April Speed is an Ozark-based creative with years of content marketing experience in brand advertising.
April creates compelling short-form video and social-first content that captures the excitement of everyday activities while leveraging a company’s unique brand heritage. Her area of expertise is storytelling – both visual and written. Skilled in the digital arts, April uses her abilities in video production, scriptwriting and graphic design to spin a scroll-stopping story in :15 seconds flat.
Want hear more? Give me a buzz at:
email: aprilspeed@mac.com
linkedin: linkedin.com/in/aprilspeed/
Brand: The Fictitious Aquarium
Content Creator : April Speed
The following is a mock ‘case study’ example of a fantasy aquarium that focuses on my philosophy around brand content marketing and how I go about capturing engaging stories for various platforms on a daily basis.
Proficient in scripting, storyboarding, filming, graphic design and video production, my experience with growing big brands really shines through in this space.
"A single piece of evergreen content can outlast a thousand fleeting posts." – Nick Thackray, CEO of Phable
The Brand: Camp Flea
Proprietor: April & Paul Speed
The brand, Camp Flea, is based on April’s Ozarkian roots, Paul’s Southern upbringing and their shared love of Table Rock Lake. The antique mall is located in the heart of historic Ozark, Missouri and is base camp to over 250 vendors.
April created the kitschy brand and produces daily short-form content that engages thrifters to get out and thrift. Campy, cool and moody, you’ll find everything from mid-century modern to seventies to turn-of-the-century.
The Brand: The Cabin at Anglers Bend, Airbnb
Super Host + Content Creator: April Speed
Perched on a gently sloping hill overlooking Table Rock Lake, the Cabin at Anglers Bend is a retreat for families to gather, slow down, and plug-in to the sanctuary of lake life.
Once a tiny bait shack, the cabin provided tackle and sundries for the guided Jon Boat tours on the White River prior to the damming of Table Rock Lake in 1957. Although the cabin retains its nostalgic campy atmosphere, it offers many modern comforts and amenities.
Today the old cabin continues to delight with a whole new generation of lake-seekers.
Lakefront Views
Sleeps 12
Boat, Dock + Water Access
The Brand: Barnwood Forest Airbnb
Super Host + Content Creator: April Speed
The barn at Barnwood Forest is one of the few surviving American heritage barn examples in Ozark, Missouri. In 2024, the structure was converted into short-term rentals for overnight guests visiting Finley Farms and attending weddings at the Chapel.
As Super Host, I manage the Airbnb’s social media accounts by filling Instagram and Facebook with welcoming content delivered with a woodsy vibe. The result: bookings made months in advance and consistent 5-star reviews.
“From housing cows and hay to being the hot spot for the Speeds’ hootenanny parties and photography sessions, the old barn has lived many lives. The Speeds are happy to share their little slice of heaven with guests near and far.” – 417 HOME
https://www.417mag.com/417-home/speed-familys-airbnb-ozark-mo/
The Brand: Bush’s Beans
Creative Director + Art Director: April Speed
Photography: Paul Speed Studios
The power of the humble bean. My team at the Marlin Co. carefully designed the Bush's Best Beans campaign to evolve the Bush brand across all media. A strong brand heritage and simple pure ingredients have kept Bush's on trend. This branding campaign won multiple awards and grew the bean-love in both foodservice and social media.
The Brand: Bush’s Garbanzo Beans
Content Creator + Art Director: April Speed
Photography: Paul Speed Photography
Smash It Up
A hummus recipe series featuring Bush’s Garbanzo Beans – or otherwise known as chickpeas. In this content-rich social media campaign, consumers are encouraged to explore trending cuisine with different kinds of beans. Simply smash chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic for a delicious and healthy snack. Bush’s Beans are a flavorful source of plant-based protein, fiber and essential vitamins all while keeping it right on trend.
The Brand: Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars
Creative Director/Art Director: April Speed
Photography: Guzman NY
"Respect Yourself in the Morning", stopped people when they were most vulnerable to bad food choices and helped grow the stalled Nutri-Gran business by nearly 30%. The power of this campaign was that the entire media plan was built around the key insight of ‘vulnerability’. Billboard space was purchased above fast food restaurants, near donut shops and around convenient stores, and TV spots ran during self-improvement shows - all the while making people think before they eat.
The Brand: Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars
Visual Storyteller: April Speed
Stealthy Writer: April Speed
Film Director: Hernandez Productions LA
This is a series of :30 second TV commercials that reside within a broader campaign titled “Respect Yourself in the Morning” for Nutri-Grain Bars. My partner and I wrote and created this effective and memorable campaign for our Kellogg’s client. The ask: Increase sales in the flat breakfast bar category by reminding busy people to eat something good for breakfast.
A simple, honest reminder to “Respect Yourself in the Morning”, stopped people in their tracks and got them to rethink their morning habits. Built on the insight that busy people are vulnerable to making bad food choices in the morning, this campaign illustrates the consequences of those choices. The effort grew the stalled Nutri-Grain business by nearly 30% within the 1st quarter.
The Brand: Hellmann’s
Creative Direction + Art: April Speed
Flavor wings flock to. Great salad dressings will draw food and customers in. Developed for both US and Canadian foodservice markets, this memorable campaign introduces the delicious core of Hellmann's Dressing from Unilever Food Solutions. Living in both the B2B and B2C space, we took an omni-channel marketing approach to reach out as far as we could.
Visual storying telling has been a constant in everything I create and produce. Seeing an idea on paper (or storyboard) come to life through film, digital, print or social media makes me the most happy. As a creative, I have worked in all corners of the bullpen – writer, art director, graphic designer and creative director. As producer for a commercial photography studio, I wear many hats but the one that makes me the most excited is when it’s time to shine in production – here I use my stylist and art director abilities to get every detail right.
Stylist + Producer – April Speed
Paul Speed Photography – An upscale commercial photography studio located in the heart of Ozark, Missouri
Art Direction + Design + Production: April Speed
Photography: Paul Speed Studios
Besides my role as Creative Director I am also Executive Producer for Paul Speed Photography – An upscale commercial photo studio specializing in editorial & food photography for local and national brands. I serve as producer, studio manager and stylist on all aspects of production. In other words, I take care of everything and everyone. I’ve found that a shaken, not stirred dirty martini takes the edge off things in the studio. Cheers!
The Speed Photography Studio
Producer + Studio Manager: April Speed
Historic preservation and restoration of an old barn began in 2005. Room & interior design by Paul + April Speed of Paul Speed Photography. Tax records date back to 1833 when Ozark was first plotted by J. C. and A. N. Farmer.
Experience a day or three at the old barn and settle in for awhile. Feed our studio pig (yes, pig). Have a cocktail on the farm lawn. Take lunch from Spring Creek Tea Room. Walk down to the historic Ozark Mill. We’ll show you true Ozarkian hospitality. Contact us for a quote on your next project - we’d love to start building your story today.
Art Educator, K-12: April Speed
I spent one year teaching art. It was one year of pureness. Cleansing of the mind and soul. Here is a collection of my students’ art.
Let’s start with Chihuly.
Theme: Creating with Nature and Our Freshwater Ecosystems
Time: 50 minutes, 2 class periods Grade K-12
Art Concepts: Form, Color, Space, Dimension
Motivation: Show a video of Dale Chihuly art-glass making process and his aquatic installations around the world. PowerPoint images of Chihuly’s sea glass, coral, polyps and abstract illustrations so students can see the inspiration of nature and organic forms.
Although Chihuly’s creations are largely saltwater life formations, we will observe Missouri’s fresh waterways by applying abstract thinking. Chihuly intends for his art to show feeling, so students will make decisions on color and movement with emotion in mind to create these cool amoeba-like sculptures.
