Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Cannon.
Denise, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a So Cal native (I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley). While in college at UCSB, I was studying to be a journalist and thought that my career would be in reporting the news. I had a part-time job at a local radio station and there, I also learned about producing stories – the research, the tracking down sources, and the storytelling. I found a calling. After college, I transitioned into my first “career” job at a communications company where I produced videos, communications pieces, and meetings & events for Fortune 500 organizations. My career transitioned into experiential marketing – working with clients to deliver brand messages to curated audiences.
Over the course of my career, I have held Leadership positions at agencies and non-profit organizations and in 2016, I went out on my own to be a contract Executive Producer, Strategist, and Experience Designer – a lot of job titles but essentially the core of what I do is to help businesses deliver on their brand promise through experiences. What does that look like? Well, I first approach a project like a journalist would – uncovering the story, and then I use strategic tools to align their messages and influence the creative approach. Finally, I am a planner, producer, and operator which means I can lead a project team to stay on goal, on budget, and on task. Over the course of my professional career, I have traveled the world (I spent three years on assignment in Hong Kong), I’ve worked with CEOs, Heads of State, Astronauts, Best Selling Authors, Actors, Poets, Young Entrepreneurs, Politicians, and even a Woman Who Trekked Everest.
When it comes to designing experiences, I believe they can be truly transformational. As humans, we live for experiences. We crave:
Anticipation – the wondering about it before it happens
Connection – the intersection of us in relation to the experience we are having
Memories – the lasting impression and impact an experience can have on us
In addition to my experience design and production line of business, I have also become a bit of an “accidental artist”. I have always had a creative itch – whether it was doodling or crafting and in the last several years, I have been learning the art of abstract painting. I am in the process of launching my art business to provide affordable abstract art to enhance your home.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have definitely had challenges in my journey. At one point in my career, I believe around the age of 30, I was a Vice President in charge of a staff, a P&L and I found that I was not a great leader at all – I was a bad, pretty bad manager because I was not coming from a coaching and guiding point of view, I was relying on performance as my main metric which was the wrong approach. This led me to resign this position and take a hard look at my own growth as a leader and a person, frankly. I ultimately spent a year in a coaching certification program. While I toyed with the idea of life coaching or individual coaching as a potential evolution of my journey, I found that having coaching skills and tools at my disposal were assets in everything – in any job, in any situation. Today I use these skills in all of my team projects. I can mentor, I can coach, I can meet my teammates and clients where they are at and help them get to their goals.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I market myself as a freelance addition to client teams. When I think of my superpower in my profession, I would say it is the ability to see how all the pieces can come together to tell a powerful story, when they are intentionally designed from the start.
I have designed what I call the “Experience Mindset” to help clients deliver powerful experiences. It essentially has five components
– Purpose – Knowing Your Why
– Vision – Imagination Not Limitations
– Intention – The Guide to Evaluation of Ideas
– Choice – The Tactics
– Impact – The Resulting Return on Experience
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Listening without judgment.
Finding the heart of the story.
Being open to ideas from anywhere.
Thinking big.
Anticipating obstacles.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.denisecannon.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisecannon
