Powering

Adventures.

IN-HOUSE CREATIVE & BRAND LEADERSHIP

Sunflare builds flexible thin-film solar technology. I created XPLOR, Sunflare’s recreational solar brand, and led it for five and a half years as VP of Brand Strategy and Marketing. In those years it grew to 80+ dealers worldwide, secured key industry OEM Partners and 300% revenue growth by year three.

01 / The challenge

PRICED OUT OF THE SPECSHEET

A better product that couldn’t win on paper.

XPLOR is Sunflare’s recreational solar brand, created to position its flexible solar technology for overlanding and off-grid use. Five years of in-house brand leadership connected identity, education, community, digital, content and events under one cohesive brand.

02 / The strategy

TRUST OVER SPECIFICATIONS

Sell Belonging not watts.

I built the marketing around real stories and shared experience instead of specifications — using emotion, connection, and belonging to give people a reason to look closer before they ever got to the price. That meant treating the brand less like a solar company and more like something built by, and for, the overlanding community itself.

03 / Community

COMMUNITY FIRST

Let the customers carry the credibility.

I created an ambassador program of more than 100 experienced overlanders who produced content and represented XPLOR at shows and events. Their real-world experience gave the company an authentic voice and presence no ad could buy. Much of the brand’s credibility belongs to the people who carried it into the community.

100+ — ambassadors in the community

04 / The hero

THE XPLOR RIG

A brand that shows up, not just markets.

When I launched XPLOR, I wanted the brand to participate in the overland community rather than simply market to it. With a limited budget, I found a 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 in Seattle and drove it to Los Angeles. We repaired and outfitted it within the available budget, and I designed a partial wrap to give it a finished presence without the expense of a full wrap. I also developed industry partnerships that helped provide wheels and other components. The Land Cruiser became XPLOR’s hero vehicle across events, trade shows, and marketing.

05 / Programs

XPLOR SOLAR 101 & THE TORTURE TEST

Teach the uncertain. Prove the durable.

When I started XPLOR, I immersed myself in overlanding events, trade shows, and community groups to understand what people needed from solar. Reliable power mattered, but uncertainty around choosing, configuring, and installing a system held people back. I created XPLOR Solar 101 to close that gap through workshops, dealer-led classes, live Q&As, a downloadable guide, and ongoing access to experts through Discord.

Education built understanding; the XPLOR Torture Test proved durability. Because letting attendees hit an operating panel with baseball bats raised safety concerns, I commissioned a grounded, impact-absorbing platform, added a live counter, and offered the $1,000 panel to whoever could destroy it. Dozens tried. It took 391 hits—turning a product claim into visible proof.

391 hits — to stop the panel in the XPLOR Torture Test

I helped grow XPLOR’s network to more than 80 dealers and industry partners worldwide, Secured key industry OEM Partners and 300% product-line revenue growth by year three.

06 / Channel growth

DEALER NETWORK

From Zero to 80+ partners worldwide.

I designed the XPLOR website to make a complex product approachable through photography, infographics, concise copy, and a custom icon system used across digital, educational, and sales materials. An illustrated XPLOR Ecosystem graphic brought the concept into one image people could understand and explain.

Much of our social photography came from ambassadors documenting real trips, campsites, and products in use, making XPLOR feel like a community.

For Transform, a campaign showing flexible solar in real-world use, I developed the concept and stories, sourced applications through social media, led the partnerships and custom fabrication, and traveled with a five-person crew to direct and shoot the work.

07 / Execution

WEBSITE, INFOGRAPHICS & STORY DRIVEN

Make it approachable. Make it real.

XPLOR grew from an idea into a mark of a serious overland build. Customers now showcase the panels the way they would any other premium vehicle component.

80+ — dealers grown worldwide

300% — product-line revenue growth by year three.

100+ — member ambassador community

OEM & industry partnerships Victron, Yakima, nüCamp, KC HiLiTES, Vistabule and more.