Creative Direction, Marketing Consulting & Photography
Beautiful work still has to make a living.
I work with architects, interior designers, custom builders, and home and lifestyle brands. Most have already made something worth seeing. They've built the house, opened the doors, or finished the collection. I help them decide how to put it in front of the people they want to reach, then lead the marketing that gets it there.
I start by asking what a good year would look like. A builder might want fewer projects and a larger role in each one. A home brand might want to sell more of its collection at full price. Those answers change which projects go on the homepage, what we photograph, and where the budget goes. If no one has put words and numbers to the goal yet, we do that together.
I keep my client list small so you work directly with me on strategy and creative direction. I also welcome inquiries from independent hotels.
Services
- Fractional marketing leadership
- Brand strategy & 90-day marketing plans
- Creative direction & production
- Websites & e-commerce
- Email & social campaigns
- Marketing analytics & inquiry tracking
- Architecture, interiors & brand photography
Selected experience
- RED Digital Cinema
- I built the marketing department, working directly with founder Jim Jannard as our team grew from one to 11. I led online sales and marketing for a site that drew nearly half a million visits a month.
- Widler Architecture
- As fractional brand and growth lead, I help the firm choose which projects to feature and how to present them across its website, newsletter, and client presentations.
- RWA Builders
- My work brought together brand positioning, project-page copy, House Walk materials, and the inquiry form so prospective homeowners could explore the firm’s work and get in touch.
Creative direction & photography
If an architect tells me a room was designed around the afternoon light, that changes when I show up with a camera. It also tells me which photograph belongs on the project page, so a future client can see a decision the architect made and understand why it mattered.
Sometimes I photograph the project myself. Sometimes I direct a photographer or video team you already trust. Either way, we know what the images need to communicate and where they'll live before anyone picks up a camera.
I also take on architecture, interiors, and brand photography as standalone commissions.
Jenni Kayne, Rip & Tan
At Surfer Magazine, Rusty, and O’Neill, I worked in sales and marketing for a community I belonged to. As a surfer, I loved seeing which stories, photographs, and products people passed along to one another. That was how I learned what mattered to our audience.
At Rhythm Interactive, where I got my start in social media strategy, I learned to do the same for customers I didn't know firsthand, by learning the business from its owner and listening for what its customers valued in their own words.
Then came RED Digital Cinema, where I built and led the content and marketing team, growing it from one person to 11.
Most people know me through my photography, which makes sense. I founded Carolyn Ruiz Creative in 2013, and through my studio I've directed a product launch for Be Well by Kelly, photographed campaigns for Veer, and shot the interiors of a new Faherty shop.
I also spent several years at PADI Gear, PADI's branded apparel and merchandise business, where I relaunched our online store on Shopify and went to Kauai to produce our first lifestyle shoot. As a diver, I understood why someone would choose a shirt with the PADI name on it, and that sense of belonging shaped how I photographed the collection and presented it online. During my time there, revenue grew 31% year over year and margins rose from 30% to 44%.
I'm also a mom to boy/girl twins, which has taught me how quickly time moves. Home is San Clemente, and I still find time to get in the water.