KeithMann

Built like a strategist. Wired like a creator.

Storytelling that meets the moment.

I lead content, SEO/GEO, and organic growth for brands that want to move culture, not just rankings. Award-winning creative, audiences built from zero, and results you can take to a CFO. Former pop culture and politics reporter. Lifelong gamer. Always online.

See the work ↓ Hire me to lead your team
7industry awards for a docufilm launch, including AAF Gold and Silver
121%more applications and 39% lower acquisition cost across 14 Georgetown programs
60→100%occupancy across 17 Cohabs buildings, a first in company history
2,000%+blog traffic growth, taking a brand from #7 to #1 in its market

What I do

The toolkit behind the story.

Two decades online, a newsroom background, and years of agency strategy. Here's what I bring to a team taking big creative swings.

  • Storytelling

    Content strategy & production

    Built living content strategies for all 14 Georgetown McDonough programs, and shot and produced every photo and video at ProService, ACE, and Locations Hawaii, including a nine-part customer story series.

  • Brand Strategy

    Research and narrative behind Georgetown's "In Pursuit of What Matters" campaign, product positioning for Siemens, and personas that helped Nikon win back a younger generation of creators.

  • Writing

    Published since 2015. Heavy.com stories that hit #1 on Google, HuffPost bylines, 20+ columns for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and a co-written script for an award-winning docufilm.

  • SEO/GEO

    Built Encora's SEO/GEO practice and its AI search assessment offering. Took Siemens to top 3 for half its target terms, grew Georgetown SFS traffic 20%+, and scaled a blog 2,000%+ to #1 in its market.

  • Experiential Marketing

    Concepted a 10,000-square-foot stage for NCTA in three months, launched a docufilm premiere with Washington Post Live, and drove 6,000+ registrations for ACE's virtual Mover Academy.

Selected work

Work that got made, shipped, and seen.

I set the strategy, write the words, and push the creative. Here's what that looked like on the ground.

  • Politics & policy
  • Film launch
  • Creative direction

NCTA, The Internet & Television Association · via DMI/Encora · 2024

A docufilm that took a policy fight to the people, and won 7 awards.

NCTA needed to tell the human story behind rural broadband in a way that moved policymakers and the public, not just the industry.

  • Led launch and premiere strategy for Every Last Mile, which premiered with Washington Post Live
  • Co-wrote the narrative script and shaped creative direction, editing, and branding
  • Wrote the landing page and the press release, distributed over the wire and covered by trade outlets
7industry awards, including AAF Gold and Silver
WaPo Livepremiere partner for the launch

Watch the film →Landing page →

Every Last Mile landing page hero: a crew laying fiber in a mountain valley, with a Greater Good Awards winner laurel
Community Spotlights section with stories from Alaska, Arizona and Minnesota
  • Brand campaign
  • OOH · Social · Video
  • Paid + organic

Georgetown University McDonough School of Business · via DMI/Encora · FY22–FY25

Gave an elite business school a campaign people actually stop for.

McDonough had a new identity, "In Pursuit of What Matters," and 14 programs that each needed to stand out. I ran the research, built the content strategy and funnel for every program, and guided the creative team from core idea to subway platform.

  • Interviews, surveys, and competitive research that shaped the campaign narrative
  • Concepts across banner, social, out-of-home, and video, carried into FY26 program ads
  • A living content strategy that media planners and copywriters used to stay on message
+121%applications across all graduate and undergraduate programs
−39%cost per acquisition, FY22–FY25
Subway platform out-of-home poster: 'In pursuit of what matters for you and the world'
Banner ads and an Instagram post from the 'In pursuit of' campaign
Executive MBA testimonial ad: 'Build your legacy with an Executive MBA'
  • Creator partnership
  • Paid social
  • Lifecycle email

Cohabs co-living · Sparks Strategies (my consultancy) · 2025–2026

One local creator, a $5K budget, and a 35-room house under contract before it opened.

As Cohabs' entire U.S. media team, I needed to introduce a new DC house in a way that felt local, not like an ad. So we went to a creator DC already trusted.

  • Set up a sponsored reel with DC creator @yourdcbestie, with an exclusive offer for her followers
  • Wrote and designed paid social and display ads for interns and MBA students moving to DC
  • Wrote and coded a re-engagement email that turned cold leads into signed leases
60→100%occupancy across all 17 DC and NYC buildings
50%open rate and 10 signed leases from one email sequence

Watch the reel →

Instagram reel cover: 'lonely living in Washington DC? try living here' over a brick rowhouse
Cohabs display ad: 'First internship in Washington, D.C.? Start with a home that comes with friends.'
  • Live events
  • Politics & policy
  • Concept + content

NCTA at SCTE TechExpo25 · via DMI/Encora · October 2025

Built a 10,000-square-foot stage where Congress and the FCC talked shop.

NCTA had three months to build its presence at a three-day industry event in Washington, D.C. I came up with "The Continuum," an immersive exhibit and stage, then wrote the keynote and programmed the panels.

3 monthsfrom concept to a live event
Hundredsof attendees; speakers included FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Sen. Mark Warner, and Rep. Brett Guthrie

Event recap →

The Continuum Stage: curved LED wall reading 'Shaping policy, driving progress, inspiring innovation'
  • Influencer program
  • Hashtag campaign
  • Events

American Council on Exercise · Digital content lead · COVID era

Built a micro-influencer squad from scratch and got 5,000+ people moving at home.

When gyms closed, ACE needed to keep fitness pros engaged. I built the influencer program from zero: 10 micro-influencers with small, loyal followings, a $25K budget, and the #getmovingathome challenge.

5,000+posts on #getmovingathome
+40%revenue from blog and social audiences
6,000+registrations for ACE Mover Academy
TikTok search results for #getmovingathome showing a grid of home workout videos
#getmovingathome, 5000+ posts
  • Video series
  • Photo + video production
  • ABM

ProService Hawaii · Marketing Manager · 2017–2019

Put real Hawaii business owners on camera, and tripled marketing-sourced sales.

Prospects needed to hear from people like them. I created the Customer Stories program, shot and produced nine testimonial videos plus social cut-downs, and launched the company's first ABM campaign. The program is still running today.

3.3xsales from marketing leads in one year, $406K to $1.34M
6large accounts closed from our first ABM campaign

See Customer Stories →

ProService Customer Stories page with video thumbnails of local business owners
Grid of customer story cards: Aloha Beer Co., Surface Shield Roofing, RevoluSun and more
  • Organic growth
  • Content + social
  • Brand

Locations Hawaii · Content and social lead

Took a real estate blog from #7 to #1 in its market.

I relaunched the blog and social channels as a real publication: neighborhood guides, first-time buyer explainers, and photography I shot myself. Then I wrote 20+ expert columns for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

2,000%+blog traffic growth
#1among Hawaii real estate companies in blog views, followers, and engagement
Hawaii Neighborhoods guide page for Oahu over a Waikiki skyline photo
Locations blog tiles: Introduction to Buying Your First Home, Selling Your First Home, and more
  • Web + content strategy
  • Research
  • Stakeholder wrangling

Georgetown School of Foreign Service · via DMI/Encora

Turned months of "no" into a redesign of the #1 foreign service school's website.

Internal IT processes had blocked the redesign for months. I brought Georgetown IT, school leadership (including the Dean), and our team to one table, then led the research, personas, SEO, and content strategy behind the new site.

+20%user traffic after launch
Redesigned Georgetown SFS homepage reading 'Reimagine service.'

More from the vault

Big brands, bigger insights.

Research, personas, and content programs that gave creative teams something real to build on.

Phone mockup of a 'Touchdown!' push offer for a George Pickens jerseyAnnotated Steelers Pro Shop homepage concept, 'Black and Gold on the green'

Pittsburgh Steelers

Make online shopping feel like game day at Heinz Field.

Audience research, personas, and five ecommerce concepts to help Steelershop.com compete with Fanatics and NFL Shop.

Nikon persona 'Passionate Hobbyist' with a silhouette of a photographerEmerging audience takeaways comparing Sony, Nikon and Canon buyers

Nikon

Win back a younger generation of creators.

Personas, journey maps, and an influencer strategy to modernize the brand against Sony and Canon.

Siemens Energy and Utilities case study pageproFPGA product truths framework in Siemens red

Siemens

Top 3 rankings in a niche nobody searches casually.

Product positioning for proFPGA, plus SEO content that ranked top 3 for 5 of 10 target terms.

Instagram graphic: 'How to Stay Productive as a Digital Nomad' over a turquoise lagoonBlog cover: 'How to Quit Your Job and Become a Digital Nomad'

Heavy.com + my own blog

Breaking news by day, building my own brand by night.

Pop culture, music, and politics stories that hit #1 on Google, plus a travel blog I wrote, shot, and designed myself.

Writing

Published since 2015. Still can't stop.

Ebooks, press releases, email, and journalism. Click a cover to read the full piece.

Cover: Employee Engagement Playbook
Employee Engagement PlaybookProService Hawaii ebook
Cover: Employee Retention in Hawaii
Employee Retention in HawaiiProService Hawaii guide
Cover: Paradise Tax, the cost of doing business in Hawaii
Paradise TaxThe cost of doing business in Hawaii
Cover: The Benefits of HR Partnerships in Hawaii
The Benefits of HR PartnershipsPrinted as sales collateral

Press release · NCTA

"Every Last Mile" captures the untold story of connecting rural America

Distributed through a wire service and NCTA's newsroom.

Read it →

HTML email · Cohabs

"These rooms just opened up"

A personal, one-to-one re-engagement email I wrote and coded. 50% opens, 10 signed leases.

Journalism: reporter at Heavy.com covering pop culture, breaking news, music, and politics, with stories that reached #1 on Google. Published in HuffPost. Broke five viral stories in Hawaii and became a go-to voice on local issues.

How I lead

Creative spark, data spine.

Always on

Content isn't a job I clock out of. I consume it, make it, and study it constantly, so I usually see where an audience is heading before the dashboard does.

Search is culture

SEO and GEO tell you what people actually want. I use that intent to aim big creative ideas, so the swing lands with the people searching, scrolling, and asking AI.

Collaborative leader

I've led strategists, writers, designers, videographers, and media buyers, and pitched new business weekly. I build the plan, then clear the path so great work gets out the door.

Experience

Reporter. Strategist. Builder.

  • Sparks StrategiesFounder, fractional content and growth lead · 2025–nowRunning SEO/GEO, content, creator, and paid media for clients, including Cohabs' entire U.S. media program.
  • DMI / EncoraAssociate Director of StrategyBuilt the agency's SEO/GEO practice and led content strategy for Georgetown, NCTA, Nikon, Siemens, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pitched new business every week. Based in Barcelona, 2023–2025.
  • American Council on ExerciseDigital content leadOwned digital content and channel KPIs; built the influencer program from the ground up.
  • Heavy.comReporterPop culture, breaking news, music, and politics. Viral stories that ranked #1 on Google.
  • ProService HawaiiMarketing Manager · 2017–2019Digital campaigns that generated $738K in sales in a single year; first ABM program; Customer Stories video series.
  • Locations HawaiiContent and social leadTook the blog and social channels to #1 in Hawaii real estate.

Organic acquisition

SEO, GEO/AEO for AI search, content audits, topical authority, structured data

Content + creative

Editorial strategy, creative direction, scripts, video and photo, copywriting

Creators + community

Influencer and creator programs, social, hashtag campaigns, community building

Campaigns + media

Integrated campaigns, paid search and social, ABM, lifecycle email

AI + tools

OpenAI, Claude, n8n, GA4, Google Ads, Semrush, HubSpot, Salesforce, Adobe CC

Education

B.S. in Management, George Mason University

Keith on a motorbike in a blue rain poncho, rainbow over the mountains

World traveler

Every place made me a better storyteller.

Four cities on two continents, 13 countries, and a lot of motorbike miles.

Countries visited 13

  • Thailand
  • Argentina
  • Vietnam
  • Cambodia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • French Polynesia
  • Germany
  • France
  • Albania
  • UK

Places lived 4

  • Washington, DC
  • Honolulu, HI
  • San Diego, CA
  • Barcelona, Spain

Contact

Ready to meet the moment? Let's talk.

I'm looking for Director of Content, Director of SEO/GEO, and Director of Organic Acquisition roles at creative agencies, especially in gaming, entertainment, music, politics, and livestreaming. Let's connect.

The fastest way to reach me is LinkedIn. Send a message or connect, and I'll get back to you quickly.

Connect on LinkedIn