Brand & Creative Leader
Find the truth. Build the brand.
Move the business.
I'm Patrick Thornton. Brand strategy, creative direction, go-to-market. Fifteen years building brands and the operations behind them.
Below is some recent work and roles.
RECENT WORK AND ROLES
SHARROW MARINE
Contract creative direction and brand identity build out - 2025
Brand evolution for a
category-defining propeller technology.
No one knew what to make of it. We built the story that made it make sense. Creative that delviered luxury and adventure.
BRAND | GTM | PERFORMANCE MARKETING | SPORTING
FRIANT WORKSPACE
Global Director of Marketing and Communicaitons - 2019-2022 - Full-tim
Global manufacturing and a category rewritten by a pandemic.
Global operations across product, marketing, and sales. Took a brand nobody was proud of and built something worth selling.
BRAND | B2B | CRM | PRODUCT DEV | GLOBAL MANAGEMENT
ABSOLUTE CARE
Contract Cretive Director - 2023
A healthcare company that had earned its reputation and had no system to leverage it.
Built a creative framework and tactical toolbox that unified medical and consumer communication across the East Coast.
IDENTITY | WRITING | SYSTEMS | HEALTHCARE
MASHSTUDIOS
Director of Marketing, Head of Studio Produciton, Corporte strategy - 2015-2019- Full-time
The manufacturing partner architects called when the project had to win.
Delivered branded environments for Nike, Google, Chanel, and Uber — and pioneered the concept of trademarked furniture.
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | B2B | CORPORATE INTERIORS
MASH PRODUCTIONS
Director of marketing, Head of studio production, - 2015-2019- Full-time
Events, production & cultural partnerships from concept to activation.
Transforming a studio into one of the city's most sought-after creative and cultural destinations. All partnerships sold and managed personally.
PARTNERSHIPS | EVENTS | PRODUCTION
COASTWISE HEALTH
Contract Creative Director and VP of Marketing - 2022-Present
Brand Transformation for
a healthcare services
company.
Brand system and emotional foundation — then the hyper-local digital campaigns that turned it into a lead generation engine.
IDENTITY | DIGITAL | HEALTHCARE | WRITING
MANS LUMBER
Contract creative director, Writing, Production specialist - 2025
Built the full 125th anniversary campaign — concept through production.
Five TV spots, CTV, digital lead generation, print, and brand partnerships with Anderson Windows and Trex Decking across Metro Detroit.
RETAIL | BRAND | CAMPAIGN | WRITING
CRYOSTRIDE
Contract creative director, Business consulting, Ecommerce lead - 2025
End-to-end digital launch for a patented equine cryo therpay boot.
Design, marketing automation, on-location content production, and a data framework connecting the leading equine medical facilities in the US.
BRAND | SHOPIFY | CONTENT | MARKETING AUTOMATION
HISTORIC REALTY DETROIT
Contract CMO - 2022-2026
Real Estate Marketing Through Social Media, Sales Resources, Email & Activations.
Social and email strategy that kept HRD top of mind with Detroit's most engaged buyers year round.
EMAIL MARKETING | FRACTIONAL CMO | LUXURY REAL EASTATE
Creative Direction
Defining vision, positioning, and execution across brand and product
→ Built in agency environments leading campaigns, production, and brand storytelling
→ Driving emotionally resonant work that connects and performs
1
Building identity, messaging, and systems that scale
→ Led in-house brand development across product, teams, and organizational alignment
→ Driving market share, brand equity, and long-term positioning
→ Digital First vision incorporating data and metrics to amplify all creative efforts
Brand Development
2
Structuring launches, offers, and growth strategy
→ Led global product development and marketing across B2B, B2C, and e-commerce
→ Launched thousands of products and scaled multi-channel sales systems
Product & Go-to-Market
3
Translating brand into physical environments and real-world touchpoints
→ Delivered environments for brands including Nike, Chanel, and Goop
→ Bridging design, development, and real estate with full project oversight
Visit DOREN STUDIOS to view the interior design work
Space & Experience
4
Design to Life.
My Ethos
I grew up running around advertising agencies and production sets, and have spent the last 15 years working across agency, in-house, and independent environments.
I work at the intersection of brand, product, and go-to-market—helping companies define direction, align teams, and move ideas forward. I think at a high level, but operate on the ground, turning creative vision into structured, executable work.