platforms looked and sounded interchangeable. The product needed a clearer identity, stronger positioning and language that made its value immediately understandable to Main Street businesses.

THE MOVE

I named LEAD Sales Engine and developed the positioning, messaging, corporate identity and website—framing it as an all-in-one platform designed to put a best-in-class customer experience on autopilot.

WHY IT MATTERS

The work gave the company a more ownable place in the category and a clearer story to sell. The founder has since reported healthy growth and expanded the technology team to support a higher level of customer service.

MY ROLE NAMING / POSITIONING / MESSAGING / CORPORATE IDENTITY / WEBSITE

Strategy and brand development through BrandSmash Studio.

FIELD NOTE 04 CICi’S PIZZA / 2008–2010
04
CICi’S PIZZA

Build the system
nobody left behind.

THE SITUATION

I inherited fundraising and community marketing across five locations without a working database, repeatable process or usable playbook. The opportunity was there. The infrastructure was not.

THE MOVE

I rebuilt the function from the ground up—creating partner databases, recurring fundraiser schedules, outreach systems, store calendars, follow-up processes and promotional materials while recruiting schools, churches, nonprofits and community groups across Hampton Roads.

WHY IT MATTERS

The system supported roughly 30 fundraisers or events in an average month across five stores and turned community outreach into a recurring operating engine instead of a string of one-off promotions.

MY ROLE COMMUNITY MARKETING / FUNDRAISING / PARTNERSHIPS / OPERATIONS

Independently managed fundraising and community marketing across five Hampton Roads locations.

FIELD NOTE 05 EPIC MADE / APPROX. 2016–2018
05
BIG SWEET YIELD / AGGMAX

A new audience needs
more than a new label.

THE SITUATION

AggMax was already an established global agricultural company serving large farming operations. Big Sweet Yield was a new division created for a very different audience: people with an acre of land, an interest in growing food and a desire for greater self-sufficiency.

THE MOVE

Through Epic Made, I helped define the new audience, positioning and brand direction for the division. During strategy, the team coined the term “backyard homesteaders,” giving the emerging customer a clearer identity and giving the brand a more specific world to speak to.

WHY IT MATTERS

The work helped translate an industrial agricultural company into a more consumer-adjacent proposition, informing the brand personality, visual storytelling and packaging direction for the new market.

MY ROLE AUDIENCE STRATEGY / POSITIONING / BRAND STRATEGY / VISUAL DIRECTION

Strategy developed through Epic Made for Big Sweet Yield, a new division of AggMax.

FIELD NOTES / CLOSING OBSERVATION EPIC MADE
“
Deonna is the most impressive person I’ve worked with in this space. It’s like working with a branding encyclopedia that has deep knowledge in every little nuance of the space coupled with an extreme passion for the subject-matter. Working with Deonna is really a no-brainer. She adds so much value to any scenario. If you’re working with any substantial business, the ROI is going to be there automatically.
CARL CLEANTHES Founder, Epic Made
THE PATTERN

Different industries.
Different problems.
Same job: find the clarity that moves the work forward.