Where Strategy Meets Story
We’re a strategy-led creative studio built on heart, clarity, and cinematic storytelling. Because marketing should feel like momentum, not burnout.
How Ember & Rise Began
After 15 years inside corporate teams and agency environments, Melissa had seen the burnout, the pressure, and the feeling of losing the soul of the work. She almost walked away from marketing entirely… until something shifted.
Instead of quitting, she chose to rebuild.
Slowly. Intentionally. From a place of gratitude and genuine love for the craft.
Ember & Rise became the place where meaningful work could live again, where strategy has depth, creative has soul, and clients feel truly seen.
It’s a philosophy: take the spark of an idea (the ember) and help it rise into something powerful, purposeful, and alive.
Meet Melissa Hwang
CEO & Chief Strategist
Melissa is a strategist, brand architect, and marketer with more than 15 years of experience leading campaigns for eCommerce, food, wellness, and lifestyle brands.
She’s built multi-million-dollar funnels, scaled online revenue for national brands, and led paid media budgets over $100K a month, but her strength isn’t just in numbers. It’s in knowing how to turn insight into impact, and story into strategy that actually converts.
She’s spoken on stages like BlogHer Food, mentored creative teams, and helped brands find clarity in the noise.
Her approach blends data, psychology, intuition, and soul.. the foundation on which Ember & Rise is built.
Meet Corey Diamond
His background gives him a rare gift: an instinct for emotional realism – how people move, what they feel, and the subtle cinematic details that make a story not just watchable, but unforgettable.
He sees angles others miss, builds scenes that breathe, and captures authenticity through lighting, framing, timing, and human movement.
His eye elevates brands into art.
Two founders. One vision. Energy that builds on itself.
Over time, their creative strengths proved to be the perfect complement:
- Melissa brings the strategy, structure, clarity, and performance lens.
- Corey brings the cinematic vision, emotional depth, and movement-driven storytelling.
This combination is the backbone of Ember & Rise: strategy and story rising together.
How We See the Work
Gratitude
We lead every project with appreciation – for the people, the stories, and the opportunity to create something meaningful.
Gratitude grounds our work and keeps us aligned with what matters.
Love
Love is our creative engine.
Love for storytelling, for our clients, for the craft.
When work is made from love, it resonates deeper and rises higher.
Wellness
We build from a place of well-being – not burnout.
Wellness fuels clarity, creativity, and sustainable growth. It shapes how we collaborate, communicate, and show up for our clients
This is the foundation of everything we create.
Brands We’ve Helped Rise
