Darkcore Studio

I’m pouring my 10+ years of experience in graphic design into building personal brands for motivated people with a strong vision for their future.

You’ll love working with me if you’re a fan of a collaborative approach instead of giving orders. You’ll be thrilled with the result if you’re highly motivated and also tired of the bullshit in your industry. 

The entrepreneurship road is rocky. Anyone telling you something else is most likely lying.

Working with me will get you closer to your goals in a fraction of the time you’d spend learning skills you don’t need and spending time you don’t have. Because you’ll know – and experience – what it’s like to have someone with experience build you a brand that helps you succeed.

Founder

Instapage

Instapage is the leader in post-click-optimization ™. 

Our solution helps marketing teams increase advertising conversions through the building, personalizing, and optimizing of landing page experiences at scale. 

With over two million landing pages converting above 22%, Instapage is helping 15,000+ customers across 100 countries capture more value from their campaigns.

A Leader in G2Crowd’s Conversion Rate Optimization, A/B Testing, and Landing Page Software grids, Instapage is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction.

Affiliate Program Manager

Ensuring the customers have the best experience possible when contacting Instapage Support. Providing help via email & livechat and maintaining constant contact with our clients.

Customer Success Agent

Freelancer

Graphic Designer

Continental

My main responsibilities as a traffic planner included organizing tire transports to assigned countries, checking and optimizing delivery flow. Other daily tasks included forecasting the loading plan for the following days, offering support in occurring problems related to missing tires and solving issues like shipment delays.

Traffic Planner

Regional Department of Statistics

As an operator during the 2011 Population & Housing Census, my main tasks were to identify any errors that could have occurred in the questionnaires, correct these errors and then introduce the correct data in the system. Good communication between co-workers and attention to detail were vital as any wrong information introduced in the system would have affected the overall result.

PC Operator

The era of swanky brands & websites devoid of substance and differentiation is long gone. 
Personal branding means highlighting not just what you can do, but also how you think and why.

Let's work together to attract your ideal clients through psychology and conversion-oriented design. 
You don’t need to be an expert designer to get it done. You just need to work with one.

I help those transitioning from the corporate world to entrepreneurship to show up with confidence 
and clarity in front of their ideal clients. Let me turn the idea you’ve been sitting on for years into an 
asset that builds your business. 

Work with me to avoid:
❌   wasting time & money on scraping together your own brand
❌   being stuck in a loop & never shipping what you need 
❌   having an “all show and no substance” brand

I know how to get you on the fast track to achieving your goals because I've been where you are.

I moved away from corporate to start my own business in 2019. And I never looked back!

Work with me to:
✅ Give your work a palpable form which elevates your know-how and approach
✅ Build a coherent brand you can use, repurpose, and extend across channels
✅ Get assets that are uniquely yours and which support your professional stance


We'll work together to build you a solid personal brand that serves you for years to come. 
It will be natural, it will feel like YOU and it will tell your story in a way that gets you noticed 
by those you want to work with. 

Working with me means having a partner you can count on. 
I'm in it for the long-term, so my clients feel comfortable leaving creative decision-making to me. 

Contact me to see why: lucian@darkcore.studio 📧

Good things take time, but it’s easier to get there when someone's got your back!

Lucian-Alin Grofsorean

Pentest-Tools.com

From strategy to execution to building all the processes that turn one into the other, I've been working with the Pentest-Tools.com for 5 years on their entire range of content needs.

We've grown together and it continues to be a privilege and a source of constant enthusiasm to build valuable content around the excellent tools and features on the platform!

Head of Marketing

Andra from The Content Habit

I fight infosec marketing clichés through content decision-makers actually enjoy.

I strongly believe in serving the infosec community through ethical marketing that builds bridges across people, organizations, and industries.

I stick to the point and prefer a hands-on approach. 

Student of the hacker mindset. 

Adamant about using the right words (hacking is NOT a crime) and fighting against infosec marketing BS. 

I create organic growth engines fuelled by content that strengthens brand positioning and creates differentiation.

Content-driven marketing for cybersecurity companies & specialists

Cyber Empathy

As the creator of the Cyber Empathy podcast, I'm looking to share with you stories of kindness, curiosity and connection that show how humans shape online security and privacy.

Now is the time to talk about empathy in cybersecurity because we need the rich, diverse, and kind perspective it offers.

When we understand how and why people connect through technology, we elevate our ability to make wiser decisions that benefit everyone.

DefCamp

Marketing Advisor

Because it’s 100% focused on education and levelling up, both in terms of know-how and skills, it matches my core focus and drives me to improve consistently. 

Through the conference and everything we do around it, I’ve polished my public speaking skills and my ability to interview people and extract useful insights. 

Being in constant contact with the cybersecurity industry’s leading experts is one of the richest sources of knowledge you can find. I try to make the best of it and pass on what I learn to others to the best of abilities.

Marketing Specialist

Secure Practice

Delighted to be coordinating and creating educational content for Secure Practice and supporting them on their mission to help 1 million people in the EU develop their cybersecurity skills and knowledge - and become more confident in using them!

Content Specialist

How do you know? podcast

This is the podcast: a collection of interviews with great decision-makers who share the thought-process behind some of the toughest choices they’ve made.

These are people who excel at their own craft and whose experiences and stories might trigger an a-ha! moment just when you need it.

I’ll publish a new episode every 3 weeks.

Find them all here: https://andrazaharia.com/the-podcast/

Podcast host & curious questions-asker

aperture.co

Content Writer & Editor

CyberGhost VPN

✓ Built and trained the content team (content marketing, conversion copywriting, community management and social media marketing, video content, localization, and translations).
✓ The content team supports content strategy, creation and optimization for product management, organic marketing (community management, social media, etc.), conversion rate optimization, growth, media buying, PR, and partnerships.
✓ Recruited 3 full-time employees and numerous other freelancers, consultants, and agencies specialized in various marketing disciplines.
✓ Started and was involved in: the SEO overhaul, the website redesign process, the strategy for TOFU and MOFU content performance.
✓ Built the localization process to support product management, marketing on organic channels and media buying with translations and localization in 13 languages (8 preexisting, 5 newly added).

Marcom Manager

Heimdal Security

One of the best parts of working in a fast-paced company and industry is how much one can learn and grow. 

Being a Marketing and Online Sales Director at Heimdal gives me the opportunity to navigate through complex challenges and take the lead on important internal projects. 

I believe that a well-rounded marketing manager should be able to do 3 things very well:
1. plan and execute professionally  
2. communicate effectively in the midst of change
3. teach others and empower them to build their skills.

In this position, I have the opportunity to:
- build and lead a team of 7 specialists skilled in content marketing, CRO, web development, design and new business development 
- support all segments and channels involved in growing Heimdal
- coordinate B2C product improvements and work closely with the product development team 
- build engagement flows for B2C customers and improve existing ones, including by using Marketing Automation
- coordinate essential infrastructure projects to enhance both the product and the marketing processes tied to it
- build Heimdal's presence by organizing attendance at some of the biggest cyber security events in the world 
- ensure correct localization of marketing assets 
- coordinate or directly execute marketing tactics meant aimed at improving effectiveness throughout the marketing funnel, from driving demand generation to creating customer loyalty. 

One of the most important and rewarding challenges of this role is recruiting and empowering a team of driven specialists. By holding tens of interviews and being truly passionate about building the people around me, I've managed to reach a new level of executive maturity and better understand how to provide leadership and create accountability. 

Naturally, there are many things I can and should improve both in my specialist skill-set and in my management abilities, so this is my neverending quest: to improve the world around me through ethical and impactful marketing.

Marketing and Online Sales Director

It's been an intense and rewarding journey at Heimdal so far, and the best is yet to come!

Starting December, I've started coordinating all the marketing and communication activities for Heimdal Security, including: 

- actively being involved in the creation and implementation of the integrated marketing communication strategy
- managing external communications
- working to help get effective results through teamwork, in order to build and maintain consistent branding across marketing and public relations channels
- staying up to date on industry trends
- content creation and promotion
- public relations strategies and tactics 
- branding and building relationships with key stakeholders 
- internal communication and culture building
- key aspects regarding conversion rate optimization. 

I look forward to the new challenges and experiences that this new role entails, and I'm ready to keep learning from both the Heimdal team and others!

Took the step from startup community manager to actually working in a startup, and it gave me the opportunity to address an entire new and exciting set of challenges! 

As a full-stack marketer and communication specialist, I don't shy away from any new tactic, as long as it follows the principles we adhere to at Heimdal Security. 

This position has given me the chance to: 
- create and manage an affiliate marketing program 
- use my knowledge and skills for PR on international markets
- expand my knowledge and practice of marketing optimization and growth hacking
- enhance my abilities to create and market content that drives conversions
- support product growth with performance marketing tactics 
- learn about cyber security and its impact on all things web. 

I am fortunate to work with a fantastic team and we're planning great things ahead, so this is just the beginning!

Marketing and Communication Specialist

How to Web

In the increasingly dense and competitive tech and startup world, I found my new challenge. After working on numerous digital comunication campaigns, for both tech and non-tech clients, I embraced the startup culture, following my objective to make my contribution more meaningful.

Despite being known best for my digital communication skills, I also took on responsibilities such as organizing events for the tech community at TechHub Bucharest, content creation, email marketing and more.

In working for How to Web and TechHub Bucharest I found new ways to use my skills and learn so much more about the crucial role that communication, PR and community building play in the economy of this field.

How to Web addresses technology innovators, web entrepreneurs, web product developers, outsourcing companies with an interest for innovation, investors and all tech & web lovers.

At How to Web I'm deeply involved in coordinating our digital communication strategy throughout all the channels. I also contribute to creating the conference's agenda, I write on the How to Web blog, do interviews and also work on community building. 

My wide-ranging responsibilities span from communication strategy to content, email marketing and online ad campaigns, to project management and working with partners to ensure deliverables for the conference (both online and offline), I am actively involved in most aspects related to building the conference each year. 

Analytics and reporting are also my responsibilities and I really enjoy working with the entire team to put together this amazing and inspiring event.

How to Web Conference provides the perfect context for accelerated learning related to both communication aspects and to tech products (what makes them successful, how they are built, what KPIs matter, how best to go about product management, etc.), which I constantly explore to enhance my abilities and knowledge.

Digital Communicator

Cybersecurity content specialist using empathy to repair the disconnect between infosec specialists and the people they serve. Creator of the Cyber Empathy podcast (CyberEmpathy.org). Ethics advocate.

Forget generic content marketers who sprinkle buzzwords into a piece without understanding what any of it means. There’s zero value in that — for you and your customers.

I help infosec companies crush clichés with content that breeds fans and fuels growth.

Hire me to avoid:
❌  Unconvincing content that delays growth
❌  Content that isn’t tied to business strategy or goals
❌  A haphazard process that’s hard to teach and scale

⬇️  I build content systems that drive organic growth through empathy ⬇️

Hire me to:
✅  Develop your content marketing process and train your team to implement it
✅  Work with internal leaders to define the company’s positioning
✅  Create key content assets to improve the experience for your customers
✅  Let’s work together to build a scalable content system that makes your product shine.

Expect strategic thinking, project management skills, and extraordinary execution.

We’ll work together long-term to develop a content system that scales. I’ll organize, coordinate, collaborate, and give feedback. Because it only works when the whole team is in it together.

Here's how I work: ➡️  https://andrazaharia.com/how-it-works/

taplio

The Battle

Lucian-Alin Grofsorean

Andra Zaharia - the Cyber Empathy champion

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