Meet the Grain team.
With decades of collective experience shaping luxury, lifestyle, and fashion brands, we operate at the intersection of refined aesthetics and innovative brand strategy. Our team of industry veterans has crafted compelling narratives and visual identities for leading names in fashion, beauty, and hospitality – mastering the delicate balance of timeless sophistication and contemporary edge.
Each team member brings deep expertise in brand development, creative direction, and elevated storytelling, ensuring every touchpoint of your brand reflects the premium positioning it deserves.
We are your strategic partners and dedicated collaborators, ready to elevate your brand to new heights.
And we can't wait to work with you.
Get to Know Us
Hello, I'm Ellen
Founder, Creative Director
Drink of Choice: Filthy Martini
Meet Ellen, the heart and soul behind Grain Creative.
Ellen's journey in the world of luxury and high-end branding is rooted in a lifetime of immersion in the fashion and modeling industries. From the age of thirteen, Ellen has been at the epicenter of print and fashion, working as a model across the fashion capitals of Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Throughout her years in the modeling world, Ellen developed a profound appreciation for the power of sophisticated branding and marketing. She witnessed firsthand how major fashion houses and luxury brands crafted their image and influenced public perception through meticulously curated branding, compelling campaigns, refined aesthetics, and a commanding digital presence. This behind-the-scenes insight ignited a passion for the art and science of brand building.
Ellen's unique background provided her with an intrinsic understanding of what truly resonates in the world of luxury and high-end markets. Her experiences shaped not just her professional skills, but her personal aesthetic sensibilities, allowing her to intuitively grasp the essence of timeless elegance and cutting-edge trends alike.
Leveraging this wealth of experience and her finely honed taste levels, Ellen made the natural progression to found her own creative brand marketing agency. Her firm specializes in working with luxury and high-end clients, bringing to bear her deep-rooted understanding of beauty, sophistication, and enduring style. Ellen's agency stands out in its ability to create branding strategies that are not just visually stunning, but also deeply authentic and emotionally resonant with discerning audiences.
Today, Ellen's work is a testament to her journey – a perfect blend of her fashionable past and her visionary present. Her agency continues to set new standards in luxury brand marketing, guided by Ellen's unerring eye for elegance and her innate ability to capture the timeless essence of true luxury.
Alaina Mullin
Partner, Director of Visual Media + Production
Drink of Choice: Spicy Marg with Tajín
Alaina Mullin is a visionary multi-hyphenate whose globe-trotting experiences have profoundly shaped her exceptional eye for visual storytelling. With a lifelong dedication to creativity, Alaina has honed her expertise in creative portraiture, branding design, and art direction across diverse cultural landscapes.
Originally from the scenic vistas of Northern Idaho, Alaina's journey as a visual artist has taken her far beyond her roots. Her travels across continents have not only broadened her horizons but have become an integral part of her artistic DNA, infusing her work with a rich tapestry of global influences and perspectives.
Alaina's professional trajectory soared during her tenure as Art Director, Designer, and Photographer for The Nashville Edit, where she refined her skills and expanded her portfolio. This experience laid the groundwork for her pivotal role in shaping Grain's visual identity from its inception. Working in close collaboration with Ellen, Alaina has been instrumental in delivering breathtaking design and photography projects that have evolved alongside the company's growth.
Her talent for capturing the essence of diverse cultures and environments through her lens has attracted an impressive roster of clients, including Jagermeister, Noah Kahan, Warner Music, Red Bull, and Revolve. Each project bears the hallmark of Alaina's unique visual perspective, informed by her extensive travels and keen observational skills.
Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and creative growth, Alaina recently crossed the Atlantic to earn her Masters in Art Direction from the prestigious University of the Arts London. This international academic experience further refined her already formidable skills and broadened her global network in the creative industry.
Alaina's work is a testament to the power of combining technical skill with a worldly perspective, resulting in visual narratives that resonate across cultural boundaries and set new standards in the industry.
Kenzie Brown
Partner, Art Director
Drink of Choice: Gin Gimlet
Grain Creative is here kind of by accident.
It was early 2020, and like much of the workforce, I was out of a job. After months of searching for a job in editorial management, I found that brands were asking me to help curate their socials, websites, newsletters, and events. I kept thinking, "No... I'm a writer. I can't do that." But, one fateful day, I said, "Sure!" and my client list began to grow.
After a few months, I was getting referral after referral. I started taking on new clients -- running their socials, refining their websites, creating their content, and running ads. It wasn't long before I realized I could make this into a "real" business, and give myself a little more stability than a freelance lifestyle.
When I was first considering what to name this business of mine, I kept going back to the idea of a pearl. I knew I had a knack for refinement – for polishing things up and making them shinier than before. I wanted to allude to this process in the founding of my marketing and design business.
When I researched the process of how a pearl is formed, I learned that a pearl is created from one single grain of sand. Through a natural process of refinement, the pearl becomes a treasured luxury. This has always been how I see my work. Through a process of refinement, my goal is to make our work bright, polished, and valuable.
In the summer of 2022, I had a chance encounter with Anthony Sanfilippo and his daughter/business partner, Florence Sudduth. What I thought would be an opportunity to help with their businesses' social media accounts turned into an opportunity to partner and scale this Grain of sand into a full-fledged marketing agency.
In 2023, we are grateful to have a team of growing team, beautiful office + studio, and a handful of amazing clients. We can't wait for what is to come!
Interested in working with us? Email us at
hi@graincreative.co
Kenzie is a skilled designer and art director whose journey has taken her across major cities in the United States and around the world. Her extensive travels and cosmopolitan lifestyle have cultivated a refined taste and a deep appreciation for diverse cultures, which she brings to her work with luxury brands and high-end settings.
With roots in fashion and the beauty & cosmetology industry, Kenzie's passion for aesthetics and design bloomed early. While her eye for design was initially self-taught, she honed her skills at the prestigious General Assembly in New York City, completing an intensive 10-week Visual Design program.
Before joining the team at Grain, Kenzie amassed valuable experience across agency, freelance, and in-house creative environments in various metropolitan hubs. Her experience in the fashion world provided deep insights into the fashion startup scene, further enriching her understanding of luxury markets and cutting-edge design trends.
As our clients' primary design resource, Kenzie's expertise spans brand identity, printed collateral, social media graphics, and beyond. Her sophisticated aesthetic sensibility, informed by years of exposure to global design influences, ensures that each project is imbued with both elegance and cultural relevance.
McKamie Holley
Marketing Manager
Drink of Choice: Wine. Just wine.
Grain Creative is here kind of by accident.
It was early 2020, and like much of the workforce, I was out of a job. After months of searching for a job in editorial management, I found that brands were asking me to help curate their socials, websites, newsletters, and events. I kept thinking, "No... I'm a writer. I can't do that." But, one fateful day, I said, "Sure!" and my client list began to grow.
After a few months, I was getting referral after referral. I started taking on new clients -- running their socials, refining their websites, creating their content, and running ads. It wasn't long before I realized I could make this into a "real" business, and give myself a little more stability than a freelance lifestyle.
When I was first considering what to name this business of mine, I kept going back to the idea of a pearl. I knew I had a knack for refinement – for polishing things up and making them shinier than before. I wanted to allude to this process in the founding of my marketing and design business.
When I researched the process of how a pearl is formed, I learned that a pearl is created from one single grain of sand. Through a natural process of refinement, the pearl becomes a treasured luxury. This has always been how I see my work. Through a process of refinement, my goal is to make our work bright, polished, and valuable.
In the summer of 2022, I had a chance encounter with Anthony Sanfilippo and his daughter/business partner, Florence Sudduth. What I thought would be an opportunity to help with their businesses' social media accounts turned into an opportunity to partner and scale this Grain of sand into a full-fledged marketing agency.
In 2023, we are grateful to have a team of growing team, beautiful office + studio, and a handful of amazing clients. We can't wait for what is to come!
Interested in working with us? Email us at
hi@graincreative.co
McKamie's career is defined by her expertise in the fast-paced world of fashion startups and luxury brand marketing. Her journey began in Nashville's vibrant fashion scene, where she quickly rose to prominence as a digital marketing manager for emerging luxury brands. This early immersion honed her ability to navigate the unique challenges of launching and scaling high-end fashion labels.
Over the years, McKamie has cultivated an impressive portfolio of luxury and premier brands, excelling particularly in social media marketing. Her keen understanding of the digital landscape has allowed her to craft compelling narratives that resonate with discerning audiences, effectively elevating emerging brands to coveted status.
McKamie's success in the entrepreneurial fashion space is largely attributed to her versatility and adaptability. In the dynamic world of luxury startups, she seamlessly transitions between roles to meet the ever-evolving needs of premium brands. This agility, coupled with her passion for fashion, travel, and creative marketing, has made her an invaluable asset in the luxury sector.
At Grain, McKamie leverages her vast experience to work closely with each client, ensuring their marketing objectives are not only met but exceeded. Her strategic approach to content curation and campaign management has been instrumental in positioning Grain's clients at the forefront of the luxury market.
While her professional life revolves around high-end fashion, McKamie's personal life is grounded in strong relationships. She values connection above all, whether it's exploring Nashville's culinary scene with her husband and dog, enjoying wine nights with friends, or indulging in her love for beach getaways – a perfect complement to her work in the world of premium fashion and lifestyle.
what inspires us
01. Female-founded brands
02. Print + Editorials
03. Connection
04. Brand Psychology
