Our Team
SAM-LAB is a team of designers and writers who work collaboratively from home offices across North America. Since 2005, we’ve produced tens of thousands of projects for companies worldwide.
Our goal is to work as an extension of our clients’ teams and build tight relationships as creative consultants. Designers and writers are matched with clients and projects based on their skillsets and expertise. Some of our team members are masters in powerpoint. Others have a knack for infographics and illustration. Everyone brings their professionalism and hard work to the table on each and every project—large or small.
Creative Leadership and Operations
Jeff Till
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff is the owner of SAM-LAB and oversees its operations. He also works with clients on writing and content-based projects.
Jeff Till
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff is the owner and general manager of SAM-LAB, overseeing its operations and helping SAM-LAB’s clients achieve their sales and marketing goals. He is a skilled writer and tackles the most complex of SAM-LAB’s writing assignments.
Jeff has 27 years of experience creating compelling business stories, designing business communications and developing technology marketing strategies. Prior to founding SAM-LAB in 2004, Jeff served as VP of Marketing Strategy at HNW Inc. and as a founding member and management consultant of PriceWaterhouseCooper’s CRM strategy practice. Jeff has a BS in Art from Western Michigan University and is the author of the book Rise Above School. He lives in South Carolina with his wife and children. He enjoys painting, music composition and performance, and studying economics and ethics.
Amanda Blackmore
Chief Creative Officer
Amanda directs day-to-day creative operations, and leads our design team to create superior outcomes for our clients.
Amanda Blackmore
Chief Creative Officer
Amanda directs day-to-day creative operations, and leads our design team to create superior outcomes for our clients.
She has been working with SAM-LAB since 2007, providing visual storytelling, graphic design and execution as a designer before performing her current directional role. She holds a degree in Industrial Design with previous experience working in marketing for architectural firms. Amanda is located near Boston, MA and shares her office with two Boston Terriers. When she’s not working, you’ll find her tending to her tree farm deep in the woods of Maine.
Jordan Love
Creative Director
Jordan works with our design team to create captivating work while maintaining the creative consistency of our clients’ brand and vision.
Jordan Love
Creative Director
Jordan works with our design team to create captivating work while maintaining the creative consistency of our clients’ brand and vision.
Additionally, she specializes in transforming complex narratives into compelling visuals that tell the client’s story in easy-to-digest ways. She’s located in the New York City area, in New Jersey, where she lives with her partner, 3 cats and 2 chinchillas. In Jordan’s free time, she enjoys learning new hands-on skills, sewing, thrifting, listening to vinyl records and consuming a good anime or manga.
Josh Weser
Creative Director
Josh specializes in executive communication design and animation.
Josh Weser
Creative Director
Josh specializes in executive communication design and animation. He has enjoyed over five years at SAM-LAB, helping to scale a team of talented creatives and working with clients to develop industry-leading creative strategies for a variety of mediums.
He received his degree in 2013 in Commercial Graphics with a focus in animation. He is currently based in the greater New York City area where he enjoys tennis and building computers in his spare time.
Nick Olivotto
Creative Director
Nick serves as a creative director and graphic designer at SAM-LAB. He works diligently with the team on creative solutions and client design standards.
Nick Olivotto
Creative Director
Nick serves as a creative director and graphic designer at SAM-LAB. He works diligently with the team on creative solutions and client design standards.
Nick is originally from Omaha, where he received his BASA at the University of Nebraska. He now lives in New Orleans with his husband. He’s been with SAM-LAB since 2015 and is a key part of its development—helping to grow the team of designers and problem solvers.
Ross Jewell
Writer
Ross leads copywriting projects for SAM-LAB. He writes and edits content for our clients and in support of our design team.
Ross Jewell
Content Lead
Ross serves as SAM-LAB’s content lead, leading all copywriting projects for the company. He writes and edits content for all clients and in support of the design team.
Ross has been a content writer for SAM-LAB since 2013. He is from Massachusetts and currently lives in Seattle. Ross enjoys exploring the city on his bicycle, baking bread and playing 60s rock on his guitar.
Alexis Street
Project Coordinator
Alexis is focused on operations, including end-to-end project management and implementing tools for our team.
Alexis Street
Project Coordinator
Alexis joined SAM-LAB in the beginning of 2020 as the company’s first project coordinator. Originating the role, she focuses on the operational aspect of SAM-LAB including end-to-end project management, onboarding processes, project structures and new work management tools.
Alexis lives outside of Boston, MA with her husband and son. In her spare time, she can be found renovating her 100-year-old home, testing new recipes and designing furniture with her husband. She also occasionally moonlights as an event florist and is a certified reiki healer.
Breanna Dowell
Operations Specialist
Breanna manages SAM-LAB’s invoicing and operations processes.
Breanna Dowell
Operations Specialist
Breanna serves as the operations specialist for SAM-LAB and manages all administrative duties, working on financials (estimates/invoices) and reporting.
Breanna currently resides in San Diego and attended UC Berkeley. Outside of work, she likes to travel and loves fashion.
Creative Team
Alex Nadeau
Graphic Designer
Alex has been with SAM-LAB as a graphic designer since 2017 and specializes in web, video and animation.
Alex Nadeau
Graphic Designer
Alex has been with SAM-LAB as a graphic designer since 2017 and specializes in web, video and animation.
Alex is based in Charleston, SC where he earned a BA in Communication from the College of Charleston. Taking advantage of the year-round warm weather, he enjoys playing golf and ultimate frisbee.
Amy Ukpabi
Graphic Designer
Amy is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB with a background in brand development and print design. She has been with the company since July 2017.
Amy Ukpabi
Graphic Designer
Amy is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB with a background in brand development and print design. She has been with the company since July 2017.
Amy lives in Charlotte, NC and earned her bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of Charlotte. Amy specializes in typography, illustration and layout design. Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering at animal shelters and indoor gardening.
Aviva Isenberg
Lead Designer
Aviva is a lead graphic designer at SAM-LAB specializing in deck design and event support, delegator of tasks and champion of the “work smarter, not harder” concept.
Aviva Isenberg
Lead Designer
Aviva is a lead graphic designer at SAM-LAB specializing in deck design and event support, delegator of tasks and champion of the “work smarter, not harder” concept.
Located west of Philadelphia, Aviva’s house doubles as a dog hotel and miniature vegetable farm. Aviva baked sourdough before it was cool and wants everyone to know how cute her dog is.
Bridget Gillespie
Graphic Designer
Bridget is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB who creates and assists others on the team in presentation and strategy design. Her other specialties include animation and iconography.
Bridget Gillespie
Graphic Designer
Bridget is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB who creates and assists others on the team in presentation and strategy design. Her other specialties include animation and iconography.
Bridget is a 25-year-old graphic designer based in New Jersey. She has been designing professionally for five years and aspires to create meaningful experiences through content creation.
Dana Trentlage
Lead Designer
Dana is a lead graphic designer at SAM-LAB with over 15 years experience in design. She specializes in video animation, motion graphics and web design/build, particularly in WordPress and HubSpot.
Dana Trentlage
Lead Designer
Dana is a lead graphic designer at SAM-LAB with over 15 years experience in design. She specializes in video animation, motion graphics and web design/build, particularly in WordPress and HubSpot.
Dana resides north of Asheville, NC with her family. She earned her bachelor’s degree of Graphic Design from NC State and is currently enrolled in the master’s program at UNC-Pembroke. Outside of work, Dana enjoys gardening, jigsaw puzzles, hiking and camping trips in the family’s van.
Emily Kleine
Graphic Designer
Emily Kleine is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB and works primarily on layout design for the company.
Emily Kleine
Graphic Designer
Emily Kleine is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB and works primarily on layout design for the company.
Emily graduated from Ohio Northern University with a BFA in Advertising Design. She lives in Cincinnati, OH with her dog, Remy. Emily spends her free time reading and hiking.
Erika Phillips
Lead Designer
As a design lead at SAM-LAB, Erika is responsible for the quality, creativity and delivery of design projects. Her specialty is in building the look and feel or layout for a brand/visual story.
Erika Phillips
Lead Designer
As a design lead at SAM-LAB, Erika is responsible for the quality, creativity and delivery of design projects. Her specialty is in building the look and feel or layout for a brand/visual story.
Erika has over 12 years of cross-functional creative and conceptual experience under her belt. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Marketing and Public communications and culture studies while concurrently freelancing as a designer, then creative director for businesses and nonprofits across many sectors. Before SAM-LAB, she led well-received agency automotive projects for global audiences—a notable project was for the North American (New) Jeep Wrangler Launch Tour in 2018. Located in the Metro Detroit area, Erika incorporates creativity and mindfulness in all aspects of life. She’s learning the electric bass, is a photographer, practices yoga, facilitates therapeutic art and social good groups supporting inclusion, and loves cooking for family and friends.
Heather Austin
Graphic Designer
Heather is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB. She enjoys presentation design, as well as web and email design.
Heather Austin
Graphic Designer
Heather is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB. She enjoys presentation design, as well as web and email design.
Heather is from Golden, CO. She loves rock climbing, biking and running throughout Colorado.
Heather received a BS in Technical Communications; she previously worked for a financial group and a cyber security school as a digital designer producing both web and graphic design.
Jay Fuegel
Graphic Designer
Jay is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB primarily focused on presentation design. He specializes in layout, iconography, infographics and logo design.
Jay Fuegel
Graphic Designer
Jay is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB primarily focused on presentation design. He specializes in layout, iconography, infographics and logo design.
Living in southern New Jersey and having graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Jay loves visiting the city and surrounding neighborhoods. If headed in the other direction, he tries visiting Jersey shore beaches as often as possible. Some of his hobbies include exercising, writing, card games and, of course, graphic design.
Joshua Balcos
Graphic Designer
Joshua is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB specializing in print material design, branding and photography selection.
Joshua Balcos
Graphic Designer
Joshua is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB specializing in print material design, branding and photography selection.
Joshua lives in Sun Valley, ID and enjoys gaming and clothing design in his spare time. He received his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in Graphic Information Technology. Joshua’s background is mostly in print with an emphasis on package design, with past experience in digital formats as well.
KeyAnna Scott
Graphic Designer
KeyAnna is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB with a specialty in presentation and marketing design.
KeyAnna Scott
Graphic Designer
KeyAnna is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB with a specialty in presentation and marketing design.
KeyAnna enjoys bringing ideas and inspiration together to create beautiful things—in art and life. Key was born and raised in the city of Detroit. She graduated from Wayne State University with a BFA and is a proud mom of two boys. She believes learning is limitless—because of this, Key loves to learn new things. A fun fact: She’s pretty quick and fast on a speed punching bag!
Mandy Buehler
Graphic Designer
Mandy has worked as a graphic designer for SAM-LAB since July 2018 and specializes in layout, photo manipulation and illustration.
Mandy Buehler
Graphic Designer
Mandy has worked as a graphic designer for SAM-LAB since July 2018 and specializes in layout, photo manipulation and illustration.
Mandy earned her BFA in Graphic Communications from Northern Michigan University and currently resides near Wausau, WI. In her free time, she volunteers for Wisconsin Overland, the Keweenaw Overland Adventure Retreat and enjoys outdoor recreation and drawing.
Natalie Cook
Quality Control Manager
Natalie joined SAM-LAB in February 2020 as their first quality control manager and copy editor, overseeing quality assurance, checking design work and editing/proofreading all creative collateral.
Natalie Cook
Quality Control Manager
Natalie joined SAM-LAB in February 2020 as their first quality control manager and copy editor, overseeing quality assurance, checking design work and editing/proofreading all creative collateral.
Natalie is based out of Dallas, TX. With a decade of experience editing, Nat has helped clients worldwide produce and maintain the utmost grammatical perfection in creative, copy and branding. Her degrees are in English with a focus on American/British grammar, English with an emphasis in digital marketing and Emerging Media & Communication from The University of Texas at Dallas. Outside of work, Nat dabbles in piano, fashion, video games, fishing/camping, cooking… and of course, as her number one passion… more editing.
Paris McKeown
Lead Designer
For the past three years at SAM-LAB, Paris has played a lead role in designing for various sales and marketing projects, social media assets and training material. She has deep experience in presentation design, from one-on-one meetings all the way to the main stage.
Paris McKeown
Lead Designer
For the past three years at SAM-LAB, Paris has played a lead role in designing for various sales and marketing projects, social media assets and training material. She has deep experience in presentation design, from one-on-one meetings all the way to the main stage.
With a BS in Communications and a Graphic Design certificate from Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts, her background spans digital marketing, creative design and event planning roles. In her free time, she turns her attention to Loveland Rescue, a non-profit she founded in 2015, dedicated to rescuing abused and neglected animals. Paris resides in sunny SoCal with her husband, and Staffordshire, Maggie. She’s an avid runner, currently training for her first marathon. She sings professionally on occasion and for fun, and loves to find creative ways in the kitchen to “veganize” favorite comfort food staples. Try her vegan mac n’ cheese—you won’t be disappointed.
Renee Morales
Lead Designer
Serving as both graphic designer and project leader at SAM-LAB, Renee transforms client ideas and needs into innovative and impactful visual solutions. She is a trusted resource for clients and because of her depth of print experience, often leads projects with a print component.
Renee Morales
Lead Designer
Serving as both graphic designer and project leader at SAM-LAB, Renee transforms client ideas and needs into innovative and impactful visual solutions. She is a trusted resource for clients and because of her depth of print experience, often leads projects with a print component.
Renee has a love for typography and image retouching, and brings over two decades of professional experience in print and three-dimensional design to SAM-LAB. She holds a degree in Marketing and a MFA in Visual Communications with a focus in innovation and design education, and has enjoyed developing the curriculum for and instructing an undergraduate design course in Photoshop. Renee lives in the Dallas, TX area and relaxes with off-road bicycling and hiking, plant-based cooking and singing.
Sam Dulac
Graphic Designer
Sam is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB, assisting with presentation work (PowerPoint and Keynote), single and multipage documents, photo editing/manipulation and illustration.
Sam Dulac
Graphic Designer
Sam is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB, assisting with presentation work (PowerPoint and Keynote), single and multipage documents, photo editing/manipulation and illustration.
Based out of Raleigh, NC, Sam earned his BFA in Graphic Design from Appalachian State University with experience in both print and digital assets. His hobbies include hiking and outdoor activities, collecting oddities, plant care and propagation and expanding artistic skills.
Susie Armstrong
Graphic Designer
Susie is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB and specializes in presentation design, layout design, custom illustration and infographic design.
Susie Armstrong
Graphic Designer
Susie is a graphic designer at SAM-LAB and specializes in presentation design, layout design, custom illustration and infographic design.
Susie resides an hour’s east of Toronto, Ontario in a 19th-century, hexagon-shaped former schoolhouse with her fiancé, and 5-year-old cat, Munchkin. She has a BFA from OCAD University, a postgraduate certificate in Graphic Design for Print & Web and is currently completing a two-year online Master’s degree in Illustration at UK-based Falmouth University. Susie has experience in the graphic design field since 2014, and have worked for corporate giants and small start-ups alike. When not designing, you can find her baking healthy goodies (almond flour is her latest go-to), reading on the patio or taking long walks in her neighborhood.