The roster of instructors at The Portfolio Shop is comprised of experienced advertising creatives. They've practiced their craft, and won numerous awards, at shops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and here in North Carolina. Teachers by nature, they share an abiding interest in the mentorship of copywriters and art directors who are just starting their careers.
is the owner and creative director of The Portfolio Shop. Michael has worked for 18 years as a copywriter and creative director, and has spent many of those years mentoring teams of junior writers and art directors. He earned his B.A. in Theater at Wesleyan University, and studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and The Advertising Center in Los Angeles. Michael's background in improvisational comedy theatre informs his brainstorming, pitching and teaching.
Michael has created notable and award-winning work for Pacific Life, Jiffy Lube, Vivendi Universal, Sheraton, Zicam, HoneyBaked, Ditech, GMAC and many other brands. Before forming The Portfolio Shop, Michael was an ACD at MicroMass Communications. He recently taught portfolio development at UNC's Friday Center.
is an award-winning creative director and art director who has worked in advertising for over 15 years. Before moving to Raleigh from New York, Gina worked for some of the largest agencies in the world including TBWA/Chiat/Day and Young & Rubicam. She earned her BFA in Graphic Design from the University at New Paltz and has studied advertising at the School of Visual Arts and New York University.
Gina's category experience ranges from beverages and beauty to fashion and healthcare. She has created work for many notable brands including Absolut Vodka, The Walt Disney Company, Chivas, Crestor, Kenneth Cole, Mattel and The Body Shop. Most recently Gina worked as an Associate Creative Director for a marketing company in Cary, before starting her own business.
brings over 20 years of experience as an award-winning copywriter and creative director to The Portfolio Shop. Currently the ECD of RoundBoxHealth, Dave has been a leader at such well-respected shops as Campbell Mithun, Della Femina McNamee, and Ogilvy & Mather, to name but a few. His broad brand experience includes work on IBM, Volvo Trucks, Citibank, Kodak, FedEx, Kraft, Mattel, AMEX, Discover Card, and Campbell Soup, among many others. Throughout his career, Dave has been more than a brand champion, he's been a creativity guru and inspiration for his teams of art directors and copywriters.
brings his almost 20 years of experience in advertising to The Portfolio Shop. A creative director and copywriter, he earned his bachelor's degree at Fordham University, and started his career at New York shops N.W. Ayer and Hal Riney & Partners. He then honed his direct marketing skills at Clarion and LLKPB, a division of Saatchi & Saatchi. Charlie spent the last several years as a Partner and ACD at Ogilvy, in New York and Durham, working on IBM. Other client experience includes Fleet Bank, Quintiles and Capital One.