Creative Strategists / Strategic Creatives

Kristen has over 30 years of experience in creative direction and brand development. She is a multi-disciplinary designer covering brand identity, animation, digital, interiors, exteriors and environmental experiences. She has directed for film, video and podcasts. A long time ago, Kristen studied fine art and journalism. She incorporates all of those skills to this day. She was raised by two radically optimistic radicals. She’s the oldest of six and acts accordingly. She lives in Boston with her husband and their two sons.

Robert has more than 30 years’ experience as Creative Director, Art Director and Designer. He has wide-ranging know-how, designing branding and identity systems, environmental experiences, packaging, print and websites. He has directed short films and video and is compulsive taker of photographs. He believes that every project is an opportunity to make something truly great.

Shaun works with mission-driven organizations of all sizes to help them find their voice. Shaun is an experienced writer and storyteller, helping to develop narrative, voice, tone and messaging for some of the nation’s most noteworthy nonprofit brands, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the American Red Cross, and City Year, as well as local and regional organizations like the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, and the animal rescue league of Boston. Shaun has also directed the communications strategies for political campaigns and elected officials. Shaun holds a BA in Political Science from Providence College and an MA in Government and Political Communications from The Johns Hopkins University. He lives with his three children outside Boston. He is the founder of Adamec Communications.

An idealist with a practical side, Craig is a brand strategist, storyteller, and multi-sector expert. He helps brands and organizations create simultaneous social and economic value by engaging stakeholders around critical societal issues. Craig has deep expertise leveraging corporate social responsibility (CSR), strategic philanthropy, and public-private partnerships to create competitive advantage. Craig worked as a marketing executive at P&G for +11 years, was formerly EVP of CSR/Social Impact at Cone Communications, and has served as strategic advisor to a range of clients including Disney, FedEx, Hilton, Keds, Sperry, Kenneth Cole, Luxottica, Whirlpool, the National Park Service, Sierra Club, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the USO. He currently serves as an Executive in Residence and a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at Babson College.

As Project Manager, Susie manages workflow, sets project goals, and generally ensures that our clients have a smooth, enjoyable, collaborative experience with the Hairpin team. As a Producer, she helps create and refine the narratives and assets we craft for clients, making sure they are as strong and compelling as possible. She has previously worked in web and radio journalism as a writer and producer. More recently, she has worked in academia as an education and communications/media researcher. Susie holds a BA in Journalism from Northeastern University, plays bass in a rock band, and is tolerated by Kiki the cat.

Brendan is a director, editor and animator who began his career in the theater. He credits running three theater companies, directing somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred productions, and attending the Yale School of Drama for developing his skills as a storyteller particularly attuned to audience reaction. In addition to his Hairpin duties, he is Assistant Professor of the Practice for the theatre departments of Occidental College and Santa Monica College, teaching acting and directing. Prior to Hairpin he was a Local 800 Head Graphics Operator and graphics producer for a major television network for over three years. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son Oscar.

Noah is an experienced website developer, working in WordPress, HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL and more. He is the sole proprietor of Pilotmade. When he’s not building intuitive, elegant, fast loading sites, he is taking photos. He studied at Boston College. He lives in Amherst, MA with his family.

Nick is a digital creator working in video, audio, and photography. After several years of working in direct service as a youth development professional in Boston, Nick has taken his skills in social media and digital content to businesses and nonprofits to help tell their stories through engaging visuals and dynamic audio content. In addition to creating the content, Nick also specializes in content distribution across modern and emerging social platforms to meet audiences where they are already consuming content. From there, Nick works to build that digital audience into a true digital community. As a working artist, Nick also creates original music and sound design for various Hairpin projects. Visit TAETRO to hear his work and see his tutorials. He’s giving living in Austin, Texas a try.

Emily Topper is a documentary cinematographer. Emily started working in film on the PBS documentary “Gay Bingo” in 1999 where she got a taste of life behind a camera and has been hooked ever since. Her recent cinematography credits include MAX’s “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” DisneyPlus’s “Light and Magic” and “Steve! (Martin),” “Judy Blume Forever,” “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana” on Netflix, “Rebel Hearts,” and Hulu’s “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.” Emily is currently in production on “Sentinels,” a multi-media production about climate change and adaptation in the Andes in Peru. She was raised in Baltimore, earned a BA from Swarthmore College in Literature, and an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

Born driven to do her part to “repair the world,” Ellie found her way to professional fundraising through community volunteer leadership. Aligning people and purpose since she can remember, she is a demonstrated builder, fundraiser, leader, listener, communicator, and driver of successful mission-driven teams. Ellie thrives in roles that improve health, education, the environment, and opportunities for everyone everywhere. As a proven fundraising leader in the Greater Boston area for more than 25 years, she has led teams of 15 to 50 who, working with volunteer leadership, have raised over a billion dollars. In March 2020, Ellie launched Starrs Aligned, LLC, working across multiple sectors to share her well-honed skills and experience.