Patrick Rife

Navigating the Unknown. Building Businesses Along the Way. And Writing About It.

Join me as I embark on a journey to reclaim control, and build businesses that reflect who I am, and where I'm headed.

Founder

Pixilated

Pixilated is a photo booth company based in Baltimore, MD that produces an easy-to-use, shippable photo booth called PixiTAB that is powered by our B2B photo marketing software; PixiCloud. When not acting as the brain for PixiTAB we license the PixiCloud software platform to companies looking to capture 1st party user data at events and venues through photo experiences, forms, surveys, and other experiential marketing activities.

Co-Founder

Baltimore Creators

Our mission: connect Baltimore's business builders. Whether you're an entrepreneur, advisor, or curious learner, Baltimore Creators is for you.

PixiWeb

Event Photo Sharing Simplified: Create custom event websites that allow your guests to post photos directly to a shared event gallery.

Startup Soirée

Startup Soiree was a grassroots entrepreneurial community and event series dedicated to fostering meaningful connections among Baltimore’s founders, creatives, and business leaders. As Co-Founder, I helped create a space where entrepreneurs could engage in candid, no-pitch conversations, exchange insights, and build lasting relationships.

Key initiatives included:

---> Hosting monthly fireside chat events featuring prominent Baltimore entrepreneurs in unique, intimate settings.
---> Developing community-driven content, including a podcast and blog, to share startup stories and insights.
---> Strengthening Baltimore’s startup ecosystem by providing a platform for founders to connect, learn, and grow.

Startup Soiree played a pivotal role in shaping Baltimore’s startup culture, and its legacy lives on in the connections and collaborations it sparked.

Bonsai Fine Arts

Assist museums, galleries and private collectors in caring for their valuable artworks during transit and installation. Lead small focused teams on installations ranging from small sculptural pieces in private galleries to full scale multi-level commercial art installations.

Art Handler

Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, U.M.B.C.

Worked closely with Gallery Preparator to develop the physical museum space as it pertains to incoming exhibitions, hung and installed traveling exhibitions, took part in the registration, crate building and technical manuals for the traveling exhibition "For All The World to See."

Gallery Assistant/Art Handler

Contemporary Museum Baltimore

Provided primary interfacing to museum visitors and patrons. Oversaw Museum social media program. Provided technical and clerical support to higher museum staff.

Gallery Assistant

Entrepreneur Building Business and Writing About the Process.

Helping founders & leaders find clarity in chaos | Ground Control Newsletter

I've spent years building companies, communities, and connections. Now I help others navigate their own path forward.

As co-founder of Pixilated and creator of Startup Soirée, I've lived the founder journey - from scaling and strategy to the human side of leadership. But what lights me up isn't just what I built - it's who I became along the way.

What I Do Now:

I work with founders and leaders who are:

- Seeking clarity in their next chapter
- Building something meaningful
- Ready to align who they are with what they do
- Looking for perspective, not just strategy

My Approach:

Think of me as your mirror and prism - helping you see your path more clearly and illuminating possibilities you might have missed. Through deep listening and perspective shifting, we find the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.

Ground Control Newsletter:

Every Wednesday, I share raw insights about leadership, transformation, and finding your way. No guru speak. No formulas. Just real talk about what it takes to build something that matters.

Let's Connect:

- Ready for clarity? DM me
- Want weekly insights? Ground Control newsletter (link in bio)
- Looking for perspective? Let's talk

"The real ROI of human connection isn't measured in quarters. It's measured in years, in lives touched, in moments of breakthrough."

#leadership #transformation #clarity #growth #authenticity

Tok_Vibes

Built a boutique creative strategy studio serving DTC brands from performance-driven strategy to hands-on UGC content production.

Led campaigns for brands like Loop Earplugs, Neutrogena, and Ziploc, translating their brand vision into high-converting social ads.

Delivered results: achieved a 3.5x ROAS on $150K spend (20% above industry benchmark) and reduced CPA by 18% through relentless creative testing and optimization.

Extended winning ads’ lifespan by 60+ days through continuous iteration saving clients thousands in production costs and keeping performance consistent.

(Growing fast? Let’s bring your brand’s story to life through creative that sells. Portfolio case studies available on request.)

Founder of Tok-Vibes 

The Earthling Co.

Led sprint-based creative projects across UGC, AI voiceover, and statics

Sourced & vetted creators; handled outreach, contracts, and onboarding

Wrote briefs (hook, script, on-screen lines, CTA, shot list) and editor notes

Directed editing (cut orders, versioning, QA) to accelerate time-to-winner

Built a performance tracker (hook heatmap, hold/CTR notes) to guide iterations

Ran weekly reviews; shipped 1–2 iterations/week on winning angles

Organized asset library (naming, folders, reusable shot bank) for faster reuse

Aligned creative with VoC insights

Creative Strategist

Loop Earplugs

Brought on in Q4 to turbocharge Loop’s holiday ad campaigns. 

Exceeded the $18M Q4 revenue target by 33%, thanks to a viral TikTok ad strategy and data-driven optimizations.

Developed attention-grabbing video and static ads that resonated with Loop’s community

 These campaigns performed so well that our team was nominated for “Greatest Performance” at the TikTok Ad Awards 2024 (UK). 🎉

Worked closely with Loop’s marketing team to transfer knowledge and ad creatives for continued success into the new year.

Performance Creative Strategist (Q4)

Meroda Cosmetics

Managed multi-country ad strategy cordinating with agencies in NL, Germany, the UK, and across the EU to ensure a unified message and efficient use of creative assets.

Audited each market’s Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ad account and provided detailed recommendations, resulting in a consistent uplift in ad performance across all regions (estimated +15% ROAS improvement overall).

Created clear, tailored creative briefs for each agency to produce on-brand and high-performing content. Introduced a weekly reporting cadence (using Motion app analytics and Meta Ads Manager data) so the Meroda CEO had transparent insights into what ads worked best.

Built a shareable knowledge base & SOPs for the brand’s internal team, laying the groundwork for future growth and faster onboarding of new team members.

Helped with a roadmap to follow for testing creatives in different market/languages

Performance Creative Strategist

Softizing

Joined an early-stage marketing tech startup to lead 360° creative campaigns from insight to execution. I turned consumer research into bold marketing concepts that drove initial revenue for the company’s pilot product.

Founding Member - Perfomance creatives

QuickFrame

Led end-to-end digital campaigns for various beauty and health brands as a one-woman studio – including Neutrogena, JLo Beauty, and Method.

 Managed everything from creative concept to creator coordination to final edit delivery.

Focused on UGC to produce authentic videos.

Several campaigns yielded double-digit % increases in engagement and sales.

Conducted deep audience analysis for each client (surveys, comments, reviews) to tailor campaign messaging.

Producer, Creative Strategist & UGC Creator

Apple

Started my career as a contractor at Apple, ensuring flawless music metadata for Apple Music. I cross-checked song info across databases so that millions of users could discover music without a glitch.
Collaborated with engineering and curation teams to improve how content is categorized and recommended. This experience sharpened my attention to detail and taught me how small data points can shape the user experience.
(This technical foundation in data quality indirectly became a secret weapon in my marketing career – I learned how to analyze and leverage data to improve content delivery.)

Mapping QA 

• Enhancing User Experience for Apple Music
• Research and cross-reference various sources to ensure accuracy of content.
• Ensured accuracy of content in terms of its localization, translation, functionality and flow.
• Curated qualitative datasets for Siri.

Metadata Specialist

TikTok and Meta ads for DTC Brands | Creative Strategist | UGC Producer|Founder of Tok-Vibes.com

Hi, I’m Oli!  a creative strategist who helps DTC brands turn scrolls into sales. 

You’ve got a great product and a solid team ..but if your ads aren’t converting like they used to, that’s where I come in. 

I blend storytelling and data to build ads that not only grab attention but also drive growth. 


Here’s what I do best:

 I dig deep into your ad data and customer psychology to find out what truly makes your audience click. 

Then I craft fresh ad concepts (often leveraging UGC and AI content) grounded in those insights.

 The result = Campaigns that lower your CAC, boost ROAS, and scale your revenue sustainably.

 Over the past 5+ years, I’ve helped startups and global brands alike smash through growth plateaus:

🔹 Scaled Loop Earplugs to exceed a $18M Q4 sales goal by 33%. (Yes, we overshot the target by a mile!)

🔹 Drove 3.5X ROAS on $150K ad spend for a DTC accessory brand by reinventing their creative strategy (20% above benchmark performance)

🔹 Cut CPA by 18% for a skincare client and found new customer angles that led 5 out of 50 test ads to drive 70% of their online revenue.

I’m a founder, too...

 I launched an accessory brand with an innovative first product that I designed myself.

 I partner with you, founder-to-founder, treating your business like my own. 

If something isn’t working, I’ll tell you. 

If I spot an untapped opportunity, I’ll seize it. 

My approach in a nutshell: Test, learn, iterate. 📊 I run structured ad tests (thanks to my nerdy side that loves numbers) and then double down on the creatives that perform. 

No fluff, no ego.. just actionable insights and winning ads. 

And because I started as a content creator myself, I excel at producing ads that feel real and relatable (not like those stiff “agency” ads).

 On a personal note, I’m a bit of a nomad and nerd: I’ve lived on 3 continents, speak English & French, and once grew a fitness Instagram to 15k followers just by talking about protein pancakes. 🥞
 (Turns out, authentic content really does attract an audience...a lesson I carry into my ad strategies!). 

When I’m not optimizing campaigns, you can find me in a Reformer Pilates class and having lunch on a terrace with a friend.

Ready to scale your DTC brand with ads that convert? 

Let’s chat. 😊 

Send me a DM or book a call through my profile link, and let’s spark your next phase of growth.

Oli Cimet

A lot of people think creative strategy means writing good hooks.

That’s just copywriting.

Real strategy means knowing what to say, why it works, and how to get it made.

You need to think in layers:

→ Research like a scientist.
→ Write like a DTC copywriter.
→ Think like a psychologist.
→ Brief like a producer.
→ Test like a growth marketer.

That’s what makes strategy high leverage.

It’s not about being creative for fun.
It’s about getting creative that sells.

DTC Creative Strategist & Growth Partner Scaling 7-8 Figure Brands with Data-Driven UGC + AI Creative for FB & TikTok Ads | Founder of Tok-Vibes | Product Creator | Entrepreneur for Life

You don’t need another media buyer.

You need someone who can tell you why your ad isn’t converting.

That’s the gap most brands don’t see.

→ Editors can make content.
→ Buyers can launch tests.
→ But no one owns the message.

And that’s the real bottleneck now.

Meta doesn’t need help finding the right people.
It needs the right story to show them.

A creative strategist isn’t “just another hire.”

It’s the person who knows:

→ Which pain points actually move revenue
→ How to translate reviews into messaging
→ How to brief creators so the ad lands

Media buying is math.
Strategy is psychology.

If you’re testing 100 ads and still flatlining, the problem isn’t volume.

It’s clarity.

One of my highest-performing ads wasn’t a video.
It was a static.

No bright colors.
No gimmicks.
Just a well-written founder letter in plain text.

Here’s why it worked:

→ High dwell time
→ Instant trust
→ No ad fatigue

People stopped to read.
They felt the story.
They converted.

Sometimes your best creative doesn’t look like an ad.

Stop writing for everyone. Start writing for one person.

Every brand says their product is for:
→ Women 25–45
→ People who care about wellness
→ Anyone with skin, hair, a gut, a brain

That’s why their ads blend into the feed.

The winners?

They go narrow:
→ Women over 45 who feel invisible in the beauty aisle
→ Men with joint pain who don’t want to try another “miracle” pill
→ New moms whose hair is thinning and confidence is tanked

When you get specific, everything sharpens:

→ Your hooks get clicks
→ Your message hits harder
→ Your results compound

Mass-market ads don’t work on platforms built for personalization.

Find your person.
Speak directly to them.
Ignore the rest.

A DTC brand spent $12,347 on a product photoshoot.

They rented a studio.
Hired a photographer.
Booked polished models.
Shot 40 pieces for their new collection.

Then they A/B tested it.

→ The iPhone photos on a white wall converted at 3.2%
→ The $12K professional shots? 2.7%

That’s a 15% drop in conversion.

Why?

→ The lighting made the fabric look fake
→ The models didn’t feel relatable
→ The visuals looked like ads — so people scrolled right past


Here’s what they didn’t need:
→ A studio
→ Perfect lighting
→ A huge production budget

You can test polish without spending $12K.
Just use nano banana.

If it flops, cool, you just saved 5 figures.
If it hits, now go scale with confidence.

don’t forget the real lesson:

Your customers don’t want ad-looking content.
They want native.
They want honest.
They want to see what it actually looks like on someone like them.

Every founder says they want speed.
But speed without a system is chaos.

Here’s how I deliver 20+ ad concepts in 1 week without sacrificing quality:

→ I start with deep research.
→ I map out every angle + persona.
→ I brief like a maniac — every creator gets a clear role.
→ I tag raw footage so editors can build in hours, not days.
→ I use AI when it makes sense. Real humans when it matters.

That’s how we scale.

You don’t need a bigger team.
You need a faster engine.

I used to feel weird about having multiple passions.

Like if I wasn’t “all in” on just one thing, people would assume I wasn’t serious.

But that’s not how I operate

That’s not how most entrepreneurs operate either.

Right now, my focus is split between two clear goals:

→ Helping DTC brands scale through smart creative and paid ads
→ Investing in real estate, stocks to turn short-term wins into long-term freedom

That’s it.

And something wild happened:

The moment I got clear, really clear, the right opportunities started showing up.

I found my investing mentor
The right connections came in naturally.
Because what you focus on, you attract.

Not when you force it.
Not when you chase.
But when you move with clarity and intention.

You don’t need to limit your passions.

You just need to direct your energy.

Hiring: Direct-Response Copywriter (DTC Ads)
 Looking for a copywriter who can write short-form scripts that SELL (Meta/TikTok).
 Must have experience with: hooks, angles, UGC scripts, VO ads, LF8, and product research.
Send:
 1️⃣ 3 examples of past ad scripts
 2️⃣ Rates
 3️⃣ Quick intro
Comment COPY or DM me.

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #dtc, #ugc, #tiktokads, #paidsocial, and #creativestrategy

What December 2025 just taught us about where eCommerce is headed next:

(Recap + POV from a creative strategist who tracks this closely)

1. TikTok Shop is STILL exploding
→ U.S. GMV up 136% YoY
→ Already 25% of Amazon’s daily volume
→ Most of the action? Low-AOV, impulse buys, powered by viral UGC

Lesson: If you're still running polished "brand" ads... you're missing what actually moves in-platform.

TikTok isn’t a billboard. It's a storefront.
And every video is your sales rep.

2. DTC Brands are Winning on Amazon
→ 10% YoY GMV growth
→ Supplements, beauty, health, lifestyle are leading the charge

Lesson: Omni-channel is no longer optional.
And your best-performing Meta ads?
Can probably be adapted to Amazon if the messaging is built right.

Creative strategy now = platform-mapping.
Same product, different angle.

3. Meta CPCs are rising (again)
→ CPMs are up
→ But ROAS isn't necessarily dropping if the ads are built for intent

Lesson:
Targeting is no longer your edge.
Messaging is.
The algorithm can find the right person but only if your story makes them care.

4. Consumers are more price-sensitive (but not bargain hunters)
→ Higher conversions on value-driven hooks (e.g. “lasts 3x longer”, “no subscriptions”, “1-for-1 impact”)

Lesson: You don’t need to discount.
You need to communicate value clearly.
Your creative should sell why it's worth it, not just what it is.

Big takeaway for founders & marketers:
eCommerce isn't about spending more.
It's about messaging smarter.

→ Build creative that matches the platform
→ Test formats that don’t feel like ads
→ Lead with pain points, not product features

That’s how you stay profitable when every channel is shifting under your feet.

If your ad account is full of Gen Z creators...

You’re probably missing the sale.

One of the top DTC brands I work with has 3 strategists.

All smart.
All young guys.
All building hair care ads.

But here’s the problem:

Their customer is 45–64.

And the copy, tone, and creative?

Still sounds like it’s made for 25-year-olds on TikTok.

If your creative team doesn’t reflect your buyer — you’re leaving money on the table.

Creative strategy isn’t about trends.

It’s about relatability.

And a woman in her 50s isn’t going to click on an ad that says “hot girl hair hack.”

You don’t need more content.

You need content that makes people say:

“That’s me.”

40+ buyers are Meta’s secret weapon.

They don’t swipe like Gen Z.
They read.
They click.
They buy.

Most brands sleep on this demo.
That’s a mistake.

Here’s what works:

→ Founder-letter statics.
→ Wellness ads with real science.
→ UGC that sounds mature not cringey.
→ Objection-handling copy with press logos for social proof.

I’ve scaled six-figure campaigns just by dialing in this age group.

They’re not flashy.
But they convert like crazy.

One of the first things I noticed on a new brand’s ads:

→ 95% of their UGC was targeting the same demo
→ Young, aesthetic women, 25–30, soft lighting, good hair, etc.

And it was working... kind of.

But the brand wasn’t scaling.

Here’s why:

Meta needs diversity to find your next pocket of spend.

Andromeda won’t just “spend more” if you keep showing the same content to the same group.

You want scale?

→ Speak to Gen X women who buy for their daughters
→ Speak to men over 40 with a pain point they’ve been ignoring
→ Speak to people who don’t care about looking cool — but care about feeling better

Same product.
New angles.
New demos.
Lower CPAs.

That’s how you unlock scale.

Not just by spending more but by giving Meta more paths to win.

If your angles feel dull, here’s why.

Too many “strategists” are just prompting ChatGPT and reformatting the results.

What comes out?

✅ The same angles
✅ The same language
✅ The same tired problems everyone else is already testing

These aren’t bad ideas.
They’re just... hollow.

They lack context, nuance, and tension.
They don’t account for platform behavior, audience insight, or concept fatigue.
And worst of all:
They’re not strategic — they’re just content.

Strategy isn’t a prompt.

It’s a process.

A real strategist doesn’t start with GPT.
They start with:

📊 Ad comments
🛍 Purchase behavior
🧠 Buyer psychology
👀 Competitor fatigue
🧩 Platform mechanics

Then they reverse-engineer how real humans experience desire — and how to intercept that scroll at the right time with the right format.

They think in problems, personas, and proof.

Not generalities.

Want to bypass GPT mediocrity?

Build angles from inside the customer journey:

→ What’s not working with other ads in your space?
→ What are your best customers actually saying in reviews?
→ What’s one emotional wedge that isn’t already crowded?

When strategy is done right, creative feels native, specific, and sticky.
When it’s done lazily, you get AI angles that sound like everyone else’s.

GAP didn’t just run an ad!!! 
They dropped a cultural MOMENT.

And the internet felt it.

Here’s what made this winter campaign actually work and what DTC founders can learn from it:

It’s not an ad. It’s a vibe.
Everyone else is yelling “Buy our winter sweaters.”
Gap drops a full choir, no pitch, no sell.
Your brain says: music video not commercial.
So you stop. You watch.

A cappella = instant emotional anchor.
Warmth. Nostalgia. Holidays.
One comment said:

“I never look up an ad to rewatch it.”

That’s oxytocin. 

That’s creative doing its job.

The casting looks like us.
Not catalog models.
Not aspirational archetypes.
Just people who feel familiar.
One commenter nailed it:

“So nostalgic and at the same time fresh and authentic”

No CTA.
No overlays. 
No pitch.

Everyone’s wearing Gap.
But nobody says that.
The product is the context not the push.

Which makes it more persuasive.

The song is a throwback, but reimagined.
They took Miley’s The Climb, flipped it into a soulful group cover.

People felt it.

“This is the Christmas ad we needed 😭❤️”

“Got goosebumps omg so good”

“Literal chills.”

It triggered the share instinct.
Thousands of comments.
People tagging friends.
Calling out names in the choir.
Requesting the full song.
Begging for it on Spotify.

“I’ve never skipped a GAP ad once.”
“This is one of the greatest commercials I’ve ever seen on YouTube and Pinterest.”

This is what “native brand content” actually means.
→ It doesn’t sell.
→ It feels.
→ And because it feels, it scales.

Great ads don’t scream at you.
They pull you in and you decide to stay.

for context: https://lnkd.in/gFdtB79T

Open video: Give Your Gift on youtube.com

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The Battle

Patrick Rife

Oli Cimet

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