The Download from Clients
“Maryellen joined the Madewell marketing team as a short-term consultant when our Director of Editorial & Copy went on maternity leave. In a time of transition, when things could have been bumpy, Maryellen ensured it was smooth sailing across the board. She is a steady and seasoned leader, who is not afraid to voice her opinions or push boundaries, but who is also flexible, nimble and works well with teams of various disciplines. She took on projects full force and helped her team to produce work of the highest quality, asking the right questions in an effort to push them forward, while always maintaining a positive and encouraging attitude. Because of her depth of knowledge and experience in the industry, she exudes a calm confidence that radiates to the teams and executives who work with her. On a personal level, she is caring, thoughtful and took a real interest in the development of the individuals that she mentored while at Madewell.
Liz Cebron, VP Marketing, Madewell
“We brought Maryellen in to work with us as an acting editorial director at a time when our brand was 30 years old and on the brink of expanding our global presence and going public. We needed to find fresh ways to confirm and strengthen the Michael Kors brand identity in our existing markets as well as introduce it to new markets. And we, like other companies, were confronting the need to engage with our clients on a whole new level. We knew we could trust Maryellen to help us accomplish all of this because as a long-time journalist, she had a deep understanding of our company’s place in the fashion world and as a former senior-level magazine editor, she had a reputation for creativity and collaboration. She employed those skills to highlight our brand ID, shape a brand voice, and most importantly, effectively collaborate with various in-house teams to create blueprints for innovative content to tell the Michael Kors story consistently across a number of platforms as we moved forward.
Lisa Pomerantz, SVP, Marketing and Global Communications, Michael Kors
“I was excited to work with Maryellen because I wanted to bring in an experienced editorial and brand voice talent who could help our team think about new ways in which we could continually delight, surprise and engage our customers. During her time with us, she continually encouraged team members to pursue their work with wit and originality and always from a customer-first perspective. She also worked closely with other departments—including store operations, social media, marketing and p.r.—to insure the J. Crew voice and stories were being told in a consistent 360-degree manner, always with an eye toward our big-picture brand identity. Maryellen is an excellent mentor, educator and brand voice authority and her contributions were lasting and real.
Matt Trainor, VP Brand Voice, J. Crew
“Using the same principles that magazine editors use to engage their readers, Maryellen took what she referred to as ‘an editorial approach’ to telling our overall brand story and seasonal merchandising stories to inspire and educate our retail associates at an elevated level. Her materials helped them connect with their clients as storytellers, adding another dynamic dimension to product knowledge training each season.