Who We Are

Berto is a professional pensive who seeks out the efficiencies in everything. A social architect, he's always expanding his network of "friends who can do that" by way of his natural smell-good musk and his reputation as giver of the best hugs. Berto left the Midwest to live his best life, but relives the worst day whenever he forgets his chapstick at home.

Important Fact

Berto's endorphin triggers include cotton candy skies, musical swells in film, and PBJ's.

A Jersey girl through and through, Shey found herself on the right side of the Hudson in a frigid escape from her icy Ithaca alma mater. While her taste in carbs is questionable, her taste in music is not: she’s seen The Stones, The Who, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney in concert (not all at once—can you imagine?).

Important Fact

Shey had an incredibly glamorous first career as a college spa janitor.

Long ago and far away, Vania was a financial consultant. One day, her inner creative burst Alien-style from her body, took over the controls, and marched her to Pratt for a Master’s in Design Management. Today, Vania 2.0 is our perfectly balanced blend of business and creative thinking. Now if she can just keep her inner Francophile at bay...

Important Fact

Vania has been to 25 countries and counting.

Michelle has dreamed of a job in PR since...well, right after she graduated college and needed a job doing something/anything. She fell in love with the high highs, the always-developing stories, the business wins, and the excitement and unpredictability that keep her brain on its toes. Yes, her brain has toes.

Important Fact

Ever heard of circus camp? No? Michelle will fill you in.

Jessica got into the words game early by selling short stories to her fourth-grade classmates at a quarter a pop. She picked things up again much later when she tripped over a creative writing degree and fell into a career in advertising. She loves tiny things, bodega flowers, and anyone who understands why she finds the show Trailer Park Boys both genius and soothing.

Important Fact

A southerner with no accent to speak of, Jessica probably wants to get coffee with you to talk about your thoughts.

Katherine’s journey to Madwell Developer involved layovers in Engineering (her first internship was at a crane company), Journalism (she’s worked for a few newspapers in her day), and PR (which drove her to teach herself coding, volunteer for small projects, and then jump departments). She can weld and operate a forklift, both of which will definitely come in handy in the very near future.

Important Fact

Katherine was the first person in her family to be born outside Texas since before the Civil War.

Lee hails from the great tax-free state of Delaware. Two years as an engineering major taught him that math was hard—and that design came easy. Even as a designer, though, he never shook his training: his favorite work shows off hard edges, flat color, and perfect alignment. (And so does his desk—every night, Lee cleans it off, then shuts off his mouse and flips it upside down.)

Important Fact

Lee has teenage beard-growth capacity and a geriatric bedtime.

Conor joined Madwell in our equivalent of the stone age, when we still worked in a one-room loft and designed things by rubbing sticks together. Over the years, his interests have grown far beyond his foundations in fine art and digital design into printmaking, animation, even some code—anything he can get his sticks on. In fact, he gets so worked up about all the cool things he has yet to create that sometimes he just watches Netflix instead.

Important Fact

Conor has the daddest dad humor of us all.

Jessie spent 29 trips around the sun in Boston before running for the hills (mountains) with two suitcases (of athleisure) and a planner. After a quarter life crisis dressed as the LSATs, Jessie dove head first into agency life and never looked back. With roles in PR and paid advertising in her background, the AM/PM hybrid thing is win-win for this Libra.

Important Fact

25% Andie Anderson, 25% Rachel Green and 50% Helga G. Pataki. She proudly serves House Tyrell.

Diana started her career as a copywriter in an agency so tiny that she doubled as hand model for a ballpoint pen account. So tiny that on shoot day, the client paid to have only one hand manicured. These days, she’s saved enough to have all fingers and toes tended to. Good thing, since you’ll find her in flip flops till the first snow.

Important Fact

Diana’s into fermenting things, so keep your cabbages under lock and key.

Who doesn’t want a job where they can sit, think, and write all day long? Lou always did. But to keep it interesting, she sidetracked after college to bake wedding cakes and manage coffee shops, as you do. Thankfully she fell (rather ungracefully) into copywriting and now refuses to leave. No, really. She refuses.

Important Fact

Lou enjoys ale, good food, and a warm hearth. Yes, she’s a hobbit.

A maker of stuff from day one, Jeremiah spent his formative years the way any curious kid would: taking apart and rebuilding all of his toys. After a first career as a stagehand (ever heard of Slayer?) Jeremiah discovered his passion for fabrication. If he’s not off in a corner playing with tools, you’ll probably find him exploring his two other passions: snacking and napping.

Important Fact

Jeremiah once fabricated a dead body for Law & Order.

Josh was drawn to advertising in college because it aligned all of his favorite things: words, pictures, grandiose concepts, and novelty swag. He moved to NYC post graduation and landed straight into Bushwick, a wonderland he’s since been exploring one bodega sandwich at a time.

Important Fact

Having been busted in an illicit potato smuggling operation, Josh is no longer legally allowed in the state of Idaho.

Kirby loves taking things apart and putting them back together again; he also loves hunting for creative ways to solve creative problems. So it’s no surprise that, driven by curiosity about how design and code interact, he simply went ahead and taught himself to code. More surprising, maybe, is his undying love of tiki drinks.

Important Fact

Important fact twofer: Kirby plays in a doom metal band and has a dachshund named Petunia.

Mike is a tough man to pin down. An expert-level frequent flyer, he once flew from New York City to Honolulu and back again just for the frequent flyer miles (and a quick Mai Tai). There’s a good chance the giant red "escape" key on his keyboard teleports him to the nearest airport.

Important Fact

Mike is an aspiring pinball league champion. (Watch this space.)

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

Fashion design is a great way to get into graphic design. Graphic design is a great way to get into UX. And for Meagan, UX was a great way to get into Madwell (twice!): first as an intern, then as a full-fledged full-timer. And to think she passed up a career as a professional chicken wing-eater...

Important Fact

No one rolls an egg roll faster than Meagan. (Her parents own a Chinese restaurant. She’s had a LOT of practice.)

Stephen was working as a graphic designer in sunny California when he stumbled across copywriting, fell head over heels, and landed smack dab in New York City. When he’s not mustering up copy for Madwell, you can find him battling it out on the Bryant Park ping pong tables or in his kitchen trying to replicate his grandma’s phở recipe.

Important Fact

The mouse in this pic did all of its own stunts and was not harmed in any way.

Ironically it was in China, where she had to navigate lots of media restrictions, that Sandy knew she wanted to work in digital media communications. She loves strategy because it means converting data into a narrative, something that also comes in handy for her anonymous toilet blog, where she reviews NYC’s public restrooms using poop emojis instead of stars. You’re welcome, world.

Important Fact

Sandy recently discovered that she can perform a single chin-up.

Chris believes great work ethic is the backbone of design. He spent the past eight years rowing competitively at the Varsity and Collegiate level, a sport requiring daily 5 am wake-ups. Luckily, this has given him a high tolerance to the effects of sleep deprivation, an accepted job hazard for any young designer. He also has a mild obsession with Chipotle and struggles each day he goes without it. Chipotle, you're on notice: come to Bushwick, dammit.

Important Fact

Has a passionate hatred for shoe laces and is anxiously waiting for the day velcro comes back into style.

Hailing from a family steeped in the visual arts (her great-grandfather was a typesetter in the Depression and her mother is an artist/art teacher), Julia is one of Madwell’s resident experts in making things look awesome. Her heroes are Carl Sagan, David Attenborough, and Edward Gorey.

Julia is also quite fond of kittens, steak, and becomes irritable with lack of proper food and rest.

Important Fact

Reared in Belgium. But can’t speak French. Or Flemish.

So what if Joe is horribly uncoordinated and generally not great with his hands? Computers don’t mind, and here’s nothing a good backspace and refresh can’t fix. Since first tinkering with code at age 11, Joe has made all kinds of neat stuff sans hand-eye coordination. Let’s just keep him away from the laser cutter, please.

Important Fact

Joe once landed a job tutoring the Mayor of Istanbul's son based on his entirely average knowledge of John Cena.

As a middle school recluse, Wake spent just enough time drawing and staring at a computer to realize that design was for him. But while careers are lucrative and all, so is spending your first year out of college in the world's second-northernmost capital just to discover you can eat a whole peach in one bite. Time is money, people. Time is money.

Important Fact

Wake once took a selfie with Barack Obama and Princess Diana. (At a wax museum. In Russia.)

Call her the Wolfess of Wall Street: prior to Madwell, Molly worked in B2B marketing at NASDAQ. Before you jump to conclusions, we should add that she also worked in grant writing and marketing at Hot Bread Kitchen, a social justice bakery that helps immigrant women learn and apply culinary skills. And that she’s a card-carrying member of the Hot Sauce of the Month Club.

Important Fact

Molly was almost born in a New York City taxi. Almost.

Eric put in time on sets all over LA before trading “Hollywood glamour” for indie film distribution and the chance to start managing creative teams. Against all odds (aka, a crippling taco infatuation), he later moved to NYC; here he gets to blend his creative spirit with his love of reformatting itemized budget spreadsheets.

Important Fact

Eric shares a birthday with EGOT icon Whoopi Goldberg. Truly, there is no higher honor.

After deciding—by majoring in it—that political science wasn't his speed, Joe followed the advice of a wise sensei guidance counselor and gave marketing a go. Ever since his first job as a wee AAE, he’s been realizing his passion for connecting marketing and business objectives with the cultural moment. His other passion: BBQ ribs.

Important Fact

Way back when, Joe wrote and creative directed not one, but two Twix commercials.

The key to Rachel’s success isn’t the ability to channel her inner Elle Woods or Sporty Spice on command; it’s knowing never to channel them at the same time. Other winning factors include her Philly native status, her friendship with every member of the Washington Wizards who played between 2011-15 and a supportive relationship with her cat, Penn. Hi, Penn.

Important Fact

Rachel has been slimed on Slime Time Live.

After the physical and emotional stress of bear fighting got to be too much, Andy “retired” to the design world. Now he spends his days staring at the computer screen, pushing pixels around, and winning the Sonos game in the Colorado office.

Important Fact

Andy once ate so much food at an all-you-can-eat-buffet that they kicked him out and accused him of hiding food in his pockets. To this day, he swears he’s not a buffet cheater.

David is a man of vision, and he’s no stranger to making those late-night musings a reality. Visionary proof point #1: a life of steadfast vegetarianism comes to a crashing halt following a vision of hamburgers in the night. Visionary proof point #2: Madwell. (Bushwick-based ad agencies don’t just appear out of thin air, see.)

Important Fact

From his OG endeavor (www.freediamondearings.com!) to that newfangled bitcoin, David has been out here mining for web gold, well, as long as he can remember

Laura’s greatest hits as a writer include burning holes through the keys on her keyboard and maintaining all these goddern bios. She divides her free time between eating her weight in noodles and introducing herself to other people’s pets.

Important Fact

Bangs are the windows to the soul.

It’s a classic love story: girl meets design, girl falls in love with design, girl’s Interior Designer father tries to keep them apart. But thanks to a special stubborn streak and some backup from her mom, true love triumphed, and today Kata and design are living happily ever after in New York City, wearing matching black outfits and watching vampire movies all day (some days).

Important Fact

If you think cats can’t walk on leashes, you're not trying hard enough.

Thanks, whoever invited Maria out that one night. Your awesomely debaucherous plans led to a less-than-awesome hangover, which led Maria to drink a restorative Vita Coco, which led her to us. Without you, we wouldn’t have this Led Zeppelin-loving, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-slinging creative star in our sky. Keep it up!

Important Fact

Maria absolutely loves tomatoes, so Operation Tomatina is definitely on her horizon.

What do Bar Mitzvah backup dancing and accounting have in common? Passion, curiosity, attention to detail…and Doug. Discerning by nature, Doug is naturally also among the fussiest of the fussy Madwellian eaters, our beloved King of Carbs. Bring him your pastas, your breads, your cookies, your crackers, your cakes. Now you're speaking Doug’s language.

Important Fact

Fun Fact: Despite his last name, Doug dislikes any and all seafood.

Emma’s first design project was an interactive map of her high school, an archaeological wonder that’s still in use today. After a brief career crisis (you can’t survive off screen printing? How about cat ladying?), she’s happily employed as a Madwell designer, patiently awaiting the day she’ll retire on a goat farm to eat cheese, snuggle cats, and screen print all day.

Important Fact

All the good ideas happen right before you fall asleep, which only helps you if you sleep.

Matt sees effectiveness in design as providing a holistic experience that breeds trust, delight, and true engagement with users. His sensibilities are influenced by his background in architecture; he often dives into distinct project components including visual/interactive design, coding, or conceptual planning.

He and David constantly battle for the title of Madwell Ping Pong Champion, but only after Matt has made a ritual French Press.

Important Fact

Has eleven toes.

Adrian was a competitive downhill mountain biker when a behind-the-scenes tour at his team’s apparel sponsor got him hooked on the idea of design. Even though he put the brakes on racing to focus on design school, his cultural experiences traveling for competition still influence his work. (He's especially interested in folk art and the handmade.)

Important Fact

New York is nice and all, but Adrian misses living within driving distance of the amazing food in Tijuana and Ensenada.

When his career as a professional soccer player “didn’t take off,” David pivoted to a career in video game design. Bad news, though: design school is less about video game design and more about design-design. Good thing seeing your ideas come to life is pretty darn awesome, even when it has nothing whatsoever to do with FIFA 19.

Important Fact

David survived a whole year wearing only 8 pairs of underwear, 8 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and 2 pairs of shorts.

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

A New York native, Julia headed west to Colorado for college and ended up sticking around twice as long as expected. There she worked with one agency specializing in custom installs, apparel, and high-end merch and another, smaller shop (population: Julia) working alongside a polar explorer. Team arctic wildlife for life, y’all.

Important Fact

Julia has had nightmares involving Oreos.

Some might say Rebecca eats, sleeps, and breathes Madwell. That's because she lives 15 literal seconds from the office. A California transplant with a perma-cold from October to March, she ended up living and working on Boerum Street after a stint copywriting at a communications agency for nonprofits. When she's not putting pen to paper (okay, fingers to keyboard) at Madwell, she's searching Petfinder for a hound she will name Hunk. He’ll wear a bandana.

Important Fact

She keeps an ever-expanding list of marine life puns on her phone ("Are you there, Cod? It's me, Margaret.")

Hailing from Seattle, Aaron got his start working at a small social media agency pretty much funded by the Pacific Northwest juggernaut Microsoft. He concentrated in social marketing there and in LA before moving to NYC to work for a tech company as an Account Manager. Some people whistle while they work; if you walk by Aaron, expect to see him dancing.

Important Fact

In between all this working business, Aaron took a year off to travel Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Megan's love of social media stems from her fascination with the nature of advertising, and fitting complex communication pieces into giant strategic puzzles is her jam. When she's not switched on to social, she's a photographer, learner of languages, and dancer-around-her-apartment-er.

Important Fact

Megan’s nickname is “the jukebox” (when it comes to lyric recall, she’s a machine).

A background in finance, an untimely market crash, a friend with a job opening in paid search in Long Island, and a perfect storm of pure happenstance...and the rest is history. Africa fell in love with media (if not Long Island—she’s since returned to her beloved New York City). If you need a hot tip on the best southern comfort food in NYC, she’s your gal.

Important Fact

Africa spent many a teenage summer learning how to build prosthetic legs, shoes, and other orthopedic items for veterans.

You might recognize Dana from that one beauty pageant she won. In Texas. As a baby. Or maybe you were a student of hers when she was a professor of fine arts, or you know her work as an interspecies installation artist. We know her as a mega-dimensional creative producer who can sense the presence of popcorn anywhere within a one-mile radius.

Important Fact

An online quiz told Dana she’s a lion. She hasn’t met many lions, so it’s hard to know for sure.

Chelsea was a visual learner from an early age, and her foundations in visual storytelling and video editing helped shape her into the empathetic, creatively fluent producer she is today. She prides herself on biking to work every day, so come rush hour, please share the road between Fort Greene and Bushwick.

Important Fact

Chelsea was the president of her high school video club.

In a parallel universe, Will is an engineer. In this universe, Will left engineering school to become a chef, a career he actually likes. Building on his experience baking and selling apple pies to his neighbors at age 6, Will blends business and chef-ery to help Madwell develop and launch new food innovations (and host the occasional high-end backyard barbecue).

Important Fact

Will’s favorite food is whatever vegetables are in season.

Sean takes organization and cleanliness very seriously, except when it comes to cleaning his own keyboard. He’s a double index finger typing prodigy who loves discussing social marketing trends as much as he likes pontificating about whiskey. FYI, you’re drinking it wrong.

Important Fact

He’s not a millennial. Shhh, he doesn’t know it.

A Brooklyn native, Jackson got his foot in the door at Madwell purely by chance. After being wrapped in a towel and half-heartedly put up for adoption, Jackson proved himself to be an essential part of the team, and he’s been here ever since. His interests include cosplay, cheese, and killing.

Important Fact

In spite of being on staff for years, Jackson has yet to work a single billable hour.

Tweenage Alex emerged from her first-of-its-kind creative high school with nothing but pure love for design (and a documentary about mimes). Now, fueled by her Bay Area chill/Detroit hustle/NYC ambition, grown-up Alex wakes up ready to rock steady every day, so pumped to work her craft that it moves her to tears on the hour.

Important Fact

For three years, Alex spent her Saturday mornings teaching art and creative writing in a maximum-security prison.

After riding the glory wave as a pre-teen hot dog eating sensation and burning out of conservatory as a trumpeter, Nate made the natural transition into political speechwriting, and then advertising. These days, you can find him hating on the Yankees, searching for ways to combine pizza and poké, and convincing doubters he really does have three middle names.

Important Fact

Given the opportunity, Nate will never say no to watching Con Air.

Pore through Devin's grade-school notebooks and you'll find weird rhyme schemes, basketball recaps, and creative stories. As an adult, he never outgrew those passions—no small feat, since at 6'5", he outgrew pretty much everything else. At Madwell, Devin thrives on solving language puzzles and his memories of dunking. (He swears he will again one day.)

Important Fact

Devin is on a lifelong quest to find the world's best chicken wings.

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

Ben is a man of few words, but all of them are in Australian (he moved to NYC from Down Under six-ish years ago). Luckily we’ve been able to communicate using a series of elaborate hand signals, so we’ve learned that he subscribes to a few fundamental truths: seafood is the best food, mountain goats are a noble beast, and design is a good thing because it’s a learning process that doesn’t seem to have an end.

Important Fact

Given the option, Ben’s superpower would involve flying (so as to reduce the cost of visiting Australia, duh).

Skateboard, surfboard, snowboard: if you can ride it, Matt’s all about it. No board, no problem; this outdoorsman dabbles in foot travel too. He once hiked 850 whole miles through the Pacific Northwest! In two months! With no backpacking experience! What can’t he do? Conjure coffee out of thin air, that’s what.

Important Fact

When not working or adventuring, Matt moonlights as an amateur tattoo artist.

Frank has 13 years of experience in building for the web, many years of that overlapping with building things out of glass, steel, and concrete. Letting no detail go without care, he is constantly pushing his skills forward in both the design and development realms. He follows Car & Driver, Consumer Reports, and the decaying state of the retail industry at Labelscar.com

Important Fact

There are only a few things on this earth he does not have an opinion about.

A Virgo, Hilary was astrologically destined to find peace in spreadsheets. A superbly organized creative wrangler, she’s also a Cicerone (it’s like a sommelier...but for BEER). Speaking of fancy words, Hilary speaks French. So you can feel free to ask her for une fromage recommandation, s'il vous plaît.

Important Fact

Hilary would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to her pops: "LOOK, I’M ON A WEBSITE!"

Even as a wee college student, Patty knew she wanted a career in marketing. Armed with a degree in advertising and her Minnesota niceness, she moved to Denver to find her place in this crazy industry. She soon found her passion for social media management because of its ever-changing nature and its exposure to all the friendliest people on the internet.

Important Fact

Patty once had a Twitter conversation with Ricky Martin.

Cubicles? That’s going to be a hard no from Ray. A creative at heart with a background in finance, Ray found the world of production in search of a more, let’s just say, “dynamic” work environment. He did okay for himself: after working as a line producer, he executive produced three whole films of his own.

Important Fact

Ray spent his formative years bouncing between Europe, the US, Japan, and the Dominican Republic.

As a creative and commercial director, Adam has worked with a towering who’s who of bands and brands (cue the name drop: Nike, Ford, Google, MTV, Heineken, Beck, The National, Regina Spektor...). Maybe you even saw his movie posters for Boogie Nights and Happiness. Yep, that was Adam, living the dream, never letting that Brazil nut allergy hold him back.

Important Fact

Adam has three kids and a ten-pound dog named Moose.

This trilingual developer will out-code you in three languages before you can even say HTML. He’s been in the tech game since he was 20, and from teaching computer science to building new sites, his lightning speed and love of learning keep him super duper duper sharp.

Important Fact

Danny is ambidextrous but still prefers to divide and conquer (right hand for writing and eating, left hand for everything else).

Can you name all the ingredients in a polyjuice potion? Our (un)official Harry Potter scholar can. In the Hogwarts dining hall, you’ll find her at the Gryffindor table; in New York City, you’ll find her in Flushing, at one of her “top secret” Sichuan spots. Don’t sleep on asking her for her recs, either. They’re drool-worthy.

Important Fact

No one loves The Sims like Lindsey loves The Sims.

Like any good night owl, Anna loves coffee and African drumming. Although her raw sketching and scribbling skills have given an organic edge to many a Madwell project, her cream cheese bust of Kevin Bacon is still one of her proudest pieces. Anna’s favorite color is Pantone 5773 C; her second favorite color is organization. (If all the dishes are washed and lovingly aligned, we know she’s been by.)

Important Fact

Anna was once bit on the buttocks by a penguin. And she has an unhealthy (literally) fear of vegetables.

Let’s get one thing straight: Jenny Liu was born to plan. And we’re not just talking media, either. Need lunch inspo? Travel advice? Jenny’s got a spreadsheet for that. Word to the wise if you’re looking for a Saturday excel tutoring session, though: this ski bunny hits the slopes every winter weekend. (Watch out, MWCO.)

Important Fact

Jenny once spent a whole summer running a chicken stand at a New York flea market.

Charity had had just about enough of changing bed pans in the ER when she decided to do something a bit more…colorful, if you will. So she tossed out her latex gloves and dove head first into the bright and brilliant world of word wizardry. When not scribbling or typing away, you can find her in the dance studio, tickling the ivories, and wearing clothes that aren’t scrubs.

Important Fact

Despite checking every gift shop on every trip she’s ever taken, she's still not found her name on a tiny souvenir license plate.

Mike hails from a long line of commercial printers. In a grand act of millennial rebellion, he left the ink dynasty for enemy territory: digital marketing. After short stints in the worlds of music and PR, he finally found his home nestled into the process-driven magic of creative production.

Important Fact

If you happen to spot a teenage mutt named Muddy prancing about the Denver office…Mike belongs to him.

A self-declared nerd (New York State Science Olympiad champion for life), Rachel can and will school you in a game of “what bird is that.” And if avian trivia isn’t your thing, quiz her on her brewery geography: she’s only been to 90 of them. Her only known weakness is hot sauce.

Important Fact

Rachel has a cat named after the Ghostbusters demon dog, Zuul. (She also has a close friend named Dana…)

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

Being selected as the captain of her high school basketball team told Brigid one thing: her team leadership skills and generally positive attitude MUST be greater than her bench warming skills. A knack for meticulous to-do lists, tenacious bank account monitoring, and avoidance of her mother’s advice to go into Accounting led her to the wonderful world of Production and Account Management, which has proven to be the perfect fit.

Important Fact

Baby Brigid spent the first year of her life in a body cast.

From atop the sinking ship of his existentially confusing career in banking, Colin scanned the Great Sea of Employment for a champion. Just then, a friend shouted from a raft called Advertising. What luck—there were a few seats left! And people were drinking! With nothing but a copy of “Ogilvy on Advertising” in hand, he jumped in and started swimming.

Important Fact

Colin is almost certainly going bald but can’t get anyone to believe him.

Ana got into design the way we all do at age six: by drawing dalmatians. Practice makes professional, as they say, and today Ana can (and will, and does) draw anything she wants. Birds are her favorite, though: a serious bird nerd, she once kept three white doves as pets, and she still spends hours reading up on birds online. The rest of her energy goes toward good music and good food—proper fuel for any creative soul.

Important Fact

Ana loves all things teensy. Special shoutout to tiny teacups and itsy-bitsy chairs.

Michelle is an expert relationship builder and organizer of things—a true Virgo. She’s worked in community development, government, and on the other side of advertising, appearing in spots for Aussie brands you’ve never heard of. She fell in love with her future husband on a two-week holiday (that’s Australian for “vacation”) and moved here for good two months later. USA 1, AUS 0.

Important Fact

In process there is peace.

Jess’ vice isn’t coffee (ew) or chocolate (double ew): it’s jam-packing her time with ways to learn new things (like dumpling making) and ways to pass on what she knows (by TA’ing classes for up-and-coming UXers). She takes user needs advocacy dead seriously, so if you’re a user of anything, or have users using your thing, you’ll want Jess in your court.

Important Fact

No, it isn’t short for Jessica. Ask again and just see what happens.

Art or computers? Computers or art? Such were the questions tormenting Zach as he tried to map out life after college. Then he landed his first job at an ad agency and discovered he could do both. Huzzah! When he’s not pushing pixels, he’s probably playing board games or practicing parkour in hopes of becoming a real life ninja.

Important Fact

He can standing broad jump over 7 feet on a good day.

Likes: bonding over dislikes. Dislikes: Harry Potter anything, Buzzfeed anything, flash mob proposals, acapella, raw tomatoes, rainbow capitalism, doggo-speak, slow walkers on crowded sidewalks, and people who misuse the word “shade” (that’s 99% of you). If you hate any of the above, you and Tyler are probably already friends.

Important Fact

At any given point in time he'd rather be half asleep on any beach.

Sajjad is a lifelong taker-aparter of electronics and autopsy-er of their insides. As Madwell’s beloved surgeon of tech, he keeps our machines (and their humans) healthy and sane. Sajjad's long-game goals involve blending his great bedside manner and techxpertise—see what we did there—with his other, other loves: visual art and electronic music.

Important Fact

Sajjad is a native New Yorker (is that really so unusual?).

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

Chris was born and raised on the mean streets of Denver. Off duty, you can find him illustrating various food items, riding bicycles, creating 3D characters, and shredding in skate parks with his 30+ crew. He occasionally shows up to work with a homespun “mummy” wrap on his foot, a telltale sign that he “raged his brains out” just a bit too hard at the park the day before.

Important Fact

He giggles. A lot. He blames it on nervousness and/or his love for all things in life.

Experimental drama and brand strategy have more in common than you'd think. Both require a deep understanding of your audience, as well as obsessive research on a topic until you're an expert. And for her next trick, Madie will read your horoscope while playing lacrosse.

Important Fact

Ask Madie about portage (after you google "portage").

After abandoning her childhood aspirations of rap and gymnastics stardom, Lauren decided writing was a suitable backup. Since then, the NYC native has penned things for some magazines you might've heard of and some brands that might be in your bathroom. She eagerly awaits Amanda Bynes' next project.

Important Fact

Lauren will smoke you at Connect 4. This is not a test.

You know that feeling you get when you become a designer just to work on the Harry Potter franchise, but then they wrap before you finish school? Or how it feels when you suddenly notice your phone isn’t in your pocket? Or when you can’t remember if you finished that cookie or just misplaced it? This concludes our tour of Paco’s psyche.

Important Fact

Paco knows how to be awkwardly silent in 4 languages.

Lynsey is about as practical and efficient as they come. This high school valedictorian graduated at the top of her class even though she skipped PE 4 out of 5 times a week. She also once told her mom she was going camping but actually snuck across the border...to Canada. (Sorry, Lynsey’s mom!)

Important Fact

Despite having never seen one in her whole life, Lynsey is terrified of leeches.

While Matt was always into drawing—in high school, he was an avid in-class doodler—he credits his father for turning him onto the Sunday comics. Matt counts Dr. Seuss and Doug Funnie among his influences, and in other news, he’d happily eat bagels with cream cheese and lox for every meal.

Important Fact

If Matt had his way, “Return of the Mack” would play every time he entered a room.

Ever heard of Liver Nifflies? Natalie couldn’t get enough of them until that day 17 years ago when she finally read the ingredients. A lover of the outdoors with “Rocky Mountain State” written all over her, when Natalie’s not hiking the hikes and camping the camps, you can catch her powwowing it out with her creatives. They keep her on her toes.

Important Fact

Natalie once made the Denver Derby Dolls roller derby team. She never played...she just wanted to see if she could make the cut.

Kalynn has produced creative for everything from architectural lighting design to the Philadelphia 76ers to good old-fashioned Vice magazine. Lessons learned? Print is cool, basketball is meh, and good lighting is critical. (To this day, she'll still pick a restaurant or bar on its lighting alone.)

Important Fact

Nicknames currently in circulation include Kalynnifer Lopez, Kalynnor Roosevelt, Don Kalyeone, Kaytor Tot, and Corn Nuts.

Cecily was hanging out in the fashion industry, just minding her own business, when suddenly she fell through a trapdoor that led straight into advertising. Luckily she’s weirdly good at untying knots, which has come in handy. Plus there are Cheetos here (crunchy AND puffy). So far so good, people.

Important Fact

Cecily is a Gryffindor.

At age 22, David “Steak” Salisbury (get it???) jetted off to Hong Kong to live the glamorous life of an underpaid junior copywriter. After getting his fill of being very, very far from home, he returned stateside for another dance with his beloved West Virginia (he’ll tell you all about it, trust us) before making the big move to the big city.

Important Fact

David is a half-decent tennis player and half-decent saxophone player (just not at the same time).

When Courtney was little, she “worked” with her architect dad by “borrowing” all his good supplies for her “creations.” Eventually (very eventually) she realized she liked graphic design more, and her dad’s supply stash was saved. You’ll know Courtney on sight by her Vantablack wardrobe and mega-seriously-for-real fear of clowns.

Important Fact

Grey counts as a pastel.

Master coder turned master planner, Sandy has been managing projects since before Williamsburg was cool (Remember Trash Bar? How about before Trash Bar was Trash Bar?) After a stint on the West coast—and an even briefer stint in the South—Sandy returned to her beloved Williamsburg, where she spends her days enjoying the neighborhood’s more “grown-up” perks.

Important Fact

Sandy’s dream afternoon? Beach, booze, heavy metal.

And now, representing the great state of Alabama...it’s Lindsey! Lindsey comes packing a mad love of numbers, the ability to connect every dot, and a knack for the arts (she’s not ALL right brain, people). Come weekends, you’ll catch her jumping with her off-the-track thoroughbred, the distinguished Miss Queen Louise.

Important Fact

Lindsey is the daughter of a State Trooper, and thus has lived in every corner of her home state.

Completing creative marathons requires limber, buoyant legs and excessive stamina. At a solid 5 foot 7 inches tall Chris has the creative legs of a pigmy elephant combined with the speed of a full-sized adult cheetah (without the balance). Chris's design career began at the ripe old age of 5 when his mother provided him with a budget to decorate his bedroom to his liking. He has since maintained the philosophy that what he sees in his head he should attempt to manifest, no matter how hard, and always on a budget (for the most part).

Important Fact

Feels that watching Nicolas Cage movies purifies the soul while connecting one's subconscious with the cultural zeitgeist. Especially Bangkok Dangerous.

When you start out selling hearing aids over the phone (true story), you walk away with a loud voice and a pass to do literally anything else. Since that auspicious start, Jenita has worked in theatre, brand marketing, account management, and content production. Off the clock, she gets her kicks reading between the lines and making collages, which she completes to the halfway mark before abruptly stopping.

Important Fact

At dive bars, Jenita typically orders tea.

Right after graduating kindergarten, Allie set off on a straight-shot career path toward becoming a cat. She cut ties with that dream when she realized that cats can’t make color-coded spreadsheets, or buy themselves delicious New York pizza, or make a bomb marinara sauce every Sunday to soothe the pain of not even being Italian.

Important Fact

Regarding Buffalo: no, there isn’t always six feet of snow; yes, the Bills lost again; and no, she doesn’t have the accent (anymore).

Our mega-organized, type-A theatre buff got her start marketing “The Great White Way” before making her way off Broadway—way, way off Broadway—and onto Boerum Street. If she offers to make you a spreadsheet, define you a process, or serenade you a serenade, do the right thing and take her up on it.

Important Fact

Alex once willingly paid for a full Olive Garden dinner despite being told they were out of the unlimited breadsticks.

Success is about maintaining a strong set of personal values. Talamo values the power of things being organized all neat-like. He also values the power of extreme air conditioning, because the alternative is wearing shorts, and wearing shorts is a sure sign of moral weakness.

Important Fact

NYC is full of world-class museums that Talamo visits once every never.

Desmond was destined for a lifetime of sudden-onset creativity the moment his parents decided to name him after the 1968 Beatles’ classic “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da.” And after a brief stint in the left-brain world of finance, Desmond returned to his right-brain roots by barreling into the wild world of paid search, you know...head first.

Important Fact

Dumplings, empanadas, perogies. You got a pastry stuffed with meat? You got Desmond’s attention.

Jason is a Texan who moved to NY because he heard about it in a rap song (really pretty much all rap songs not by Dre). His eyesight is on the Mr. Magoo level but his design third eye rivals the power of Cyclops (the optic blasts from the X-Man, not the Greek epic god-spawn). Branding and typography are his passions, as are bean & cheese tacos with bacon and guacamole. And bright colored shoes.

Important Fact

In order to be employed at Madwell, Jason inadvertently spent a night in jail. Seriously, he was handcuffed on Madwell time. That's dedication.

Contrary to urban legend, the infant Ben X. Trinh was not rocketed to Earth from a dying planet. (He was in fact born in Arkansas and raised in Memphis.) He's worn as many metaphorical hats as he owns pocket squares: illustrator, graphic designer, bartender, lead singer. You could say that this multitude of experience makes him ideally suited to Design Experiences, or something.

Important Fact

Ben crafts a perfectly accurate margarita.

See that face? That's the face of the worst skier to ever grace the Rockies. While a student-citizen of the great state of Colorado, Emma had to be personally escorted down the mountain due to her dangerously low speed. On the upside, you’re also looking at a bonafide bagel expert (Brooklyn, baby) and a faithful member of the cult of snacktime.

Important Fact

Emma has a debilitating fear of dead birds. Attention, Jackson: no gifts please.

This Laura goes by many names (e.g., Jumpsuit) and wears many rings. She's sort of always been a writer, but it wasn't until she penned a short story about vampires and gave her English teacher nightmares that she considered pursuing it as a career. When she isn't staring into the void willing new thoughts to life, you can find her drinking whiskey at sundry dive bars and attending heavy metal concerts as well as non-thrash related musical happenings.

Important Fact

Laura was born and raised in Louisiana (not New Orleans). She makes up for not having an accent by making really, really good gumbo.

Andy got his start at a pioneering social media marketing firm when brands were just starting to realize how powerful social media marketing could be. He believes social media should be an open line of communication between a brand and its humans that’s not just painless, but positive. He prefers Instagram for discovering visual artists, Twitter for breaking news, and Snapchat for lolz.

Important Fact

Andy has had tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of surgery on his hand thanks to a run-in with a Sunfish. (The boat, not the fish.)

Born and raised in South Florida, Lexi is a beach bum turned ski bum. She moved to the mountains, traded her surfboard for a snowboard, and never looked back. Aside from words, Lexi loves sandwiches, sneakers, snow, and her hound dog, Hank, who can usually be found napping under her desk or trolling for treats in the kitchen—he’s a good boy.

Important Fact

Lexi and Hank have the same favorite food: meatball sub, extra cheese.

Important Fact

My bio is coming soon!

A many-hatted creative with an old soul, Courtney has done tours of duty everywhere from NYU Langone to CBS news in her capacity as a researcher, writer, analyst, and organizer of things. On a scale of way helpful to cool but less helpful are her photographic memory (legit, way helpful) and her chops as an actress and jazz singer (cool but slightly less helpful).

Important Fact

"Old ideas and smugness drives no truck."
–Eunice Wayward (Nina Simone)

Al’s hard work keeps the Madwell mothership in ship shape despite generous “help” from Jackson, who likes to chase any equipment he’s using just as he’s using it. It’s worth the trouble, though: channeling all his catly powers, Jackson has figured out how to open the door for his friend when he needs a hand.

Important Fact

The bear is Al’s spirit animal; the steak is his spirit food.