Searchlight engagements range from a ninety-minute thinking session to ongoing creative leadership to full organizational narrative work. Every one draws from the same methodology and the same diagnostic depth. The difference is scope, not rigor. Prices are listed so you can find your entry point before you ever email me.
The craft never changed.
What changed is that it now has a price and a timeline.
Narrative strategy, direction, design. Stories, brands, and digital experiences with a point of view.
Short, contained engagements for when you need momentum more than you need a project. Most people begin here.
A ninety-minute thought-partner session. Bring the noise, leave with a sharpened concept. For the idea you have circled four times and never landed.
Your voice as a working file. Language, rules, and refusals in one place, so anything written in your name sounds like you, whoever is at the keyboard.
Message development, on-camera direction, and speaking coaching for leader video. Works with any videographer, yours or a referral.
Defined builds with a start and an end. You get a strategic thinking partner who also does the work, and documentation you can actually use afterward.
The story architecture underneath the pitch, and the deck that delivers it. For funding rounds, enrollment campaigns, and board presentations.
Logo refinement, palette, type, a mini brand guide, and five to ten launch graphics. Add the narrative layer for a system built on meaning, not just marks.
Brand story, real copy, a focused four to six page site, and a visual system that holds. Built from content architecture, not templates. Mobile-first.
PR isn't an add-on here — every engagement, from the ninety-minute session to the full retainer, includes a media-ready layer alongside the brand work. The story and the way it reaches the world are built at the same time, not in two separate phases.
| Story Sprint$250–400 | Brand OS$250–400 | Leader Voice$500–900 | Pitch Sprint$600–1,200 | Brand Sprint$1,500–2,500 | Story + Site$2,500–4,500 | Fractional CD$1,750+/mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 90 minutes | 3–5 days | 1–2 weeks | 1–2 weeks | 2–3 weeks | 3–5 weeks | Ongoing, month-to-month after 3-mo. term |
| Branding | Named concept + language to describe it | Voice, tone rules & terminology file | On-camera message & delivery direction | Pitch narrative arc + built deck | Logo refinement, palette, type, mini brand guide | Full identity system + 4–6 page site | 8–12 graphics/mo, campaign art direction |
| PR & Media | A sharpened one-liner ready to say out loud | Do-not-say list doubles as a media guardrail | Interview- and camera-ready delivery | Funder- and press-ready framing for the ask | Starter press kit: bio + one-liner | Media-ready bio, one-liner & visual assets, packaged for journalists & hosts | Ongoing press/media pipeline & pitch support |
| Best For | An idea you've circled four times and never landed | Keeping every writer on the same message | A leader about to step in front of a camera or mic | Funding rounds, enrollment, board pitches | A brand that needs to hold up under real scrutiny | Launching publicly for the first time | Sustained public visibility without a full-time hire |
Ranges reflect typical scope, same as everywhere else on this page. Not sure where you land? Start with a Story Sprint — it's the fastest way to find out.
Ongoing creative leadership without a hire. A full-time creative director carries cost, permanence, and the risk of bringing someone in before you know what you need. This brings the same judgment, deployed monthly, and scales with you.
I serve the founder and the leadership team, not a department. Everything built during the engagement is yours to keep.
Scoped to your stage and volume. Month-to-month after an initial three-month term.
Listed ranges reflect typical scope. Final investment depends on timeline, volume, and depth, and every proposal states it plainly before any work begins. Nonprofits, schools, and early-stage founders: ask. There is usually a version of this that fits.
Tell us what you need, where you are, and what your timeline looks like. Five minutes, and it tells us whether we are the right fit.
A focused conversation about your project, your goals, and how narrative strategy applies to what you are building. No sales pitch.
Within 48 hours of the call you receive a proposal with defined scope, deliverables, timeline, and investment. No ambiguity.
From ideation to operation. A strategic thinking partner who also builds. Work delivered with documentation, not just files.
Whether you are ready for a full narrative engagement, need focused creative work, want coaching for the next chapter, or are helping a student tell their story for the first time, the first step is the same.
Built to winAgencies, PR firms, and consultancies: we also partner as a narrative strategy specialist on client engagements. Let's talk about how we work together.