Daren Bascome is Proverb’s founder and the creative vision behind its unique approach to brand building. Under Daren’s leadership, Proverb has become a sought-after partner for brands seeking to apply design thinking to their businesses, products and communications. A native Bermudian who cut his teeth in exhibit design, Daren set out to create the type of agency that the industry tends to lack—dynamic, international and culturally relevant. Daren’s work has won numerous awards and drawn the attention of international media outlets, including Fortune, Fast Company, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. He has served in various capacities on the boards of the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Youth Design, among others.

Chris Needham is Proverb’s Director of Client Services, resident yoga instructor and the fabric that holds the firm together. With her holistic, hands-on leadership style, Chris has cultivated some of Proverb’s most productive and long-term client relationships. Prior to coming onboard as Managing Partner in 2008, Chris ran her own independent design shop whose work on over sixty accounts was featured in Graphis, Print, and Communication Arts. Since joining Proverb, she has been instrumental in transforming the agency’s operations, landing dozens of high-profile accounts, and helping win the recognition of BostInno’s 50 on Fire, Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses, and the IVY Innovator Awards. Chris is a graduate of Boston University, the Austro-American Institute of Vienna, and Parsons School of Design.

As Senior Strategist, Ellis guides Proverb’s strategy team and serves as a trusted advisor to many of our clients, helping them find new ways to stand out and connect with their customers. With over ten years of experience solving complex business problems, Ellis has led strategy across a wide range of industries, including real estate, nonprofit, and healthcare, as well as major consumer brands like Jack Daniels and Pur. Since graduating from Wheaton College in 2006, he’s worked at some of Boston’s top agencies, including Modernista!, Digitas, and Arnold (and now Proverb). An insatiable outdoorsman who values solitude as much as he does hands-on collaboration, Ellis is an avid fly fisher, tinkerer, backpacker, (amateur) woodworker, and zombie-apocalypse- survivalist.

Kaitlin is our strategist with an itch for the unknown. She grew up in quaint Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. Kaitlin studied Spanish and psychology at College of New Jersey and got her Masters in environmental psychology from University of Surrey; she uses her captivation with the way humans respond to different environments to inspire unique brand insights. Before joining Proverb, Kaitlin satisfied her travel-lust by living in Spain during her undergrad, the UK while earning her masters, and working at 360i in New York where she tackled difficult brand challenges across a range of sectors, working with brands like Mattel, Target, Fossil, and PayPal. She continues to travel annually and is always ready for anything (equipped with her Tide-To-Go stick).

Design is in Alisa’s blood—literally. The daughter of a graphic designer and an engineer, she has spent over a decade working on everything from advertising and branding to publishing and product development. Early on, Alisa worked under the tutelage of Proverb founder Daren Bascome while studying graphic design at MassArt. After graduating, she moved to New York City and began a design career that would eventually lead her to Nickelodeon, where she oversaw work for Nick Jr. properties like Dora the Explorer and Peter Rabbit. In 2016, we won her back (this time as our senior art director), and she happily returned to the Hub. Take that, New York. When Alisa isn’t hammering out type studies or decisively guiding our design team, she spends most of her time trying to wrestle her toddler into her New England winter coat.

Originally from Long Island, Kristen Eastman is our New Business Coordinator who develops air-tight proposals and communicates effortlessly with potential clients embodying Proverb’s values on a daily basis. New to Boston, you’ll find Kristen exploring what the city has to offer or hanging out at your local comedy club. Aside from being a devoted mother to her pug, Bruce, and cat, Apollo, Kristen spends her time listening to Sum 41 and binge-watching crime shows like Criminal Minds. Before joining Proverb, Kristen studied at SUNY Plattsburgh and worked as a Technical Business Analyst at Adecco Group.

JB is our trusted account manager hailing from cosmopolitan North Canton, Ohio. A devoted account man who believes that determination and tenacity are the keys to successful client relationships, Justin has managed a diverse range of accounts including Atrius Health and Bozzuto Management. After studying business administration at Ohio State, Justin honed his people skills at an assortment of agencies around Northeast Ohio. A self-described “nerd-jock,” he’s almost as passionate about the Cleveland Indians as he is about comic books. Justin’s a newcomer to Boston, so say hi if you see him at a Dorchester bar, practicing for his weekly pool league. And don’t even ask—he’s Marvel over DC, any day.

Melanie Deutsch, straight from Lexington, MA, is a Project Manager here at Proverb, where she uses her hawklike attention to detail and effervescent spirit to cultivate seamless relationships between our clients and internal team. Melanie’s ideal day consists of coffee first (always), hitting up a local South Boston restaurant, watching a Bruins game, and topping it off with a Red Hot Chili Peppers jam session. A true renaissance woman, Melanie also enjoys photography, painting, and discovering secret inner-city getaways in her free time. A Bostonian at heart, Melanie worked at The Campus Agency and attended Boston University before joining the Proverb team.

Shoki is a copywriter from Tokyo and Boston. Before discovering that people will pay good money for good ideas, he sold designer boots and custom window blinds in Boston. He’s written advertising, social media, web content, and collateral for clients like the Society of Grownups, McAlister’s Deli, and a bunch of national real estate developers. Shoki studied English at UMass Amherst and advertising at Boston University. He’s a Patriots admirer and a die-hard Herman Melville fanatic. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

Tyler Smith is a graphic designer from Enfield, Connecticut, who builds killer layouts and helps craft cohesive brand systems for Proverb. A music lover eager to get out of his sleepy hometown, Tyler spent his youth following artists across the East Coast. Nowadays, though, he’s only willing to wait in 12-hour-plus-lines to see the almighty Queen Bey. Still, you can usually find him grooving to some new artist no one’s heard of while cranking out flawless visuals. Tyler studied graphic design at Mass Art, and held internships at Stoltze Design and Education First before joining Proverb.

Molly has been developing engaging content for clients for over 20 years. Her clients include corporations (PxC, Boston Stock Exchange), nonprofit organizations (Massachusetts Audubon, Greenrock.org), museums (National Constitution Center, Louisiana State Museum, New England Aquarium), and academic institutions (Boston College). Molly comes from a background in exhibit design and media production, so her focus has always been on marrying words and images to create a memorable experience for the audience. She has developed both web-based and kiosk-based interactives, and understands the importance of clearly organizing information, making it interesting, and crystallizing the key ideas.