The important stuff
Hey! My name’s Allen. I’m the author of two books, The London Cheque (2024) and The Gambit (2015). I started writing stories when I was 11 years old, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
I’m currently seeking literary representation for a dystopian thriller, Underbelly and working on the first book of a trilogy, a suspense romance titled Seven Spared.
The twenty-somethings
After working in hospitality for several years, I enrolled in community college at 22 and ultimately transferred to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I received a bachelors in Journalism and Media Production.
My studies in film production, screenwriting, and marketing spurred a passion for video storytelling. While the majority of my portfolio centers around corporate work, I’ve worked on some short films and other passion projects as well.
In the summer of 2015, I took a one-way ticket to Europe alone and spent 39 days Couchsurfing across 9 countries.
This experience abroad affected me deeply, and inspired my love of travel. I’ve been to 15 countries and plan to visit more in the future.
Want to work together?
Video Production & Editing
I have experience developing video work from pre-through-post production. Everything from casting, ideation / beats / scripting (for corporate work), cinematography/lighting knowledge, set experience, and an advanced knowledge of video editing and post production workflows.
- Adobe Premiere Pro (6+ years)
- Color grading (4+ years)
- Audio engineering / sound capture (3+ years)
- Sound editing / mixing (3+ years)
- Storyboarding / Script ideation (5+ years)
- Directing (5+ years)
Hotels & Hospitality Management
I have spent a total of 7 years working at every level within Front Office / Guest Services, from my humble start as a bellman taking luggage and driving the hotel shuttle, to serving as a Night Supervisor and becoming well-versed in night audit procedures, to being the Assistant General Manager (AGM) and coordinating the weekly Front Office schedule, hiring, firing, and conducting employee performance reviews.
My experience has ranged from 200-room corporate business hotels (Hyatt, Crowne Plaza) to extended-stay properties (Staybridge Suites) to boutique, 35-room lifestyle hotels (Proper Hospitality, Los Angeles).
- Assessing and improving guest service scores (Heartbeat – IHG, Medallia, NPS – Hyatt).
- Optimizing ADR, and strategizing on how to improve.
- Training staff in exemplary customer service etiquette. No matter if a 2, 3, or 4-star property, it is possible to give a 5-star level of service and attention to detail, every time.
- Collaborating with the Sales Department to set group block rates, and upselling when possible.
- AR / Direct billing, problem-resolution, and inventory management (housekeeping, gift shop, front office supplies, etc.)
- Identifying blockages within staff behavior, operations, or other factors that are driving down guest service scores or Google / Third-party / Trip-advisor reviews, then remediating to solve the problem.
- Fluent in Opera, Colleague Advantage, and Infor PMS systems.