About Rick

Rick’s passion for visual storytelling began at 14, when he picked up his first camera and never looked back. Originally from New Jersey, he pursued both creative and athletic ambitions, which led him to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. There, he played Division 1 baseball while earning a degree in Film & Media Studies—balancing the demands of a student-athlete schedule with freelance video work in short films, documentaries, sports broadcasting, and digital marketing.

In 2015, Rick joined BURKE, a Charlotte-based integrated marketing agency. Initially the sole shooter and editor, he helped build and scale the agency’s video department into a full-fledged creative production team. As Director of Video Production, Rick led the department to 300% revenue growth in his first two years, launched key infrastructure improvements, and hired and mentored top creative talent. His hands-on versatility allowed him to shift fluidly between roles—Director, DP, Editor, Producer, Colorist, and Motion Designer—tailoring his approach to the needs of each campaign. During his five years at BURKE, Rick’s work earned over a dozen industry awards, and he played a critical role in developing full-funnel video strategies for clients ranging from startups to national brands.

In 2020, Rick brought his expertise to the brand side, joining TTI Floor Care North America—home to Hoover, Dirt Devil, and Oreck—as Video Production Manager. He quickly applied his post-production and operational insight to overhaul internal workflows and scale video output for national campaigns, retail, and digital. By 2021, he helped launch an upgraded in-house studio and led simultaneous on-location and in-studio productions. That year alone, he directed over 80 videos, ranging from product features to brand storytelling and paid social campaigns.

In 2022, Rick was promoted to Senior Creative Manager of Video Production, where he led all video production for the Hoover and Dirt Devil brands across OTT, paid ads, social, and ecommerce. Under his leadership, the video team tripled its annual output, particularly in high-performing paid social campaigns. He also spearheaded the visual rebrand of Dirt Devil, helping redefine its video identity with a fresh, energetic look and feel. For his impact, Rick was honored with the company’s Circle of Excellence Award—one of the highest internal recognitions at TTI.

In 2025, Rick started Embark Media Creative Productions LLC, where he now partners with agencies, brands, and creatives as a Director, Producer, Editor, and Colorist. Whether he's leading a campaign from pitch to post, or collaborating as part of a larger team, Rick brings a steady creative hand, strategic thinking, and an obsessive eye for quality to everything he creates.

Download Rick’s Resume