We create visual brand experiences
that engage people, excite the senses
and inspire our inner awesome

Russ is curious—endlessly so. It’s what drives him to ask compelling questions. Questions that uncover truths that not only set the tone and direction of successful client relationships, but also inform on-point creative exploration. Russ is logical, thoughtful, and he understands what it takes to unite artful, abstract thinking with highly-strategic, actionable brand experiences. His combination of intuition and proven experience is both exceptional and rare. It’s why he’s here, ready to explore the possibilities with you.

Jill Margraff combines the talents of a strong, strategic creative designer with the ability to manage projects both large and small. Her experience is diverse, working for international corporations, Honeywell and GlaxoSmithKline (SmithKline Beecham,) to Brother International, The Big 5 Basketball League, Ritz Carlton, Intel-Saffron and Yards Brewing Company. Jill is an enthusiastic communications specialist and a talented artist. She continues to feed her thirst for creative thinking by providing the highest possible level of service and creativity for the clients she helps to manage.

When the Tinman asked to have a heart, we’re pretty sure he wanted one like Zave’s. A consummate professional photographer, Zave captures hearts and emotions to bring out the good in people—on camera and off. His life is an assignment. And that assignment is to spark ideas, to make people believe, and to shine a spotlight on the story. Zave has a voice all his own, but listens like no other. His point of view is grounded, yet his passion soars. With sharp business instincts and with an ever-questioning attitude, he epitomizes the essence of Xhilarate.

Lainie's background is diverse, having worked in branding, banking, and the music industry has solidified her experience in business development, account management, brand strategy, agency operations and financial management. She uses her unique background when she approaches each project, both large and small, to customize a strategic, creative, and cost effective approach while paying attention to detail. She has partnered with clients such as Sony Music, Nestle, Wegmans, CVS, and Hi-Tide Dispensary. When Lainie is not partnering with her client's to solve their challenges, she is traveling around the world or can be found in a glass blowing studio.

Matt? He’s amazing at sales, sales management and marketing. After college, Matt spent several years in the hospitality industry developing wine and spirits programs for some of the finest restaurants in the United States. Parlaying that experience into wine and spirits distribution, Matt continued on in the industry, in sales and sales management, working for the top distributors in the country. Matt’s talents led him to the successful launching and building brands of some of the finest wine and spirits in the world.

Maura is an explorer through and through. It is her true passion to uncover her clients' most authentic voice. And the best part of her job? It's teaching clients how to use their voice to inspire their dream audiences into loyal fans. Maura is known for her straight-forward, detailed, and audience-driven approach to brand messaging. Rather than simply telling a client what to do, she knows the right questions to ask and how to guide the client to discovering their own compelling brand voice. Every client walks away feeling more confident about their unique story and excited to engage with their audience!

Built on more than 25 years of experience Scott is focused on brand and content strategy. His literary and storytelling expertise have catapulted game-changing organizations such as American Express, Deloitte., Priceline, Sanyo, NBC and TIME to the forefront of the markets they serve. In the non-profit arena he has collaborated with the likes of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Orange County Philharmonic Society and New Classrooms. Scott holds a master’s degree in communications from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a bachelor’s degree in media communications from Asbury University (Kentucky).

Michael’s quest for perfection is unmatched. It shows in his craft. It shows in his passion to use design to change the world. And although his ideas often manifest as pixels or picas, they begin and end in the real world. Grounding every project in research, Michael seeks to spark emotion—through color, use of space, unique user interaction, and visual storytelling. He understands the impression great brands make and the power that yields. And he does it all with focused, self-demanding humility.