Hi, I’m
Layla
TL;DR
As the current Creative Director of The Helix, Booz Allen's Center for Innovation and the former head of Bean Creative (one of the area's first digital agencies that I founded and sold after 20+ years), I have the honor of elevating some of the coolest brands on the planet.
Some History
I began my career as a marketer and advertising copywriter for both in-house and agency offices. But as a digital native and tech nerd, I began to butt heads with my bosses in the mid 90’s for my obsessive interest in the new-fangled “information superhighway” and its impact on communications. I knew immediately that the internet would allow me to combine my love of branding with real-time interactivity and interaction.
So I wasn’t *too upset* when the ad agency I worked for included me in the massive staff reduction that made me go from webdev freelancer into a full-time business owner.
As employee #1 at Bean Creative in 1997, I was armed with an enormous first-generation cell phone and a modem. I coded in NotePad (old skool!). I networked like mad. I marketed, grew, and promoted. And built (and sold) a multimillion-dollar business in the process.
For the past 25-plus years, I’ve helped hundreds of organizations, teams and A-listers in the entertainment, education, corporate, and non-profit worlds build mission-driven and action-oriented websites, apps, games and interactives.
When the time was right, I hung up my business owner hat, and sold my digital agency, Bean Creative after an impressive 22-year run, Now, I bring essential C-suite, biz dev, digital, and marketing chops to the table for agency and Fortune 500 firms.
I deliver a rare marriage of both front-end usability and back-end technical wizardry for clients such as Verizon, National Geographic, NASA, Random House, Dr. Seuss, American Red Cross, Library of Congress, Smithsonian museums, National Park Service, and even comedic music legend “Weird” Al Yankovic.
Human-Centered Approach
My superpower is removing friction from digital experiences, and my utility belt includes websites, apps, games, and interactive experiences such as immersive AR/VR.
While I’m tech-savvy as heck, I make a point of not throwing code at challenges. With my advertising background, I approach every project with a laser focus on maximizing goals, creating lasting impact, streamlining experiences, and exceeding user expectations in intuitive ways.
Humble Brags
Since every bio ends with a list of superlatives, here are mine: