Energy, directed.
It started with a strike
When I was eleven, a bolt of lightning sparked one of the blazes of what would become the 1988 Yellowstone firestorm. While others rushed to fight the flames, I grabbed a notebook, built a newsroom, and published my first newspaper.
That spark set the course for a career defined by clarity, narrative, and purpose.
For more than 30 years, I worked across newsrooms across the West. I held leadership roles at some of the largest local media companies in the world, creating content with impact, managing market-leading programming, winning awards, guiding teams through digital transformation, designing scalable workflows, and building systems that help people communicate more clearly and efficiently.
Lightning Caused is the next chapter in that work: a boutique content strategy practice for leaders who need more than content. They need direction, narrative structure, and communication systems built to grow with them.
Strategic storytelling built to scale
Blending editorial strategy, long-form story creation, and systems design, I build communication engines that are simple, sustainable, and effective.
Content Strategy:
Define your narrative pillars, sharpen your messaging, and create a strategy built for long-term clarity, not short-term noise.
Long-Form Storytelling:
Books, podcasts, reports, and signature narratives that deepen influence and strengthen identity.
Scale-Ready Content Architecture:
Frameworks and systems that evolve with your work and keep your message aligned across platforms and audiences.
Digital Asset Management:
Newsroom-grade systems that make your content organized, searchable, reusable, and ready to scale.
Media Guidance:
Quiet, strategic help during sensitive moments, complex issues, or high-impact opportunities.
The proactive approach
I don’t begin by asking what you want to create eventually.
I begin by asking what you need to clarify immediately.
1. Discovery & Triage
Identify story gaps, system pain points, and communication breakdowns.
2. Strategic Mapping
Define your core narrative and build the scaffolding that supports it.
3. Creation & Collaboration
Shape the story with precise language, long-form content, and mission-aligned messaging.
4. Systems & Sustainment
Reinforce what works, simplify what doesn’t, and establish processes that scale.
For leaders who care what words do
Lightning Caused is built for individuals and organizations who value clarity, depth, and purpose-driven communication.
If you…
> Lead a mission-driven team or initiative
> Want a sustainable content system, not a content mill
> Need clarity in a complex communication environment
> Prefer discretion and direct conversation
…We should talk.
What I bring to the table
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30+ years in journalism, media management, and digital leadership -
Senior content strategist for some of the largest local media companies in the world -
Experienced builder of scalable editorial and communication systems -
Investigative researcher with deep long-form storytelling expertise -
Known for triage-first clarity and empathetic, efficient problem solving
Let’s see if we’re a fit
I work with a small number of aligned clients who value clarity, depth, and purpose-driven communication. If you’re navigating a story that matters, or building a content system that needs structure, I’d love to talk.