A lot of different work.
One person doing it.
I'm Ryan Kopperud. I lead growth at Wild State Cider and Birdie. I write, make music, host podcasts, and work on hemp policy. This is where those parts of my life meet.
How I got here
19 years old
At 19, I went to Austin with the Minneapolis Poetry Slam Team for the National Poetry Slam. I'd written for years, but that was where I learned what happens when a line has to work in a room full of people.
That led to hip-hop. I started making records in 2006, worked with Big Cats, Lydia Liza, and K.Raydio, and played rooms including 7th Street Entry. I studied English and creative writing at the University of Minnesota. I learned just as much in the Twin Cities music and poetry scene.
The years after
Eventually I noticed that the part I loved most—finding the exact words that made someone care—was useful in marketing too. So I went to work doing that.
I spent the next decade-plus leading marketing teams at software companies and working with brands at different stages of growth. Strategy, positioning, launches, campaigns, creative direction. Different problems, each with an audience on the other side.
Today
Now I'm VP of Growth at Wild State Cider and Birdie. That work has also pulled me into hemp policy, including a press conference with Senator Amy Klobuchar in Duluth. Years on stage were useful preparation, though the stakes are different.
"What's at stake here is not just one business. Not just one taproom. It's manufacturers, distributors, retailers, farmers, labs — the entire system behind these hemp products people already trust."
I serve on the board of COMPAS, a Minnesota arts nonprofit, and chair its Marketing & Communications Committee. Kopperud & Co. is my own company, where I take on select consulting work and make the rest of what you see here.
I still write poetry and songs. I still make records and host podcasts. None of that stopped when marketing became my job.
Each kind of work changes how I approach the others.
Where the hours go
Growth
Wild State Cider
VP of Growth for Wild State Cider and Birdie, across cider and THC beverages. I also work on hemp policy that affects the people and businesses in this industry.
Community
COMPAS
Board of Directors; chair of the Marketing & Communications Committee. Creative experiences for Minnesota schools and communities.
Home base
Kopperud & Co.
My company and home for consulting, music, writing, and the projects that cross between them. I bring in collaborators when the work calls for them.
What matters to me
Good creative work needs a point of view and a plan.
Say what is true. Then make it interesting enough to remember.
People deserve to be understood before they are marketed to.
The arts matter. So does making room for more people to take part in them.
If you want to talk
Work, music, writing, a story, or something else entirely—send me a note.
Let's talk