Contact: ryan.tamborski [at] gmail [dot] com

I am an art director that has provided creative direction and execution for the Lagunitas Brewing Company since 2011.

I was born, raised, and currently reside in the incomparably beautiful Northern California town of Petaluma and am motivated and inspired by its quirky charm, vast natural expanses, and immediate intermediate proximity to more civilized spaces and more rural planes.

My creative career started at Lagunitas in 2010, but I have actively pursued creative expression since I was a young lad through music production, both in front of and behind the mic, digital and film photography, graphic and print design, stand-up and sketch comedy, drawing and collage, and fiction and non-fiction writing.

At Lagunitas, it all began in the TapRoom, sitting at the bar long enough to start bussing dishes and cleaning tables. From bussing then bartending and serving, I quickly moved into the marketing department, learning the brand voice and the importance of storytelling as a tour guide in the budding stages of the Petaluma tours program. I collected the Lagunitas stories and disseminated them within and throughout the company in a definitive guide for tours resulting in some personal, local, and national acclaim.

From tours, I moved into integrated marketing management, helping the sales and marketing teams align through the recreation and distribution of consistent marketing materials. One of my first tasks was to collect and systematize Lagunitas' digital assets (I was handed a couple Daedalus-inspired hard drives), which resulted in the creation of a robust digital asset management system that is still in use today. As I was organizing these assets, I began to use my self-taught graphic design skills to update sell sheets and flavor descriptors to more modern standards, design tap stickers and other sales assets and provide copy to entice new drinkers and satisfy old timers, growing my role from a more events-focused position into one of the first members of the creative marketing team.

In my past 7 years on the creative side, I've worked with our brewing team to name and create marketing assets for over hundreds of beers, from local one-offs to internationally distributed packages; I've conceptualized and designed local, regional, and international marketing campaigns; I've written copy and produced advertisements for magazines, podcasts, billboards, radio stations, sports arenas, and more; I've helped grow Lagunitas from the #17 largest U.S. craft brewery in 2010 to #6, today.

A unique aspect of my career at Lagunitas has allowed for an exploration of expression through public speaking and emceeing at events like the Lagunitas Beer Circus, the Live@Lagunitas concert series in Petaluma and CouchTrippin' shows across the country, as well as interviewing bands and artists for video content. And, as an early member of the events-focused marketing department, I am well versed in producing events of all shapes and sizes from start to finish.

I immensely enjoy discovering new music and old jams, traveling and the discovery of new places for my collection of crowd-sourced maps (here's New Orleans), crossword puzzling, learning about new foods, beers, wines, and cocktails to eat, drink, and make, socializing with old and new friends, bumbling through a few jams at karaoke night, and walking around town to see the neighborhood cats and bribing them for attention with treats.

Lastly, I love challenges and am always looking for new ways to push my creative potential beyond my scope of understanding. I hope to have the opportunity to grow in every project I get the opportunity to work on.

Cheers!