Meet Sarah Halle | Partner, Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Halle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Interestingly (and maybe annoyingly to some), I honestly and truly sort of accidentally walked into the agency creative life. But once I opened the door, I’ve busted my butt to knock down every door since.

I swore I was destined for a PR and Comms role in sports, be it with a team or at the league level. When I landed at a global marketing agency with a focus on beauty, I said to myself: I’ll figure it out. That’s always been my mantra (affirmation?). I’d keep finding ways to make seemingly ordinary work more spirited, creative, or unexpected. I’d test multiple subject lines media pitches (some zestier than others). I’d suggest small but impactful ways to make press releases more memorable. And, I’d pitch opportunities to connect our brands with culture in unusual, surprising, and mediable ways. My soon-to-be Executive Creative Director took notice, reached out, and suggested that a move to creative team as a copywriter might be a better home—not just to put my creative juices to work, but unleash them.

I quickly came to realize how much I loved the game of solving a brief; the (friendly) competition of having your idea picked to go in a client presentation, the adrenaline of a pitch—the performance of it all. To be clear: I don’t mean performative. I mean the act of getting up in front of a room and putting on a show, telling a story, getting a client so excited about an idea that they start brainstorming what else we could do. I love the rush. I love the performance. I love coming up with ideas and activating them in ways that make people wish they’d thought of that.

What should our readers know about your business?
Vermilion is a certified B Corp creative agency based in Boulder, Colorado. For over four decades, we’ve built brands, campaigns, websites, and more for brands and organizations that make better-for-you products; are local and national leaders in health and well-being; and unite recreation and conservation.

Our charge has always been to create work that helps address the big questions of the day. To supercharge a brand’s impact, on and off screen. These are the underpinnings of our agency’s position: Creative Gone Good.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a spike in purpose-driven agencies. And we love to see it! To see that there’s not interest but actual growth in the industry to prioritize clients who really and truly do better for people and planet, well, that’s better for people and planet. But for a lot agencies, that refocus required a business shift, from new business strategies and internal alignment to external communications. Vermilion hasn’t had to retrofit or rearchitect our DNA, which allows us to put our energies on continually improving and refining our processes and work product.

Don’t get me wrong, this industry can make you *think* that you need to constantly reinvent yourself. From small shop startups and big agency rebrands to super-fancy trademarked processes, it’s inspiring to see fresh takes on what creative agencies can be and do. AND, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t always chase the shiny thing. *New* may catch attention, but reputation is an intangible that’s built, not sold or pitched. And, sure: we’ve refreshed our look and feel, and we evolve our messaging. But our choices—from the people we hire to the brands we pitch—continue to live into our unchanging roots of making a different for clients who make a difference.

That’s all to say: I want people know that Vermilion is kind AND creates provocative, impactful work. And that yes: our clients are purpose-driven, but “purpose-driven” doesn’t just mean hardcore sustainability brands (many of our clients aren’t). We look and love to work with partners across industries that have purpose and goodness within and need help better expressing it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think I’ve always mentally been a Coloradan but didn’t know it until I physically moved here. My family lives right outside of Boulder, making us perfectly geographically positioned for all of the things. A week out here is great because we could stay local AND hit the mountains. Here’s what I’d suggest:

Monday: Get acclimated. Yes, it’s a thing. Yes, every Coloradan will tell you to drink plenty of water. And yes, we’ll all tell you it feels ten degrees hotter here because you’re a mile closer to the sun, so wear sunscreen. We’d walk and shop Pearl Street in Boulder and grab margs and dinner somewhere easy like Bar Taco. We’d absolutely sit al fresco to people watch.

Tuesday: We’d hit a morning hike in the Flatirons, classic. After that we’d grab brunch at Avanti, which has THE best views of the Flatirons (aka where we just hiked). Then, depending what season it is, we’d either go to a Rockies, Nuggets or Avs game in Denver (the Rockies aren’t great but Coors Field is) then have a post-game cocktail at Union Station’s Cooper Lounge.

Wednesday-Thursday: Overnight trip! If you’re here during the summer, we’d do an overnight raft trip on the upper Colorado river. A solid mix of splashy rapids, cliff jumping (if that’s your thing), and some much-needed campfire time.

Friday-Saturday: On our way back we’d hit a mountain town like Vail or Breckenridge. We’d ride the gondola to the top of the mountain and have a cold beer while we take in the view, and round it out by shopping the main street. The trip is a failure if you don’t have to sit on your suitcase to close it because you bought too much on your trip.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are two people who have significantly influenced the creative, leader, and honestly, the person I continue to become: Jenna Young and Tom Beckman.

Jenna saw potential and opportunity in me that I didn’t yet see in myself. To this day she continues to show me how to be a badass female leader. She showed me how to spot the root of a great idea, and how to build it. Jenna’s achieved a lot in her career, and I don’t take her support and investment in me lightly.

Tom taught me how to bravely present “that one idea that surely no one will like or get” and actually get people to get AND like it. He drilled into me how to make an idea so ruthlessly simple that your dog would understand it. And he showed me I can inject the weird, goofy, and quirky parts of me at work—and still be taken seriously.

I’m endlessly grateful to call these two individuals mentors and friends.

Website: https://vermilion.com

Instagram: @vermiliondesign

Linkedin: @vermiliondesign