Hi, I’m Stephen

I'm lucky enough to have a career doing three things I love: comedy, advertising, and audio storytelling.

I started as a staff writer on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where I wrote monologue jokes, sketches, and desk bits — and learned what it takes to connect with millions of viewers (and how to iterate and try again when a joke bombs).

From there I moved into advertising, where I've spent over a decade writing and concepting campaigns for brands and organizations including Old Spice, Chipotle, Ansys, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Ohio Department of Health, and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. I specialize in communicating complex and difficult ideas in a way that breaks through and makes a lasting impact.

In 2023 I created The Novelizers, a comedy podcast that launched on Cincinnati Public Radio (an NPR member station) and is now distributed by Sonar. Each episode, Emmy-winning TV comedy writers reimagine classic films as audiobooks narrated by celebrated performers including JK Simmons, Nathan Fillion, Samantha Bee, Rachel Dratch, Ira Glass, Will Forte, and dozens more. I co-host the show with comedian Dave Hill, produce it, book writers and guests, and keep the whole operation running months ahead of schedule.

I'm currently available for full-time, freelance, and fractional creative work. If you've got a project that could use a fresh perspective, I'd love to hear from you!