Rich Phillips began his career as a communications advisor at the White House, where he quickly discovered a truth that continues to guide his work today: no matter how powerful the idea or how transformative the technology, it will fail without a clear, compelling narrative to bring it to life.
For over 25 years, Rich has served as a trusted advisor to CEOs, government leaders, and Fortune 500 executives—helping them define their leadership voice, elevate their brand, and align strategic communications with business outcomes. His work spans executive thought leadership, corporate positioning, product storytelling, and high-stakes messaging strategies for organizations undergoing transformation or seeking to lead in fast-moving markets.
As founder of Bold Narratives, Rich has helped scale storytelling platforms, launch new categories, and reposition legacy brands across sectors including semiconductors, aerospace, AI, energy, and advanced tech. His client roster includes Boeing, NASA, Honeywell, The Republic of Egypt, The LEGO Group, Lockheed Martin, the EPA, and hundreds of startups and scale-ups. He has collaborated directly with engineering and product teams to define solution strategies, worked alongside investors to refine go-to-market positioning, and served as a thought partner to CEOs in building trust with both internal teams and external stakeholders.
At Bold Narratives, Rich leads a team of senior collaborators who bring depth in research, messaging, and media strategy. Together, they help clients craft bold, credible stories that drive momentum, shape perception, and create measurable impact across markets and audiences.
Our Story Architects are senior partners with deep expertise across branding, capital strategy, marketing performance, and digital execution. Available to clients as needed, this trusted team enables Bold Narratives to deliver end-to-end solutions—so whether you're repositioning a brand, raising capital, launching a campaign, or entering new markets, you don’t need to bring in multiple firms. We bring the right experts to the table to meet your most complex challenges—seamlessly, strategically, and all in one place.
"Branding is storytelling you can see and feel. From visuals to voice, design to digital presence—your brand is how your narrative takes shape in the world and creates meaningful connections, both online and in real life."
Z Carpenter is a bold brand strategist and digital marketing architect known for helping founders, visionaries, and creative teams find their voice—and own it. As the founder of Hey Hey Z Girl, she has led startups and established companies alike through transformative brand development processes that go far beyond logos and taglines.
With more than 20 years of experience, Z brings a rare blend of creative intuition and strategic clarity. She helps organizations shape meaningful identities, design purposeful digital experiences, and build the kind of messaging that turns customers into believers. Whether launching a new company or recalibrating a brand in transition, Z delivers frameworks that make it easier to lead with authenticity and connect with audiences at every touchpoint.
Z has served as the behind-the-scenes force for CEOs, CMOs, and creative leads across industries—from health tech and lifestyle brands to SaaS platforms and purpose-driven startups. Her work is known for balancing bold ideas with real-world execution, blending personality with performance.
Z helps our clients refine their positioning, bring coherence to their storytelling, and make sure their digital presence feels as powerful as their pitch.
"In the world of capital raising, your story isn’t a supplement to your strategy—it is your strategy. A powerful narrative connects vision to value, transforming ambition into belief and belief into investment. The future belongs to founders who don’t just pitch—they invite others to help build the story of what’s next."
Michael Nathan is a master of strategic storytelling for founders and growth-stage companies. As the founder of Meritage Group, he has spent more than a decade helping visionary entrepreneurs distill complex ideas into compelling investment narratives that resonate with investors and accelerate funding outcomes.
Michael’s expertise lies at the intersection of business design, capital strategy, and ecosystem development. He has advised hundreds of startups and emerging growth companies, guiding them through the rigorous process of refining their pitch, aligning their business model with market trends, and presenting their vision with clarity, confidence, and conviction.
Through Meritage Group’s 23-step framework for fundraising storytelling, Michael equips founders with the tools they need to become investor-ready. His methodology doesn’t rely on flashy decks—it builds substance behind the story. From shaping a resonant origin story to using data for credibility and anticipating tough questions, he transforms founders into visionary CEOs prepared for every stage of the capital journey.
Michael brings deep insight into how companies grow, raise capital, and lead within emerging ecosystems.
“Storytelling makes science make sense. It’s how we connect complexity to culture—and turn groundbreaking ideas into movements people want to be part of.”
Rosa Schmidt is the founder of DEFEM, a creative studio that helps science-led and deep tech ventures translate complex ideas into culturally resonant narratives. As a strategic storyteller with a background in branding and social science, Rosa partners with spinouts, startups, and research-based companies to shape stories that bridge the gap between the lab and the market—ensuring groundbreaking technologies are not only understood, but believed in.
Her work sits at the intersection of narrative clarity, cultural intelligence, and commercialization strategy. Through DEFEM, she has advised early-stage ventures across Europe, including through programs at the London School of Economics, the European Commission’s Cassini Programme, and Block Dojo. Whether helping founders prepare for a raise, position for a pivot, or expand into new markets, Rosa brings a rare blend of precision, pragmatism, and purpose to every engagement.
As a Story Architect with Bold Narratives, Rosa helps innovation-driven teams craft narratives that build trust, spark traction, and scale impact—turning technical breakthroughs into brand movements that matter.
“Data may provide the foundation, but it’s empathy and storytelling that transform insights into meaningful connections, driving trust, loyalty, and actionable growth. By aligning data with human narratives, businesses can make smarter decisions and foster relationships that stand the test of time."
Laura Patterson has spent her career helping companies turn marketing into a mission-critical growth engine. As the founder and president of VisionEdge Marketing, she is a pioneer in performance measurement, customer-centric strategy, and marketing accountability.
Laura is the architect behind the patented Outcome-Based Mapping® methodology, a framework that enables organizations to align marketing, sales, and customer experience initiatives with business outcomes. Her work helps eliminate "random acts of marketing" by bringing clarity, focus, and measurable impact to every initiative.
With a background in analytics and strategic planning, Laura is a trusted advisor to companies ready to scale smart. She partners with leadership teams to ensure that every touchpoint and every story ties back to customer value, operational excellence, and long-term growth.
Laura helps our clients apply discipline to their brand and go-to-market strategies. She brings a results-first mindset that ensures every narrative we build is backed by data, aligned with business objectives, and focused on performance.
“Strategic communications is never one-size-fits-all. The most effective PR work is grounded in a deep understanding of your audience, your values, and your why—then delivered with focus, flexibility, and just the right amount of creative edge.”
Andrea Oliveira is the founder of Oliveira House PR (OHPR), a senior-led, full-stack communicationsfirm helping enterprise, emerging tech, and consumer lifestyle brands elevatetheir visibility and reputation with the audiences that matter. With 15 years of experience in public relations, brand positioning, and content marketing, Andrea has built OHPR on the belief that great communications programs are both strategic and agile—designed to scale with changing priorities, and executed by professionals who become true extensions of their client teams.
Andrea’s work spans B2B and consumer sectors alike, with deep roots in enterprise technology as well as experience across travel, education, space/aerospace, government, and lifestyle. She has placed clients in The Wall Street Journal, Wired, and Insider, secured top-tier speaking engagements at events like SXSW, and led successful campaigns around crisis response, mergers and acquisitions, and global summits.
Andrea brings her insight, precision, and no-nonsense approach to earned media strategy, message development, and campaign execution. She partners with brands to make their voice matter—cutting through noise and building narratives that drive visibility, influence, and trust.
