Patrick graduated from San Diego State University in 2009. That fall, he landed a job at IDW Publishing, the fifth-largest comic book publisher in the country at the time. Working in both the marketing and editorial departments, he learned to write press releases, create marketing content, and network within the industry to bring visibility to his message. At the same time, he was working with IP licensors like Hasbro, coordinating writers and artists to keep production on track and learning the essentials of good storytelling.

In 2010, Patrick began writing for Examiner, specializing in the comic book industry. With payment tied to post traffic, Patrick quickly learned to make content maps, planning future articles and how they would connect to what had already been written to increase the time readers spent in his content ecosystem. Patrick began building his own website, Ascension Comics, where he could keep ad revenue and exert greater control over the site’s tone and audience. 

Patrick had been waiting tables since college and continued to do so to support his writing. However, in 2013, he was asked to accept a managerial role. Interested in leadership and helping others, Patrick took the offer. Writing late at night and early in the morning, he spent ten hours a day overseeing the store, working with staff, and serving guests. While managing a staff of over fifty people, Patrick led his store from being one of the bottom performers to leading the company in sales growth for four quarters straight. He accomplished this with a focus on servant leadership, working side by side with all members of his staff and allowing no job to be beneath my station. The previous leadership neglected to enforce good practices among the staff for years. Many viewed any change to that culture as painful. By explaining the importance of good practices and demonstrating them to others, he was able to reverse those tendencies into a culture that embraced and celebrated responsibility. However, he felt a limited ability to improve his workers’ lives, which had driven his initial interest, and the inflexible hours had made him less available as a parent. He decided to leave restaurants permanently to focus on family and marketing.

In 2015, Patrick accepted a Senior Writer role with Graphic Policy, a website focused on comic books and culture. Patrick was a natural choice to help build a coterie of writers who understood Graphic Policy’s voice and tone and could be relied upon to deliver quality content. He also worked to elevate the website’s profile, leveraging his work experience with IDW, Examiner, and his own Ascension Comics. Patrick worked with three or four writers at a time, providing orientation, editing, and other guidance.

In 2016, Patrick was hired as Senior Writer by Continuity Products. Here, he wrote national commercials, developed content strategies, and coordinated with production companies and casting agencies. As his experience grew, he was offered more opportunities behind the camera, including editing, casting, and directing. In this role, he had one in-house writer at a time working beneath him while occasionally working with freelance talent.

In 2018, he was hired as Art Director of Copy to establish a new copy department at their design agency. Working directly with the marketing departments of various Fortune 500 companies, he wrote for brands like Facebook, T-Mobile, and MetLife. He oversaw a staff of three in-house writers and coordinated with outside vendors to ensure all projects were delivered on time. In 2019 and 2020, Patrick’s department helped bring in more than a million dollars in new projects each year.

In 2021, his marketing experience writing for healthcare and bioscience audiences made him the perfect Content Strategist for a forming healthcare conglomerate. The group was beginning to integrate a series of acquired partners under one brand. They needed help shaping this brand and crafting content strategies for web and mobile experiences that generated more leads and improved users’ experiences. As an intermediary agent beneath partners, Patrick did not have writers working under him but instead provided consultation and content development personally.