First Stop: Miami
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Date: December 2-3, 2023
Role: Lead Content Editor
Services: Brand Management, Graphic Design, Live Event Production, Camera Operator, Video Editing
Location: BrainStation Miami
Talent: ACT House team and Build Day X participants
Crew: Jordan McNear – Creative Producer
Dominick Ar’dis - CEO & Facilitator
Partner: Tech Equity Collective a Google Initiative
Florida Power and Lights
Center for Black Innovation
The Build Day X Miami Hackathon marked the launch of a three-city national tour and a pivotal moment for ACT House as it expanded into new markets for the first time. In partnership with Tech Equity Collective, a Google Initiative, the collaboration paired ACT House’s human-centered Pre-Accelerator model with the credibility, funding, and reach of a major tech ecosystem player. The goal was clear: create a 24-hour AI-focused hackathon that could be facilitated alongside viable partners and accessible to cold audiences—while delivering a branded experience strong enough to scale nationally. Miami, during Art Basel week, was the proving ground.
My role as Lead Content Editor extended well beyond promotion. In addition to editing the high-energy announcement trailer and designing event flyers and social media carousels, I helped dial in a cohesive branding system for a multi-city tour operating in unfamiliar territory. Working closely with the Tech Equity Collective team, I was introduced firsthand to what mature brand governance looks like at scale. Their established guidelines created creative constraints that allowed my process-oriented brain to shift focus—from reactive startup conception to proven growth systems from established experts. That structure raised my eyebrow to what actually went into brand marketing when dealing with first impressions backed by budget.
This foundation opened the door to building a truly holistic event experience. I designed specialized winner check graphics, branded welcome packets for print, banners that doubled as photo backdrops, and other environmental assets that reinforced the partnership visually and emotionally. Because the system was sound, creativity could live in the user journey details that our team had learned from past events without ballooning discovery costs. Each touchpoint—from digital promotion to physical signage—worked together to make the event feel intentional, legitimate, and worth showing up for. The joint venture wasn’t just present; it was felt.
The project culminated in 24-hour hackathon featuring dozens of entrepreneurs from around the country vying for a chance to win over $25,000 in funding towards their startup idea. Alongside Creative Producer Jordan McNear, I captured the energy of teams building through the night, the collaboration between partners, and the momentum of founders pushing ideas forward under pressure in an exciting video recap. The sample of creative assets illustrated in this project framed Build Day X Miami as both a creative sprint and a career-defining opportunity—setting the tone for the rest of the tour and reinforcing ACT House’s mission to #ACTDifferent on a national stage.
