Hi, I'm Mickey

I'm a creative generalist and design-minded process nerd, bridging the gap between the tactical and the creative.

From Scrap is an eclectic creative consultancy dedicated to making the world a more connected and beautiful place. Whether we're building a brand, curating a photo shoot or producing an event, my goal is to get to the heart of your project and help you bring it to life in a genuine, relatable manner.

Outside of this space, I enjoy meandering the SF hills with my dog, haunting galleries, baking pies, sourcing secondhand goods, mending clothes, and geeking out on sustainability. I'm fond of warm color palettes and sunny days.

Weird, queer & based San Francisco, CA. I write about my big feelings over on Substack

So, how'd I get here?

When I grew up, I wanted to be a gymnast, then a cook and a model and a photographer and a stylist and that’s… not entirely off-base from the reality of where my career path has led me.
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I'm a lifelong autodidact. I did some amateur modeling and interned as a personal stylist after leaving fashion school in 2012, right around when I picked up my first Lomography camera. After that, I found myself writing listicles and sharing them on social media at my first startup marketing job. That eventually opened the door to campaign management at a digital publisher and more social media work, developing content and strategy for comic shops and artists, after a detour of authenticating luxury clothes and writing product listings at what was once a competitor of the RealReal.

All of that set the stage for moving into a role as a cat-herder producer at a boutique agency, where I learned to be a brand strategist and art director and copy editor and content manager… with just enough design knowledge to be dangerous.

I took 2023 to myself, kind of. I’ve spent that time slowing down, realigning with my values of learning (to build this website, to process & print my own photos), connection (to myself in the form of writing, to my community in organizing a tenant union), and authenticity.

I’ve never really been able to stick to one thing, but I see that as a strength these days. I’ve accrued a great breadth of knowledge and a wealth of resources to tap if something’s a bit out of my depth. I’m able to connect the dots between your goals and how to make them real.

That’s what brings us here, to From Scrap, where my goal is to get to the heart of your project and help you bring it to life in a genuine, relatable manner.

Testimonials

Here's what past collaborators and clients have to say about working with me.

“Effectively managing projects for a small agency is not unlike ‘herding cats’ (as Michaela and I sometimes joked about it) but probably a more complicated task on the whole. It definitely requires someone who is willing to take on a myriad of different challenges from day to day, hour to hour and sometimes even minute to minute. The creative process is as messy as it is inspiring, and as any creative worth their salt out there knows, a stellar Project Manager is key to the success of literally any project you work on. To that end, I can wholeheartedly say that Michaela was key to so many successes at The Savage Bureau that I’ve lost count. Detail oriented, great with clients, fantastic writing skills, ever-expanding skillset, and most importantly always bringing smart ideas to the team - what’s not to like?!”

Matthew Davis

Founder, Creative Director @ the Savage Bureau

"As a long-time freelancer, I've been exposed to an exhaustive list of contractors and project managers and can say definitively that working with Michaela and her team was one of the easier contracts I've had. She is a thoughtful, clear-spoken, and committed project manager who made navigating a the unfamiliar sector of commercial real estate (I write more on health tech and clinical advocacy platforms in my brand writing) easy and interesting. Most freelance writers can tell you that communication styles and flow are often the biggest hurdle when jumping into an established team, but I in no way felt that under Michaela's guidance. Everything was super well organized, cutting down my back research time (I'm sure it saved the agency precious contract dollars) and making it easy to meet all deadlines. Logging into established software systems and project flow was as simple as clicking a button thanks to her hard organizational work. It's amazing how rare that can be and I appreciated being able to dive head first into the contract and being able to zero in on my role in the launch."

Emily Flynn

Sr. CX Content Specialist, AI @ Dropbox

"Michaela combines high professionalism with a genuine creative passion and curiosity that facilitated many great project experiences at the Savage Bureau. It was a true pleasure to work with her on key strategic client engagements that built the foundations of the company early, and throughout her tenure."

Cedric Schaedel

Founder, Technical Director @ the Savage Bureau

"I have worked with Michaela on a number of creative projects and really respect her ability to listen, ask thoughtful questions, followed up with some ideas to confirm she understands what we want, then made several thorough and organized presentations with several options to choose from. She is great with the client and has strong people skills on all levels. Our team really enjoyed working with her."

Allen Palmer

Managing Director @ the Tishman Speyer