About MiddleM Creative
Differentiated business development, digital marketing, branding, and public relations services for middle-market M&A firms.
We are former investment bankers and private equity professionals who know firsthand that winning the next deal takes more than just capital or expertise. Our deep understanding of middle-market M&A combined with our marketing expertise allow you to achieve a more efficient ROI for your marketing spend. A smart branding strategy helps to improve deal flow, raise your firm's profile, and increase marketplace awareness.
We help our clients formulate a detailed plan and strategy to align with the firm's objectives, with a constant eye on ROI. MiddleM offers a full suite of marketing services — from brand positioning and research to marketing and business development strategies.
Our Team
Joanne Verkuilen
Founder + Managing Partner
Watching the middle market M&A environment mature over the past 10 – 15 years brought me to the conclusion that firms competing for the next great transaction need a thoughtful and intentional brand and marketing strategy.
With a combination of marketing and investment banking/private equity experience, I started MiddleM Creative with a deep understanding that a differentiating brand can have true ROI vis-à-vis efficiencies around deal origination.
I’ve worked on more than two dozen middle-market M&A transactions and private capital raises for such firms as Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley), Sanders Morris Harris, Conversus Capital (now HarbourVest) – and most recently was the Director of Marketing and part of the leadership team at BlackArch Partners.
I want MiddleM Creative to become the premier marketing and branding firm not for the sake of growth, but because I love the work we do and am passionate about helping clients realize their aspirations.
O 980 785 4356
M 917 744 7351
joanne@middlemcreative.com
Jan Morris
Director
Authentic stories bring brands to life — and the M&A industry is fertile ground for sharing great stories. We help firms scale their storytelling efforts, moving beyond old-school BD tactics into the digital-first world.
Whether or not they will readily admit it, evoking emotion is the key to any decision maker’s heart and mind. If you aren’t making your audience feel something, you’ve risked missing your next big transaction to the competition.
Agency born and bred with over ten years of client management experience, I find myself most at home in nimble, specialized teams. A project manager at heart, I’m driven by process and research. I lead our clients through projects with unwavering focus on the end goal, strategic guidance through the proper milestones and a passion for quality assurance. My prior experience developing strategic marketing for clients across a variety of verticals is helpful context for our M&A-focused work at MiddleM, as our clients advise or invest in just about every sector within the business world.
In addition to collaborating with the MiddleM team and our clients, I enjoy spending as much time as possible outdoors with my family — especially my two young children — and friends.
M 904 210 3302
jan@middlemcreative.com
Holly Meloy
Director
At the intersection of the M&A and marketing industries, data remains the most impactful way to build trust, unlock value, and create lasting results.
Leveraging data effectively means going beyond numbers to understand the motivations behind every deal. An intentional research approach allows both qualitative and quantitative insights to shape a firm’s strategy with authenticity and clarity.
Before joining MiddleM, I spent most of my career delivering results for large consumer brands, including P&G, Unilever, and McDonald’s. I’ve led brand launches, built high-performing teams, and driven marketing strategies that accelerate growth.
I focus on bridging strategy and execution — shifting business trajectories, leading brand transformations, and unlocking revenue through enhanced customer experiences. I’m most energized by the measurable impact I help create for clients and colleagues.
My other job requires me to shuttle my daughter from swimming to drama, with the occasional tennis match for me baked in.
M 773 383 4830
holly@middlemcreative.com
Heidi Vanhoozier
Director of Operations
Excellence in client work starts with the backbone of our organization, where data and creative thinking drives decision making.
Since joining MiddleM in 2018, my role has evolved alongside the firm’s growth. Today, I oversee operations in support of the firm’s broader business objectives, partnering closely with the team on research and analysis while managing our systems and administration, ensuring the business is well-positioned from both an operational and financial perspective.
Earlier in my career, I spent over a decade in the financial industry working directly with clients on complex portfolio loans. That experience helped shape my thoughtful, detail-oriented work style, with a genuine care for the people impacted by the decisions being made.
Outside of work, I find joy in time spent with my husband, our two busy, sports-loving kids, and our three dogs, who keep life entertaining. Running, especially longer distances, helps me stay grounded and energized.
M 980 322 1245
heidi@middlemcreative.com
Providing creative solutions for our clients’ strategic challenges requires a dynamic team with a growth mindset.
Camille Albea
Vice President
Successful client interactions require transparent communication, creative vision, and intentional project management. I am fueled by working with committed teams and passionate leaders in middle-market M&A. I work with our clients to ensure critical projects are delivered and executed to their fullest potential.
Prior to MiddleM Creative, I worked for over three years at an Atlanta-based private equity firm, Georgia Oak Partners. I was embedded at the firm level working on portfolio company and firm marketing — providing brand management, creative direction, and tactical execution. Before joining Georgia Oak Partners, I was an account manager at a full-service marketing agency where I nurtured existing client relationships and advanced the firm’s business development efforts.
With a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications and previous private equity experience, I am well-equipped to provide strategic guidance to our clients.
M 214 535 8848
camille@middlemcreative.com
Molly Coyne
Senior Client Services Associate
Thoughtful messaging and branding can transform uncertainty into opportunity, more efficiently bringing the right parties to the table for impactful M&A transactions.
The team that helps craft your firm’s story must understand your brand, business, and industry well enough to artfully articulate it to those who don’t.
A keen passion for the written word has fueled my career. My background in academic publishing at Yale University Press, followed by 12 years of teaching at two college-preparatory high schools, guided my belief that high-quality, impactful writing remains a cornerstone of effective communication. My work in corporate sponsorships, marketing, and client engagement for thought leadership events and a financial consultancy focused on ESOP transactions emphasized the importance of cultivating meaningful connections with my clients.
As a Memphis-area resident born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, my deep love of the mountains and exploration has never left me. My husband, our three boys and I are typically outside, involved in some competitive activity. Alternatively, one might find me with a tennis racquet or a good book in hand.
M 503 504 7751
molly@middlemcreative.com
Dakota Smith
Client Services Associate
Our clients have unique perspectives and experiences — powerful tools that can help them win their next deal. We help bring these stories to life and amplify their volume to the right audiences.
With four years of experience in strategic communications, I specialize in helping our clients articulate their unique value propositions through compelling storytelling and comprehensive brand strategy. My approach is rooted in the belief that authentic communication drives meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.
I work closely alongside our clients to identify and amplify their differentiators through strategic messaging, content marketing, and brand positioning that resonates with their target markets. From large-scale rebranding projects to thought leadership content development, LinkedIn engagement strategies, and press release campaigns, creating connections through narrative is central to my work.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Georgia, where I developed my foundation in strategic communications through hands-on, public relations work with various organizations. When I’m not at my desk, I can be found at a hot pilates class, cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles (Go Birds!), and reading books of all genres.
M 678 689 4758
dakota@middlemcreative.com
Tara Kriwinsky
Client Services Associate
When M&A professionals are heads-down executing deals, marketing and BD often get outranked on the to-do list. That’s where we come in.
Having spent six years inside an investment bank supporting efforts to secure new mandates and champion successful transactions, I developed a passion for the catalyzing role marketing and brand awareness can play in an M&A firm’s success. With a keen eye for detail, I collaborate with our clients to deliver impactful solutions that resonate with the right audiences and drive measurable results.
Prior to MiddleM Creative, I supported the growth of Citizens’ M&A Advisory and Commercial Banking platforms as a Marketing Partner, joining the bank through the acquisition of my prior firm, Western Reserve Partners. In my tenure at both organizations, I worked on strategic marketing and branding projects, most notably assisting in integrating and rebranding four separate investment bank acquisitions. When I’m not working, I enjoy being outdoors, reading, and spending time with my husband and two young daughters.
M 330 858 7533
tara@middlemcreative.com
Madison Sloan
Client Services Associate
Meaningful results happen when thoughtful execution is paired with trusted relationships.
Details and relationships shape how I approach my work. I take a people-first approach grounded in consistency and follow-through, connecting overlooked details with thoughtful execution that turns strategy into results.
Prior to joining MiddleM Creative, I built my marketing and branding foundation working with small, family-owned, and high-growth brands, where hands-on involvement across a wide range of roles was table stakes. Most recently, I led brand strategy and marketing for America’s #1 running sock brand, Feetures, managing cross-functional teams across key brand initiatives. My experience also includes supporting large-scale, localized marketing campaigns for McDonald’s, reinforcing the importance of executing brand strategy at scale while maintaining consistency across complex, multi-unit organizations.
At MiddleM, I bring that same level of discipline and coordination to partnering with middle-market M&A firms, where nuance matters, and relationships drive results. I work closely with clients to ensure projects are organized, strategic and delivered with excellence.
Outside of work, you can usually find me spending time with my husband, Jackson, our daughter Emaline, and our goldendoodle, Daisy, or running, traveling, and reading.
Jacqueline Verkuilen
Junior Client Services Associate
Smart design and visual storytelling allow our team to create compelling brand narratives that cut through the noise in the competitive middle market.
With a background in Learning Design & Technology and visual design, I bring a unique perspective to MiddleM Creative's client work. This intersection of data-driven methodology and creative execution enables me to develop materials that capture attention and drive strategic engagement for our M&A clients.
Earning degrees from NC State University — a master's and B.S. in Design complemented by minors in Psychology and Biological Sciences — has allowed me to draw on my experiences in organizational development to better understand what drives successful marketing in the financial sector. These combined perspectives have sharpened my eye for detail and process improvement, enhancing the quality of our middle market M&A client work.
Outside of work, I’m an avid traveler and enjoy documenting my experiences through photography and journaling. I live in Southern California and spend most days outside by the beach.
M 704 456 5071
jacqueline@middlemcreative.com
Cameron Trice
Junior Client Services Associate
In a digital-first world where journalists’ inboxes are flooded with generic pitches and email blasts, the human element is often underestimated. I believe genuine, relationship-driven, and ongoing engagement with key contacts is essential to earning consistent, accurate, and meaningful media coverage.
With four years of experience in public relations and strategic communications, I bring a relationship-driven approach to building brand visibility and credibility. By partnering closely with my clients and maintaining trusted media relationships, I act as a strategic extension of their teams, shaping narratives that are credible, timely, and aligned with the media landscape, while driving sustained, long-term awareness.
Before joining MiddleM Creative, I served as an account executive at a public relations agency specializing in travel and tourism, securing regional and national media coverage through compelling storytelling, press release development, and targeted media outreach.
I hold a B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from The University of Mississippi, with a minor in General Business and specializations in Social Media and Graphic Design. When I’m not online, I enjoy traveling, walking my two dogs, cheering on the Ole Miss Rebels (Hotty Toddy!), deep-sea fishing, and spending time with friends and family.
M 770 286 2207
cameron@middlemcreative.com