Hi, we’re Thread.
Thread is a full-service copywriting studio based in Portland and Hood River, Oregon, with clients all over the world. Individually, we’re a few dozen nice people you’d hope to bump into at a party or sit next to on a plane. We’re beekeepers and SCOBY tenders, surfers and bumper-sticker designers. We love running trails in the woods and tripping over dogs in the office. We’re great at story, but bad at figuring out conference call software.
What matters to us.
Let’s start out with what we’re against. Meaninglessness in all its forms: bad copy, hollow brands, sloppy processes, tangled-up strategy. You could say meaninglessness is our nemesis, our white whale, our Dr. Evil. It creeps in like black mold, and before you know it, it’s giving you a killer headache. Ending meaninglessness means recognizing what’s empty, fixing what’s broken, and taking the risk to try something new.
That also applies to the communities where we work and live. If we can use our talents and the might of our business to build better brands, we can also use them to contribute to people and places we love. That’s one of the reasons we became a Certified B Corp. As a B Corp, we measure ourselves against a triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.
How we do business.
Of all the things that make us proud, the fact that people really like to work with us tops the list. Most of our clients have been with Thread for years (and years), and that loyalty has everything to do with how we approach our work.
Our team
Meet our staff team below. We also work with a flexible network of contract writers, editors and researchers across the globe (shout out to all of them!).
With experience in journalism and library science, Anna Skinner knows the answer to the question your brain hasn’t quite formed yet. Portlanders, check out her social activism project, whatcani.org.
Anna
Research Team Lead
Audrey Aiken is equal parts advice columnist and backup dancer. Every summer, we wonder if she’ll make it back from her family’s annual VW bus trips to the middle of nowhere.
Audrey
Creative Director
Brian Hennessy is the founder, owner, and Chief Anti-Marketing Officer of Thread (and Talkoot). He thinks “agency” is a bad word. His pastimes include running and asking, “Why?”
Brian
Founder
Dave Waag is an outdoor junkie with an affinity for remote locations and going uphill. If you’re planning on doing anything remotely dangerous, you’re gonna want to save his number in your phone.
Dave
Senior Writer
DeeDee Hennessy has been rocking her iconic pixie cut since the late ’80s. (Why mess with perfection?) She also makes sure everybody gets paid. Make it rain, DeeDee.
DeeDee
Finance
Emily Bishop likes hiking ridiculously long trails and making portraits of other people’s pets. She also practices a form of exercise known simply as “movement.” (Cryptic!)
Emily
Producer
Jesika Rowley used to be an executive chef, so she knows which Portland restaurant has the best banh mi or blue corn tortillas. She’s a fan of trivia, Wordle and a classic crossword.
Jesika
Producer
Kate Kilbourne has that genetic thing that makes cilantro taste bad, but she doesn’t let it get her down. Catch her on Halloween, when she plays in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer tribute band.
Kate
Senior Writer
Lex is an account manager and the person who knows how to fix the office Sonos. She’s always looking for an excuse to make a deck, and she is satisfied with the resolution of Britney Spears’ conservatorship.
Lex
Executive Producer
Here are three things Lily Hudson likes: karaoke, bumper stickers and Halloween. Here are three things she dislikes: windchimes, linen garments and runny egg yolks.
Lily
Associate Creative Director
Liz G is a barista-turned-writing ace with a legit uppercut and strong meme game. She hails from Cleveland, home of shopping malls and burning rivers. The “G” stands for “Gifted.”
Liz G
Senior Writer
Liz Hartmann loves to cook and claims to have never made the same dinner twice, which sounds like a lie (but we’ll let her have it). Her nickname is “Showbiz Liz,” for obvious reasons.
Liz H
Executive Director
Mike Acker is known for his encyclopedic knowledge and photographic recall (you want him on your bar trivia team). He’s certified Old Portland and hates the Lakers almost as much as he loves the Blazers.
Mike
Senior Editor + Writer
Molly Inderhees is a boss in the office, on the river and in the garden. She’s your go-to person for all things operations and getting shit done. Go, Molly, go.
Molly
Managing Director
Nachi de Lange almost always drives under the speed limit. Like, way under. Ask him about his favorite surf spots and his extensive research into Portland-area noodle joints.
Nachi
Producer
Sarah Lewis isn’t afraid to wear a gown in an inappropriate setting (there’s no such thing). Go ahead and challenge this Tejana to a hot sauce competition. You’ll lose.
Sarah
Creative + Strategic Planner, Artificial Intelligence