Company: Tipping Point Media & Entertainment / Meetings & Events
Initiative: PULSE Accelerator (Rounds 1–4, 2021–2024)
Client: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), PSCR Division
Role: Senior Producer, Brand and Marketing Strategist, Production Lead
The PULSE Accelerator was a multi-year initiative developed by NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Division to support early-stage ventures advancing public safety technologies. Tipping Point served as the prime contractor for all four rounds between 2021 and 2024, helping 38 companies bring innovations to market in mission-critical voice, drone systems, and resilient communications.
As Senior Producer, I played a central role in maintaining momentum, creative quality, and stakeholder alignment across changing teams and timelines. This included close collaboration with participants, subject matter experts, and NIST leadership while driving a cohesive brand experience across every public-facing touchpoint.
PULSE was an ambitious, evolving initiative of both a brand and a platform. With dozens of early-stage startups involved, shifting internal teams, and changing NIST stakeholders, the challenge was to create continuity, trust, and clarity across a program that spanned four years, multiple production models, and hundreds of deliverables.
I had to balance branding and storytelling for each participant while aligning their identities to the voice of NIST and the PSCR division. Each round brought new creative needs and stakeholder expectations. Round 4 included a complete personnel transition on both the client and production sides, requiring hands-on leadership to carry institutional memory forward.
Program Strategy and Creative Oversight
Led marketing strategy development across all four rounds and carried the brand vision across new partners, platforms, and creative formats. Authored program-wide strategies for outreach, media production, and community engagement.
Brand and Message Alignment
Worked closely with the Art Director and Creative Director to ensure a unified look and tone across participant videos, recruiting media, web platforms, and social rollout.
Production Coordination Across Formats
Managed production logistics and team collaboration across virtual production, on-location filming, remote interviews, and user-submitted content. Ensured each participant’s video met quality standards while representing their innovation effectively.
Stakeholder and Client Continuity
Served as a central point of continuity across internal personnel changes and client-side restructuring. Maintained institutional knowledge and ensured smooth onboarding of new stakeholders without disruption to brand or messaging.
Web and Content Delivery
Collaborated on the development of thepulseaccelerator.com from the ground up, then led the Round 4 redesign to match updated priorities and audience goals. Oversaw timely delivery of all content packages to participants, NIST, and PSCR stakeholders.
Authored the full-cycle marketing strategies for Rounds 1 through 4
Led participant video branding and storytelling across 38 companies
Managed a multi-year content pipeline of 100+ original assets
Guided branding, messaging, and production consistency through internal personnel and stakeholder transitions
Oversaw video and promotional rollout, website strategy, and design
Supported recruiting with targeted promos and participant testimonials
Anchored visual and messaging clarity across web, social, and video
Featured in the official NIST PSCR Impact Report for funding and job creation outcomes
38 companies supported over four accelerator rounds
$18.75M+ in SBIR and STTR funding awarded to participants
25 new jobs created, 72 jobs retained
Recognized in NIST’s published Impact Report
Reached public and private sector audiences through a unified brand
Strengthened PSCR’s visibility in the innovation and tech ecosystem
This was one of the most layered and rewarding programs I’ve helped shape. Over four years, I served as a consistent creative and strategic lead, carrying momentum across changing teams and client structures. We built more than deliverables, we built continuity, trust, and a platform for entrepreneurs working at the edge of public safety innovation.
The work ranged from crafting high-level strategy to guiding video storytelling and production logistics. It was a balancing act of speed and clarity, structure and creativity. Helping these startups find their voice while aligning with NIST’s national mission was a true privilege.
Michael “Ffish” Hemschoot
SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Robyn Mattivi
PROJECT MANAGER
Feni Hagman
ART DIRECTOR
Danielle Pierce
EDITOR / PRODUCTION COORDINATOR