5Points Creative is a full-service digital and creative agency specializing in marketing, advertising, digital, branding, and communication. We are passionate about helping mission-driven organizations create meaningful and lasting relationships with their customers through captivating experiences.
Dan is a proofreader for 5Points Creative. He honed his proofing skills by teaching writing competency courses to college students for 20 years--hence, the name Proofing Prof. An undergraduate major in German (along with Business) helped cultivate an appreciation for language, grammar, and syntax at an early age. He’s a self-proclaimed word junkie and grammar nerd. His proofreading mission is to help people Write it Right.
Following a stint in the air force right after college, Dan worked for a Fortune 100 manufacturer in plant, international, and corporate positions. He has owned a business, taught business courses at Mary Baldwin University, facilitated leadership workshops for a local enterprise, and he writes articles and sells ads for a regional business magazine.
When not checking copy for typos and grammar glitches, Dan likes to fill his retirement days with cooking, reading, and spending time with his wife and their daughter and her family who live in Roanoke. They visit with their two sons and their families in Richmond and Fairfax as often as possible. Doting on and spoiling four grandchildren is his new job responsibility, and one he enjoys immensely.
Grayson is a digital analyst here at 5Points Creative. After Studying marketing at JMU he decided to enter the Marketing Industry by specializing in analytics and branding. His certifications in Google AdWords and SharpSpring make him the perfect fit for our analytic team. His drive and attention to detail allow him to bring interesting insight to our team and clients.
Born and raised in Roanoke VA, he likes to cook mainly in his air fryer and loves music. In his free time, he works in FL Studio producing music and enjoys traveling.
Highly perceptive and always enthusiastic about everything she does, Marlee is the preeminent example of what it means to "bring the hype." As 5Points Creative's Marketing Coordination Specialist, she is always on the move, keeping the wheels of the organization turning by managing the agency's Lead Gen + CRM System from Constant Contact. But she doesn't stop there.
Marlee is always waiting in the wings and ready to roll up her sleeves to assist with any agency project. Website builds and maintenance? She's got you. Data analytics? Not a problem. Motivation and encouragement? Of course! Marlee is always the first to make sure her team members and clients know how great they are, and it's not just because of their work.
A Roanoke College graduate, Marlee has extensive experience in the hospitality and tourism industry and CRM and email automation systems. Her favorite part of her professional career has always been helping people find solutions and stay organized.
Born and raised in Roanoke, Marlee loves her hometown and takes great pride in the city's growth over the last several years. She proudly serves on the board of directors and as the Secretary for the local non-profit, Pathfinders for Greenways. She loves outdoor adventures with her husband, including hiking, fishing, riding her bike, and going paddle-boarding with their Alaskan Malamute/Husky mix and ultimate best friend, Gypsee. Marlee also enjoys thrifting, meeting friends for a drink at Golden Cactus, and seeing live local music.
Samuel D. Britton spent his early years in communications as an on-air personality and writer at three Mid-West radio stations. Additionally, he served as Director of Creative Services at the local NBC television affiliate in Saginaw, Michigan.
In 1981, following a long tenure as Vice President, Client & Media Services at a Michigan advertising agency, Sam founded The Sam Britton Organization, Inc., a full service marketing communications firm.
During his agency’s thirty-year ownership, Sam oversaw an award-winning creative team and was responsible for the creation and execution of strategic communications programs for a variety of local, regional, and national clients.
Dan Bryan represents 5Points Creative as the project manager and account representative covering the Southeast Tennessee Region. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he works with clients to ensure that their marketing, advertising, and branding needs are met. Not only is he the son of 5Points Creative founder Bruce, Dan also has six years of experience providing marketing support, service development, and media relations assistance to public safety, search and rescue, and nonprofit agencies.
After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Toledo, Dan migrated to the South in 2011, where he received a crash course on chicken and biscuits, sweet tea, and the proper use of “y'all”. In addition to his work with 5Points Creative, he is also a Firefighter Engineer with the Chattanooga Fire Department assigned to Engine 4.
Dan uses the same determination, quick thinking, and creative problem solving that he learned on the fireground to provide clients with effective solutions to meet their marketing and advertising needs.
A talented photographer, illustrator, and graphic designer, Jenya uses her artistic eye and strong attention to detail to create incredible design concepts as part of 5Points’ Creative Team.
An honors graduate of the National University of Ukraine, Jenya studied finance but has always been interested in art and design. She loves creating vector illustrations and designs, and for the past several years, she has been studying and training to perfect her photography skills. Her passion for photography has also helped her develop an expert-level creative eye when editing photos and videos.
When she’s not designing amazing projects for our clients, you will still find Jenya being creative. She loves photographing her son and researching the latest photography techniques and ideas. She also is a talented knitter and has been knitting since childhood. A lover of the outdoors, Jenya enjoys sports, hiking, swimming, dancing, meditating, and any activity that supports better health for her and her son.
Kyle has spent well over a decade in media sales and marketing, starting as an advertising representative at a local newspaper where he later became the local and national sales manager. He then spent time as an advertising representative at a local television station, before becoming the marketing director for a small business. Based on these experiences, he started helping small businesses define their target audiences and brands in order to build successful marketing campaigns through digital and social media.
He has a natural curiosity which aids him in learning about different businesses and what they feel they need to do in order to be successful. He then likes to take this newfound knowledge and design custom marketing plans to aid these organizations in getting to where they want to be.
A native of Southside Virginia, Kyle graduated from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce with majors in Marketing, Management, and Economics. He has called the Roanoke Valley home for well over 20 years.
Kyle enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and daughter (which usually means you will find them all together at a sporting event of some type). In his spare time, he volunteers with his church, to help them with their digital and social media endeavors. He also enjoys road cycling, kayaking, hiking, and golf, as well as teaching indoor cycling classes.
When it comes to design, Alice's collaborative nature produces compelling work that becomes more than just a creative project, it's a fulfilling, imaginative process for everyone involved. As a 5Points Creative Graphic Designer, Alice uses her talents to produce print and web designs and assist in creative and innovative campaigns on the Creative Team.
Alice graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts (VCUarts), where she majored in Graphic Design and minored in Painting and Printmaking. She served as Junior Designer and Undergraduate Assistant with Virginia Commonwealth Professor Nicole Killian. Alice collaborated with two junior designers to create a website for Killian's online Printed Matter Book Fair publishing initiative. She also produced design work for two non-profit organizations in her role.
An experienced Starbucks barista, Alice loves making coffee and creating different flavor combinations and mouthfeels. She also enjoys playing video games and drawing in Procreate. A self-proclaimed thrill-seeker, she loves the electric energy of concerts, amusement parks, and roller coasters. Alice also enjoys experiencing nature by caring for her plants and hiking.
Artistically driven from the beginning, Kym always knew creativity would be her life. She is an award-winning creative with two decades worth of agency experience working for both small creative shops and large, regional advertising firms. Her work has been recognized in numerous shows such as The Richmond Show and the American Advertising Awards, including a Gold National ADDY.
She easily migrates between big-picture concepts and details that are critical to the success of a brand or project, finding the perfect combination of words, color, and design – and a dash of the fun and bizarre. There’s no creative challenge that is beyond Kym’s mind and her portfolio represents a wide range of clients including large health care systems, universities, high-end retail, and defense.
When not solving creative problems, she’s spending time with her husband and 4 children; hiking and running with her twin sister; and enjoying British true crime procedurals, Marvel movies, and baking.
Always curious and ready to learn, Christine is a creative and analytical problem-solver who brings many expert-level skills to her 5Points Creative administrative position. With a strong mix of account management experience, operations expertise, financial know-how, and organizational tricks, she's always ready with answers and can easily anticipate the needs of her team.
Originally from Delaware, Christine earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at Michigan State University and an associate degree in graphic design from the Community College of Denver. While in Colorado, she helped manage the day to day needs of a printing business, including print production, design, finance, operations, account management, and content creation.
Drawn to the beauty of the Roanoke Valley, Christine loves outdoor activities, including hiking and watching wildlife play while she hangs out on her porch cross-stitching and talking to her son about Minecraft. Her other hobbies include laughing at her dog's antics, helping solve 1970s cold-case crimes, attempting to cook, and traveling.
Whether writing to appeal to a specific audience or taking a deep dive into digital strategy and social media analytics, Shelby has the unique talent of being both a left and right-brain thinker in the digital and social realms.
As 5Points Creative's Content Marketing Specialist, Shelby loves listening to others and using her marketing communications expertise to help them reach their goals. She then seamlessly works backward from the big picture to develop a blog or social media content that aligns perfectly with the client's goals and vision.
A 2021 graduate of Virginia Tech, Shelby studied public relations and is pursuing a master's degree in digital marketing and advertising strategy from Liberty University.
Originally from Glen Allen, VA, Shelby loves all the outdoor activities the Roanoke Valley offers and deeply appreciates the people and connections she's made throughout the region. Shelby is a volunteer youth leader at her church and leads a small group for middle school girls. She enjoys running, spending time with her friends, and watching music videos and artist interviews on YouTube. A big Taylor Swift fan, Shelby also loves all things country music.
Taylor believes the most valuable experiences are created when you take the time to learn the best ways to communicate with others. That passion and desire to understand people make her a fantastic Associate Account Lead. Always open-minded and friendly, Taylor truly enjoys managing client relationships.
After graduating from Virginia Tech, Taylor explored her entrepreneurial side as she began creating and selling her jewelry. Her experiences with her own business helped her develop the well-rounded skill set she uses daily in her current position at 5 Points Creative.
Taylor grew up at Smith Mountain Lake and has always enjoyed the Roanoke Valley. You will find her spending her free time with her husband and two boys, taking advantage of everything lake life offers. She also loves live music, and you will often see her and her family enjoying the outdoors and jamming to their favorite tunes.
Brad will be the first to tell you a lot goes into becoming a legend. Being a longstanding member of the starting line for your team comes with a lot of responsibility. While you keep strong respect for tradition, you must always stay current with the latest trends in your field. Brad has enough experience to know there’s no resting on your laurels in the advertising game, and he has the winning record to prove it.
As Director of Operations, Brad’s 15 years of advertising and marketing experience have made him well-versed in marketing tactics, including strategic planning, market research, branding, promotion, ad design, and campaign creation. His expertise in digital marketing has made him the GOAT in developing 5Point Creative’s services, from website creation to social media management.
Brad earned his degree from Radford University with a double major in media studies and marketing. An athlete by nature, Brad found many skills he learned on the playing field, like teamwork, leadership, and determination, to be advantageous to his success with client relations. Brad enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his son’s football and basketball teams. When he and his family are off the field and the court, you can find them going to the latest Marvel movie, watching sports, and going to the pool.
A key player on the 5Points creative team, Jake is a pro at producing high-quality designs in both print and digital mediums. With a great eye for creativity and a knack for out-of-the-box thinking, clients are always wowed by his eye-catching design skills. Jake’s specialization is company branding, and he is responsible for helping execute, drive, and concept creative on innovative campaigns while coordinating with the rest of the creative team.
Jake graduated from North Greenville University, where he studied mass communications and he has been a designer for advertising agencies in Greenville, SC, and Raleigh, NC. He also has more than a decade of freelance experience working for several non-profits.
Jake has traveled the world with his partner and seven kids. They’ve lived in several places across Southeast Asia including Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia. He currently lives in an off-grid homestead in Patrick County, VA where he stays busy building a log cabin. When he’s not creating digital art, Jake enjoys woodworking, construction, and growing food.
Matt Musselman performs graphic design and visual development for 5Points Creative. The coolest nerd in town, he brings a mean combo of artistic vision and technical prowess, wielding whatever software you throw at him while keeping a pencil (or stylus) close at hand.
After earning a degree from the Art Institute of California in San Diego, Matt returned to Roanoke, his home base since the mid '90s. His Roanoke-based career has been a mix of 3D illustration, sign/print design, graphics team management, and freelance work.
When not furiously clicking and staring at screens, you’ll find him camping in the woods or beating you in whatever board game is on the table.
Like any great, wise strategist, Karen is focused, detail-oriented, and always interested in learning how things can operate in the best way possible. Using these super talents, she pulls from many resources to help her clients make the best decisions for their success. Full of insightful wisdom and warm energy, Karen is a thorough, professional consultant with many years of experience in HR, finance and accounting, strategic planning, and IT, which comes in handy as the go-to support system for 5Points Creative and its clients.
A proud Roanoke College alumna, Karen was most recently the CEO of a large physician-owned medical practice where she gained invaluable experience in healthcare administration and finance. Consulting has become Karen’s passion, and she is devoted to continually learning and building her skill set.
Karen loves the outdoors, and you can often find her walking, hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding throughout the Roanoke Valley. She is also an enthusiast of yoga and watercolor painting, and spending time with her children and grandchildren is one of her all-time favorite things. A devoted bibliophile, Karen typically reads 100 books yearly—and she keeps a spreadsheet listing them!
Bruce C. Bryan is an author, entrepreneur, and connector of people. With 20 years of experience in the television industry, Bruce managed broadcast advertising departments at television stations in Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia. Winner of the 2006 National Association of Broadcasters “Best of the Best” Sales Promotion award, he now develops and implements creative solutions to everyday business problems.
In 2009, Bruce founded 5Points Creative, a full-service advertising and marketing firm based in Roanoke, Virginia. Throughout Bruce’s leadership as President of the firm, 5Points received scores of accolades, including numerous American Advertising Awards, Communicator Awards, and Telly awards. His company was named the “2019 Small Business of the Year” in business-to-business services by the Greater Roanoke Chamber of Commerce. In 2023, 5Points Creative was awarded the Howard Packett Award for Creative Excellence, the Best in Show – Broadcast ADDY, a Gold ADDY, and three Silver ADDY awards at the annual AAF Roanoke ADDY Awards Ceremony.
In addition to helping businesses succeed, Bruce fosters multiple organizations through volunteer work. He is a founding board member for the national non-profit Help Save The Next Girl. After six years of running The Down by Downtown Music Festival, Bruce founded The Spot on Kirk in 2015 and remains President of their Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Healing Strides of Virginia.
A lifelong lover of writing, Bruce published his first book in 2021 titled 40 West: Two Brothers Take the Trip to Mark a Lifetime. It chronicles Bruce’s cross-country journey with his brother to honor and celebrate their late father. With a particular affinity for Michigan basketball, Bruce is an avid fan of the Detroit Pistons and the Michigan State Spartans. He also appreciates time with his friends and family; they will be the first to tell you he enjoys the experience of having a great meal or a lovely glass of red wine.
Bruce and his wife Laurel live in Roanoke and are often busy spending time with each of their children and four grandchildren--with two more grandkids coming soon!
Adam Thompson is a Graphic Designer on paper, but more of a Jack-of-All-Trades with moderate to high skill in several visual mediums. His focus is primarily on websites; however, his skill with image processing comes in handy for the occasional image enhancement.
Born in Roanoke and educated locally, Adam enjoys being in nature and photographing our beautiful region. He has spent much of his childhood and beyond experimenting and learning a great deal about computers, web design, graphic design, photography, video, and communication. His experience with graphic design and print production allows him to create highly precise works for the specific demands of the client while adhering to tight deadlines.
Adam joined 5Points Creative with intentions to learn and refine his skills by listening to clients and ensuring that their vision is executed with thoughtfulness and attention to detail.
This work will help us grow
They gave us the WOW
Truly a pleasure
They're always willing to listen
They stepped in and helped
Their strengths bring out ours
A great partner