Fatal overdose is now the leading cause of death for people in the U.S. under 50 years old. Most of them are opioid-related, including synthetic opioids like illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
Over the past year, our team developed and deployed a comprehensive, integrated campaign to address this national epidemic. With strategies that include naloxone vending machines, service and supplies, campaign materials, and marketing and PR support, we can help strengthen harm reduction efforts in
your community.
In 2023, we worked with the state of Oklahoma to develop a full multi-media integrated campaign and approach to raise awareness of and access to harm reduction information and resources, including naloxone and fentanyl test strips. We’ve learned best practices to safely reduce the risks of accidental overdose death. With evidence-based strategies, including naloxone vending machines, we already know how to manage the unique logistic challenges involved in a harm reduction campaign. Now, we want to help make a difference everywhere we can.
February 17, 2023 was one of the worst days of my life. My name is Brian Barnes, and that was the day the police called to tell me that my brother, Brent, was found dead in his apartment.
In that moment, my vision tilted. I didn’t realize I was screaming into the phone until I heard, “Please, calm down.” The only additional information I got was the number for the coroner. I needed to let them know which funeral home would need to be contacted to collect his body. As bad as all of it was, the truly awful part was going to my mother’s house to tell her what had happened.
Months later, we found out that fentanyl poisoning was the cause of death.
My brother struggled with substance use disorder, but opiates were never his drug of choice. I’m convinced he had no idea the substance he took contained fentanyl. And one of the the most terrifying things I discovered, after talking with others who have lost loved ones, is that many victims don’t know they are taking fentanyl.
I have worked in advertising and marketing for nearly 30 years. I was honored to work with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse on the statewide harm reduction initiative in Oklahoma. It has given me a new sense of purpose. Accidental overdose is one of the most important issues of our time, and I want to work with everyone I can to help save lives.
Brian graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a BBA in promotions management. Brian joined MidFirst Bank’s marketing department and managed creative services for its western Oklahoma offices. Later, he served as creative director for a la mode, inc., the nation’s largest real estate software developer. He founded Ghost in 2004.
A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Anthony graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration. His career began working in sales and marketing for his family’s business, a manufacturer for the oil and gas industry. After nearly a decade in manufacturing, he began investing in real estate and startup companies. He is now involved in a number of industries, from Automotive to Sports, Film, Real Estate and Technology. It was always his dream to get back to his marketing roots and he is able to do so at Ghost.
Happy to utilize her extensive industry knowledge wherever she can, Jennifer is an integral piece to the Ghost puzzle. With more than 20 years of financial management and operational experience, she leads our company operations by keeping us on time, on budget and efficient. She joined Ghost in 2013 and loves her informal title of Office Mom.
Matthew is the leader and driver of Ghost’s creative team and reputation. He received his BFA in graphic design and art history from Oklahoma State University, and joined Ghost as a graphic designer in 2004. Since then, he not only leads our creative team with passion, but he also sets the standard of excellence in branding and design for Ghost.
Having worked within the communications and design industry for the last 10 years, Bethany brings to Ghost an expertise in client relations and creative development. With a background ranging from magazine publishing to event planning, Bethany’s ability to understand a client’s vision and goals in order execute a creative strategy ensures success for all projects she manages.
Samantha Marcus is a seasoned account executive with a keen eye for detail. She loves being in the marketing and design industry as it is fast-paced and always evolving, giving her the opportunity to engage with clients in new and meaningful ways. Dedicated to helping others, Samantha is committed to being an effective communicator, ensuring every step of the project aligns seamlessly with the client’s goals.
With nearly 20 years of experience in the marketing and business world, Shanda brings to Ghost a treasure chest of experience and ideas. Having always been interested in the tech side of marketing, Shanda added coding to her skillset and has since led multiple design and digital marketing teams. She believes a collaborative approach to design and development is an essential part of any creative department.
A transplant from Denver, Colorado, Fletch has a BFA in Illustration from Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. Fletch has an uncanny talent for icons and illustration and can regularly be found drawing characters in his notebook. His ability to create intricate line work and eye for color composition has impressed every client he has worked with. He and his wife Sarah have two children, a daughter named Arden and a son named Archer.
Ryan is a multi-disciplinary designer specializing in user interface design and motion prototyping, as well as logo design and brand strategy. He brings with him more than 15 years of experience in corporate, in-house, non-profit, and agency settings. His work spans many industries and includes clients from Midwest corporations to Silicon Valley startups to notable athletes in the NBA.
With a varied career spanning both in-house marketing and agency-driven work, Nick has extensive experience in both graphic design and web development, making him a perfect fit as a front-end developer. His goal with web projects is to create a symbiotic relationship between both design and development, with the end goal of creating a “don’t make me think” user experience.
Sarah is a strategy driven designer with a background in journalism and strategic communication. This experience leads her to approach her design through a lens of telling a story which will resonate with the target audience. Sarah loves working with clients who are interested in the big picture, and she is always considering how each design component fits into their brand. Building out a visual identity with that strategy in mind is the foundation to her success.
Having a background in both graphic design and motion design, Patrick is an experienced animator and designer, specializing in 3D motion graphics. With the constantly evolving world of animation, Patrick continuously strives to learn new techniques and tools to expand his creative skillset. In order to create quality motion graphics, Patrick prioritizes an attention to detail, which helps create a level of realism which wouldn’t otherwise be achieved.
Focused on overseeing projects from the concept through final delivery, Joe is an enthusiastic team player ready to contribute to every project. With over 10 years of industry experience, Joe has an impressive skillset that includes 2D animation and motion design, character animation and frame-by-frame animation. He has been sought out to work with top brands including SnapChat and Hermes.