While 20Degrees Media (as a marketing agency) is young and still growing, this arena is nothing new to me.

I worked for Vail Resorts for three years in the Marketing Research department before taking an internship with the Photography department. After I graduated from college in 2004 and fulfilled those internship hours at Vail Resorts, I became an independent photographer.

For 14 years after that, I photographed 125+ weddings, 7+ sports companies, too many events to count, and commercial work. But then, my husband and I moved to California.

After we moved, I had to take a break from being outside because of intense allergies. Although I was devastated by this (I'm always outside), my one-year search for solutions taught me a lot about health, wellness, and sports. We moved back to Evergreen, Colorado, but I had to rethink my life outdoors and how much more there was to understand about this culture.

This was my light bulb moment. I became fascinated with understanding the granular aspects of online marketing campaigns because I appreciated the granular aspects of what living life outdoors could mean. I combined my marketing and photography degree with my love for storytelling — and transitioned into personal branding photography. This was the perfect fit because it combined my talents for visual storytelling, commercial marketing, and strategy into a singular purpose.

Now, I'm jumping back to what I know — the outdoors, health, wellness, my local community, and cultivating connections. I've built a team of people with diverse talents who are passionate about using their gifts to elevate people and encourage healthy living.

As someone who has always loved snowflakes, I noticed the journey of a snowflake is much like the journey of an individual and a business. Each snowflake is perfect because of its distinct elements. No two are alike. And all have experienced a unique journey to take a shape of their own.

Snowflakes are also a reminder of our ephemeral nature. We're here on earth for just a moment, but what we do matters and leaves a mark for generations. We impact our clients, who will impact theirs.

And since 20 degrees is the temperature when snowflakes become “the perfect snowflake,” I came up with the name 20Degrees Media to represent that we play to each business’s strength — and that’s what makes them perfect already.