GCD/ Executive Creative
San Francisco / Bay Area

Nicole was most recently Group Creative Director/Partner and a member of the leadership team at Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP), the latest step in an agency and freelance career that’s stretched from Seattle to Seoul with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York along the way. Prior to BSSP, she was a GCD at Wunderman Thompson/Seattle (formerly POSSIBLE) and held senior creative roles Kirshenbaum, Bond & Partners, and Cole & Weber.

She started her journey at FCB Seattle where she was a horrible executive assistant, but (luckily) a decent copywriter. Fast forward to her work being recognized by Cannes, The One Show, Effies, D&AD, Communication Arts, Clios, ADDYs, Archive, and Fast Co’s World Changing Ideas.

Nicole has appeared on Adweek’s Creative 100 list recognizing top creative talent and her work for Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive — the first fashion line designed with and for people with disabilities — was acknowledged with multiple Cannes Lions and the coveted Titanium shortlist. Throughout a 20-year career her most mind- blowing creations remain her teen sons, collectively known as Beast Mode.

Freelance Creative / ACD + Designer

Kelly didn’t have bio on LinkedIn so here’s a LinkedIn recommendation form a former co-worker:

Kelly is brave. She put it out into the universe that she was a young creative talent that had ideas. Her ideas and moxie showed such promise that she was written about in AgencySpy for being a true go-getter. I spotted that energy and knew I had to 'take her to market'. Kelly was so professional, open, and eager to move to a new city and give BSSP a try. They immediately fell in love with her and knew how truly special she was and snatched her up! The connection/relationship has been pure magic. I couldn't be prouder of Kelly and know she is a creative and important force in the ad industry! I excited to see the work Kelly brings to BSSP's amazing client roster and beyond.

VP/GCD
Luquire - Charlotte, North Carolina

Ryan Coleman is a husband, dad, writer, animal lover and Tar Heel through and through. He is also a Group Creative Director/VP at Luquire with 20+ years of advertising experience. Prior to Luquire, Ryan worked at Wray Ward, BooneOakley, McKinney, and Saatchi & Saatchi/NYC where his work has been recognized by Cannes, One Show, Communication Arts, New York Festivals, National AAF and others. A nearly-native North Carolinian, Ryan enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and coaching his son’s teams to mediocre records.

Author and Co-founder/Executive Creative Director
Purematter and H2H Companies

Courtney Smith Kramer is one of the only 3% of female creative directors in the United States and was named a “Top 200 Global Marketing Influencer” and “Top 20 Agency Strategy Global Influencer” by Onalytica, a UK-based Influencer firm.

In her career, she has built campaigns for global brands like Plantronics, Cisco, Pitney Bowes, MasterCard, International Culinary Center, IBM and Netflix DVD.com, to name a few. She most recently completed a 4-year tenure as Global Head of Marketing for the Co-Active Training Institute. Today, Courtney is helping purpose-driven brands as an outsourced Creative Director and CMO, and inspiring positive change by helping fellow business owners realize their own value and worth in the world.

An accomplished creative strategist, writer and designer, she has earned hundreds of creative awards in her career and was featured in the Print International Design Annual. She has served as a juror for numerous ADDY Awards, W3 Awards, Davey Awards and the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), and is a former national AAF board member and World Brand Congress member.

Courtney has founded two companies with her husband, Bryan Kramer (TED speaker, bestselling author and founder of the H2H Human-to-Human business movement); Silicon Valley digital marketing consultancy purematter, and H2H Companies. Together, they designed and operate the H2H Growth Accelerator, a 12-week hybrid program that helps entrepreneurs recover from burnout in their own businesses.

Her first book, “Be Your Creative Sexy Self: Humorous Stories to Help You Live a Happier Life” launched in July 2020 at the #1 spot in Business Humor on Amazon.

ECD / Brand Experience

Tony believes all brands are defined by the stories they tell and experiences they deliver and has focused his career on improving those stories and experiences with insight, creativity, technology and humanity. His own convergence of design, brand and marketing experiences allow him to deliver award winning solutions across industries ranging from travel booking to retail commerce, CPG to SaaS; often deploying these solutions across a multitude of channels – broadcast to integrated media campaigns, brand design and activation to full scale product, service and site design. He balances professional work with personal pursuits in music, travel and parallel twin engines and still gets wide-eyed and curious when he meets the artists and makers who do it right.

Co-Founder / Executive Creative Director
WALO

Walter (Wall-E) Barraza is the Co-Founder & Executive Creative Director of WALO, a Dallas-based independent ad agency and idea shop of thinkers and doers. With over 15 years of writing and art directing, Wall-E has been building brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Miller Lite, Samsung, Jarritos and 7-Eleven. He is nationally and internationally awarded for his work, but his proudest accomplishment is building a diverse agency where team members from all backgrounds can come together and do what they love most: creating.

Founder
The Insight Inn

Megan has 16+ years of strategy and research experience, working at ad agencies like McCann (NY), DDB (Chicago), Hill Holliday, and others, before founding her own qualitative research and consulting company, the Insight Inn, over 6 years ago. The Insight Inn is about bringing people back into the heart of companies from startups to Fortune 5s-- she was pleased to have some of her work cited by the New York Times

LinkedIn
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Director of Strategy & Technology
CROWN

Luis creates narratives that enable awesome content for brands. Using a combination of brand, creative, content, and social strategies, he shapes the stories that differentiate, raise interest, and incite action for clients that have included Intuitive Surgical, Tegria, Truveta, Amazon AWS, Under Armour/TB12, T-Mobile, AT&T, Dell/EMC, Microsoft, Intel Security, and Seattle’s Best Coffee while working at MRY, Creature US/UK, Digital Kitchen, and others. Ultimately he’s motivated by using emerging media to create intersectional opportunities for all people to grow, whether through discovering new ideas online or connecting with each other in real life. He’s also President of AAF Seattle, Co-Founder of Seattle Creative League, and brand advisor to Founders Live.

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Director of Sales
Ursus, Inc

Luis is a Sales/Operations Leader based in Seattle, WA. For the past 20+ years, Luis has been partnering with Fortune 500 companies on Human Capital operations/innovation in the technology and creative spaces for renowned organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nike, Starbucks, Expedia, Netflix, Disney, Facebook, T-Mobile, Qualcomm, eBay, PayPal, Dell, Alaska Airlines, among others.

Twitter
LinkedIn

Director of Business Development
Vitamin T/Aquent

I’m Darrell Thomas, born and raised in Seattle, WA, been here all my life and I don’t plan on leaving. Probably one of the most local people here. I’ve been with VT for 5 and a half years. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two kids, one girl, 7, and a boy, 3 years old, plus two dogs. A graduate from Seattle University (GO Redhawks!), I love working at Vitamin T helping people get jobs.

Twitter
LinkedIn

Director of Operations
Civilization

For over two decades, I've acted as liaison between creative teams and clients, as well as talent and hiring managers as an Account Manager and Recruiter. I am a strong advocate for talent and for good design that helps companies to achieve their business goals. I’ve had the pleasure of working with creative talent around the world, Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, small businesses, arts organizations and non-profit organizations.

After a decade in recruiting for creative roles, I’ve made the thrilling move to oversee operations and client relations at Civilization. Our studio builds identity systems, digital experiences, printed materials, environmental graphics and exhibitions that are engaging, empathetic, sustainable and create meaningful connections. We work on a variety of projects for public, private and non–profit clients that share our commitment to creating positive change and promoting greater insights about our world. Outside of our client projects we produce a number of self-initiated projects to break down the barriers to access in design, including the Design Lecture Series and our gallery Non-Breaking Space.

LinkedIn

Founder/Recruiter
Haystack Creative

Brien Thompson draws from over 20 years of experience recruiting and providing staffing expertise for the design, digital, ux, marketing, advertising, interactive and creative industries. In those years, he has been highly involved in the Seattle Creative Community (AAF/Ad Club, AIGA, UXPA). Brien is Founder of Haystack Creative and prior to that he has helped run several of Seattle's leading creative placement firms. Known for relationship based recruiting, he has placed folks in in temp, temp to perm and full time placements at firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, Publicis, Wunderman, GLG, HBO, Expedia, Starbucks, Costco, as well as with many agencies, design firms and boutique product teams.

Twitter
LinkedIn

Founder, Creative Director
Firebrand

Firebrand's mission is to use design as one of many tools in creating a more equitable future. The studio practice focuses on brand identity and UX/UI design for businesses that prioritize people and the planet first. She is also an avid writer, design educator, and blossoming type designer. Last summer at SF Design Week she gave a talk titled "Black Lives Matter is Not A Design Sprint," critiquing our design practices and calling for a radical, industry-wide shift.

Prior to founding Firebrand, Schessa received a B.F.A. from the University of Southern California, headed design at UNUM, and worked at Clever Creative. Clients have included Facebook, Netflix, and UCLA, as well as dozens of new, BIPOC-led endeavors in the non-profit, education, and wellness spaces. She is continuously drawn to the passion of founders and entrepreneurs working to better their respective industries. All of these experiences sparked Firebrand, a studio committed to doing better

Website

Creative Director

Ben’s pulled all-nighters at award-winning agencies like StrawberryFrog, HAVAS, and RTO&P. In the process he’s helped to define national and global brands including Coca-Cola, Boost Mobile, New Balance, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Jägermeister, and more. His work has been recognized by the American Advertising Federation, The One Show, CLIOs, WEBBYs, FWA, Archive Magazine, and Cannes.

Through his coaching business Sell It Great, Ben’s taught the fine art of persuasion to everyone from creative freelancers and agency execs to employees of HBO, Facebook, and Amazon.

Ben’s published one book he can’t mention in mixed company, and two that he can. He once failed a Salsa class.

LinkedIn

Executive Creative Director
Barkley

Troy lives in Colorado in Denver, where he helps out with amazing brands including Pebbles, Honey Bunches of Oats, Justin’s, SmartStyle, CostCutters, and Copper Mountain Resorts. He’s got a writer background and his new favorite word is Charlie, in honor of his 1 year old son, his proudest creative achievement to date.

Website

Product
Smartsheet

Brian Bosche is on the product team at Smartsheet building content collaboration and marketing solutions. Brian was the CEO and Co-Founder of Slope, a creative agency turned software company that made it easy for marketing and creative teams to plan, track, and collaborate on their work. Slope was acquired by Smartsheet in 2019.

LinkedIn
Twitter

CEO/Founder
55 Media Group

Brandon Williams was known as a musical artist "Dame 55." His credits have included working with EDM producer Boyz Noise, choreography for Bloc Talent Agency, and touring stateside with his famous creative collective called The Dorks! Brandon graduated from FIDM in 2009 and Art Institute of North Hollywood in 2011. After college, he ventured into the music industry, working alongside The Insomniac Festival for EDC 2010-2011 as talent and also consulting in content strategy and marketing. In 2012 as an account executive, he helped scale the programmatic division of Engage BDR, leading to the company's IPO in 2017. Brandon's unique background highlights over 10 years of expertise in marketing and leveraging relationships into business. His passion for all things creative led to the inception of 55 Media Group in 2017.

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Adweek

Product Marketer and Designer
Freelance

I’m a designer and marketer with a strong focus on branding, content and product marketing. I use design with product marketing to tell stories and create great experiences users will love. I like turning otherwise complex concepts into digestible content through design and/or writing.

Twitter
Website
Blog
Podcast
The People Index

Senior Copywriter
Freelance

Dan Goldgeier is a freelance senior copywriter here in Seattle. He’s worked for all sorts of agencies and marketers in town and his current clients include MOD Pizza among others. In addition, he is a writer on AdPulp.com and co-host of its Ad Chatter podcast. As a longtime columnist musing on the idiosyncrasies of advertising, Dan has published two books about the ad industry including “Killer Executions and Scrubbed Decks: An Outside-the-Box Look at Obnoxious Advertising and Marketing Jargon.” It’s available on Amazon and all proceeds from book sales go to feed his dog.

Twitter
Website
Podcast
Book

Freelance Creative Director
Caveglow

Christy Anna Wu is a local designer, musician, filmmaker, and artist. Having traversed many career paths, her ultimate passion is in storytelling through its many mediums.

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
Website

(former) Group Creative Director
Digital Kitchen

Aaron Feiger is a west-coast creative director whose passion for creativity spans across stunt-led integrated campaigns, documentary films, and personal cause-related projects. When advertising and design aren’t filling his days, he keeps busy wrangling two kids and mastering the fermentation arts as the lead wizard at Pinball Cider

Digital Kitchen’s 2020 ADDYs:
Best in Show - Seattle, District XI
People's Choice - Seattle
Gold - Seattle, District XI

LinkedIn
Website

Group Creative Director
Wunderman Thompson Seattle

I love solving problems, doing great work with great people, for amazing clients who are willing to do what needs to be done to succeed. I am lucky to have worked with some of the greatest minds and brands over my 20 years in this industry.

Wunderman Thompson’s 2020 ADDYs:
Gold - Seattle x 2, District XI x 3
Silver - Seattle x 8, District XI x 4

LinkedIn
Website

Executive Creative Director
DNA Seattle

Steve is a creative professional, amateur human, staunch cilantro hater and currently the ECD of independent creative agency DNA in beautiful Seattle, WA.

DNA Seattle’s 2020 ADDYs:
Judge's Choice - Seattle
Gold - Seattle x 9, District XI
Silver - Seattle x 6

Director of Insights and Strategy
The Abbi Agency

Evynn McFalls has been exploring stories about people, their priorities and the myriad tools they use to communicate for over a decade. As the Director of Insights and Strategy at The Abbi Agency, he brings his experience as a community/institutional literacy researcher to help businesses, individuals and institutions understand their relationships, goals and unique value propositions—and then transform those insights into strategies, tactics and other sociobehavioral technologies to move needle.

LinkedIn
Website

Head of Marketing
Amazon Brand Program & Selling Partner Development

Fiona spent 10 years in marketing in fashion retail before transferring to the agency side for 18 years. She has worked at several of Seattle’s leading marketing agencies (including Wunderman, Rational Interaction and WE Communications) and was VP Program Management at her last three gigs. She went client side and is now building a marketing team for Strategic Account Services, which proves a) you can go from agency to client side (even later in your career) and b) you are not defined by your last role (or in her case, her last 3).

LinkedIn

Copywriter
Microsoft/Artech

Kevin is a marketing guy. He develops strategy. He creates concepts. He can write content for any kind of media for most any kind of product. And the things he makes way more often than not get people to do something: buy it, click it, read it, watch it, play it, laugh at it, don’t touch it, be aware of it – you get the idea. On the agency side, he’s done those things for Wunderman, Razorfish, Cole & Weber, PRR, and JayRay. On the client side, it’s been Microsoft, T-Mobile, Eddie Bauer, Amazon, Good Man Brand, and Alaska Airlines.

LinkedIn
Twitter

Product Marketing Manager
Neurable

Erin is a community builder, and product thinker obsessed with new ways of thinking of old problems. She currently leads Product Marketing at Neurable while pursuing academic research on the creator economy through her newsletter, Media Hackers.

LinkedIn
Twitter
Website

Content Alchemist, Founder
ONO Comms and CX Podium

Omneya is a content designer, brand storyteller, UX writer, and active CX advocate in the MENA region. She made the shift from agency to client side back in 2014, and is now running her own content experience agency and CX platform in Cairo, Egypt.

LinkedIn
Twitter
Website

Social Media Manager
Essentia Water

Mison was the first Social Media Analyst for Sound Transit helping launch 2 station openings (Cap-Hill and UW) in 2016. Since then Mison has held various Senior roles within Digital Marketing at the agency, corporate and freelance levels. His entrepreneurial passion has led him to launch his side hustle Henley Social as well as his own all purpose dry rub and seasoning called Spicin’ Mison.

LinkedIn
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CEO + Co-Founder
Lance

Oona previously freelanced as a PR and marketing professional and worked as a part of the Aleph venture capital fund in Tel Aviv, Israel. She also helped launch other startups like Healthy Paws Pet Insurance and supported the marketing efforts of companies like Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and RealNetworks/Rhapsody. She is currently a member of the Forbes Finance Council and the NationalSwell Council.

LinkedIn
Twitter

Washington CPA, Co-Founder
Timber Tax

Luke was the first bookkeeper at Bench.co and has been helping entrepreneurs with their accounting and taxes for nearly a decade. He knows what it’s like on both sides of the table, as he had his own business as a teenager, where he learned how to manage his quarterly taxes.

LinkedIn

President
Communo

Communo is the fastest-growing private network for marketing professionals with over 30K freelancers and 300 agencies worldwide. Michael founded Carrot Creative, the first social media agency, which sold in 2013. He is an angel investor in disruptive companies ranging from AWAY to VICE Media.

LinkedIn
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Senior Director of Intelligence
The Wall Street Journal | Barron’s Group

Jim oversees global B2B, finance and technology customer and competitive intelligence efforts. His responsibilities include developing proprietary thought leadership initiatives, managing advertising effectiveness and engagement programs, and socializing third-party industry insights throughout the organization.

Global Head of Brand Strategy
Amazon

Matt is a multi-disciplined global brand strategist who has built a career helping brands from Altoids to Zappos identify undiscovered audiences, distinctly different messages and unexpected apertures that launch disproportionate growth. Recently, Matt has been focused on the question of how our lives intersect with technology, leading to his current position as the Global Head of Brand Strategy within Amazon’s cross channel marketing organization.

LinkedIn

Program Manager
REI

Jodi-Ann Burey (she/her) is a chief disrupter of “business as usual.” Across industry, Jodi-Ann has worked to build workplace cultures centered on shared values and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) core principles. She is a frequent speaker and writer on many issues including racial equity, intersectionality, universal design for accessibility, allyship and DEI corporate strategy. Jodi-Ann leverages her unique multidisciplinary experiences to make clear the urgency for strengthened accountability to drive structural and systemic social change. She is currently writing her first memoir on race, the healthcare system and cancer survivorship for black women.

LinkedIn

Freelance Creative Director
Stacy Milrany

Stacy Milrany is a freelance creative director and visual strategist, working with partners around the country. She’s helped to create award-winning campaigns for brands like REI, T-Mobile, Häagen-Dazs, Adobe and Emerald Nuts. Her agency experience includes Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Fallon, Publicis and REI BrandLab. After a degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon, Stacy went on to get a masters in Mass Communications and Advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University. She’s produced one Super Bowl campaign (Emerald Nuts) and worked on several Super Bowl briefs for various clients over the last 15 years. In addition to work in marketing she’s also a mixed-media artist and shows in galleries in galleries in the PNW. She finds inspiration in walking up steep hills, people-watching, pop culture, monkeys, and asking lots of questions.

LinkedIn

Global Product Marketing
Uber

By day: Global Product Marketing Manager for Uber. By night: creative cooking enthusiast, amateur mixologist, and observer of global cultures + social behavior around tech, motivation, and communities. In-between: Executive Committee member for Minds Matter Seattle, Alumni Board of Directors for the UW Communication Department, and Advisory Board (Marketing Chair) for Key to Change Studios. Just your average ‘round-peg-in-a-square-hole’ kind of creature.

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Twitter

Managing Director
CROWN

Mary Warsinske is the Managing Director/Group Account Director at CROWN, an award-winning creative agency based in Seattle, WA. When she’s not shouting advice to her beloved Seahawks on the television, she’s heading up CROWN’s account management and business operations. Prior to joining CROWN, she held management positions at DriveShopUSA, Patient Health Perspectives, Seattle Wunderman, and Hodgson/Meyers (now Blackwing).

LinkedIn

Senior Account/New Business Director
Copacino+Fujikado

Chris blends a keen strategic mind with the understanding of and appreciation for compelling creative work.in leading clients and new business for Copacino+Fujikado. Experience includes award-winning work for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Symetra Financial, Seattle Mariners and the Washington Forest Protection Association. Chris also oversees New Business, managing new client acquisition and business development.

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Executive Creative Director
All is Well

I am a writer, director, musician and generally a maker of things from films to furniture. I have years of experience as a commercial director and brand storyteller, and for ten years I was the owner and Executive Creative Director of World Famous, the production company I founded in 2005. I've also written and directed a number of short films that have been well received on the national film festival circuit.

In January 2018 I decided to walk the talk and start an original content development company called All is Well. Along with brand films and commercial production we are in development on two shows and two feature films coming soon to some sort of screen near you.

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Founder and Executive Producer
Freeride Entertainment

An award-winning executive producer and director behind the creation of some of the world’s most culturally defining sports content.

LinkedIn

Executive Creative Director
CMD Agency

With more than 15 years of experience working in both the film and advertising industries, John has provided creative direction for a wide variety of clients including Microsoft, Nike, Daimler, Surface, Expedia and Xbox.

LinkedIn

Executive Creative Director
COLOR

I fuse my background in indie film, my enterprise tech experience, and my pastime of touring in a punk band to bring a fresh approach to the creation of smart, creative content. I've worked in over 40 countries and 100 different cities. So I'm also excellent at getting through airport security.

LinkedIn

Founder
Paper Crane Factory

(As told and typed by his 6-year-old niece, Louisa.)

Uncle Cow is a man, and he is nice!

He is a joyfle man. He has 2 neeses, and 1 nefuwe. He likes chikins. He has soft scruffy hair. He has a nice wife named Amanda who takes showers 100 times a day. He has a verey good tast. He is a strong man. He is a writer at Wexley School for girls. His favorite house anamle is a dog.

And he is a verey good prson. He is a nice, and cinde friend. He likes bar-ba-qie. He is a funny man, and is 42 years old. He is a asom prson, he is hansome, and a verey good dresser. He has 2 tatoos. He likes playing soccer. He takes shorter time in the bathroom than his wife. He has a verey smart brain. He is a little strange sometimes! He is a verey good worker. He stays up really late. He has an ipod. His favorite song is: Happy Birthday! His favorite person is Amanda. The best thing he has ever done in his whole life was his weding day. His favorite memory of being a kid is playing stik ball in the summer with his brother.

After founding and running Wexley School for Girls for 15 years, I've opened a new agency called The Paper Crane Factory. We work with early-stage companies in strategy, brand development and content creation. I'm also an angel investor and love big ideas.

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Co-Founder
Future For Us, Moving Beyond

Aparna Rae is the Co-Founder of a strategy and evaluation practice, Moving Beyond, with Jane Reisman that supports fund managers, wealth advisors, impact-investors, philanthropists, and other social innovators creating positive impact for people and the planet. Her background is in K-12 education and workforce development, advancing under-resourced students/communities, as well as lecturing at the University of British Columbia. Since 2013 Aparna has launched a number of initiatives, including Project Feast, placing immigrant and refugee women on a path to employment, and Firki, a nationwide teacher training portal in India.

Aparna works at the intersection of D&I and organizational design. In January 2019, Aparna launched Future for Us, a platform to advance women of color at work. She has been a presenter on the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) with program design and evaluation at The American Evaluation Association, SOCAP, as well a number of Greater Seattle Area organizations, including Equal Pay Today, Equal Rights Advocates, Ladies Get Paid, WASBA, Legal Fund of Washington, Seattle University and more.

Having lived and worked in six countries, Aparna brings a diversity lens to all her work.

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Principal, Founder
The Carrington Group

Founder and Principal of The Carrington Group, a consultancy specializing in organizational development and strategy including strategic planning, training facilitation, capacity building, policy development, asset mapping, community environmental scans.

LinkedIn

Co-Founder
TONL

Karen Okonkwo is a first generation Nigerian-American entrepreneur owning several businesses in the online sector. Her latest business venture, TONL, is a stock photography business that aims to provide diverse images of people all around the world while also trying to tell their stories. Karen considers herself a social entrepreneur and has made it her mission to empower her community. She has been honored for her great work and was recently awarded to Inc's 30 Under 30 List. She has been featured in Forbes, POPSUGAR, Adweek and more. Her expertise centers around business development, marketing and event planning. Community and philanthropy is what drives Karen. She believes that representation matters and has visited companies and conferences like REI, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Women In Digital, University of Washington and more to speak on the importance of diversity & inclusion on and offline.

Twitter

Principal Consultant & Founder
MyKimisms

Entrepreneurial in spirit, creatively minded and service at heart, Kim is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience with a diverse background in art, design, communication, training, digital marketing, brand strategy, executive leadership, design thinking and organizational development specifically focused on diversity, inclusion, and culture. Kim believes a company’s culture is the heart and soul of the organization. Without a thoughtful and purposeful strategy to feed a culture that includes diversity, equity, and inclusion, it will take on a life of its own without your intent or approval. Her entrepreneurial spirit, creative mind, and service heart continue to bring positive changes and support the organizations around her. In addition, Kim is a fierce advocate for the community, spends her time volunteering and donating to many organizations, large and small. Above all, Kim is someone who absolutely loves a creative mind, an artistic eye and a wicked sense of style…in whatever form.

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Founder
YPGroup

Ahmad Corner is the Founder of YPGroup, a corporate growth agency and parent company of multiple professional development organizations; founder and President at Young Professionals of Seattle; Director of BizDev at Seattle Startup Week; Founder of ProDev Seattle, a professional development platform; Advisory Board at Future for Us and Intentionalist; and a mentor in the Seattle startup community, often donating his time to help champion the growth of the local startup ecosystem.

LinkedIn
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Managing Director
Mekanism Seattle

As managing director of Mekanism Seattle, Lisa Zakroff, oversees all client partnerships, including Alaska Airlines and Papa Murphy’s. Lisa started her career with NASA, helping to make the Twin Mars Rovers famous, but ultimately found her way to advertising where she’s worked on Volkswagen, Target, Burger King, Saturn, and DIRECTV, among others. At Deutsch LA She led Target’s award-winning, "Share the Force" campaign for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens and partnered with Nintendo and Target to turn shopping carts into Mario Karts in over 600 stores. Lisa also convinced VW and Target legal teams to drive a Golf through a Target store for a Funny or Die video, which MediaPost called “The Future of Branded Content.”

Linkedin
Twitter

Executive Producer, Creative Director
Hand Crank Films

Chris has over 20 years in the film biz writing and producing a myriad of award winning work for clients large and small. Not only does he understand the value of good strategy combined with creativity, but it’s also been said he plays well with others. His goal? Helping you tell powerful stories through film.

Twitter
Website

Co-Founder
Fortune 206

Maria is an accomplished and passionate marketing executive with proven success leading integrated programs that drive brand growth and enhance customer experiences. Over 10 years of experience working with top clients including: Unilever, Amazon, T-Mobile, Starbucks, Novartis, Coca-Cola, and Jim Beam both US and Globally, Maria has led award winning campaigns such as The Real Women Campaign for Dove and has helped transformed loyalty programs for T-Mobile and Starbucks. She has worked in a wide range of categories from healthcare to CPG and most recently her current work with Amazon.

LinkedIn

Group Account Director
CMD Agency

Randy is a Group Account Director at CMD and runs the Seattle office.  He oversees the Microsoft account that includes Mixer, Xbox, Surface and the NFL Sponsorship, as well as the Banner Bank, Precor and T-Mobile accounts.  He’s worked at some of the largest agencies in the world including Saatchi & Saatchi and McCann Erickson, a small start-up where he was employee #7 and everything in between.  During his career, he has had the opportunity to work on a diverse range of accounts including Jack in the Box, Toyota, The Anaheim Ducks, ESPN, Pedigree dog food and Coffee-mate (where he learned waaaay too much about non-dairy creamers).

LinkedIn
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Director, Creative Strategy
CROWN

Nathan Young is a digital marketing expert with a strong advertising background and a sharp hairline. As the Director, Creative Strategy at CROWN, Nathan leads a multi-disciplinary team to develop strategies, build out creative campaigns and drive performance marketing for leading US brands. Over the past 8 years, Nathan has had the opportunity to help top brands handle tough digital marketing challenges including Dell, Zillow, Microsoft, Amazon, AXS, and Booking.com. Nathan is a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion, and works with the American Advertising Federation, HERE Seattle, and Social Venture Partners to promote diversity in the advertising, technology, and non-profit industries respectively.

Twitter

Associate Director, Strategy
POSSIBLE Mobile

Jeff Hasen enables brands to get closer to their customers in times upended by new devices and behaviors. The results are increased sales and loyalty and businesses doing the disrupting rather than being disrupted. Over the last decade, he has become one the leading marketers, strategists, and voices in mobile and emerging technology. His third book, The Art of Digital Persuasion, will be released this spring.

Website
LinkedIn
Twitter

Brand Strategist
Phinney Bischoff

For the past 15 years, Ann has been a researcher, strategist, and armchair anthropologist to brands large and small looking to build stronger connections with their audiences. Leading the research and insights practice at Phinney Bischoff, she is obsessed with finding the white space between what people say versus what they mean, and translating that information into compelling brand stories. Her work has led to positive outcomes for brands like BECU, Premera, Downtown Seattle Association and Mercer Island Center for the Arts. She is a TEDx speaker (video coming soon!), a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow, and has a B.A and M.A. in English from DePaul University.

LinkedIn

Managing Director
Rational Creative

Greg is a seasoned business and marketing leader who brings over 25 years of both client-side and agency experience with brands such as Microsoft, T-Mobile, Target, and Hulu. He is an agency veteran, leading global teams from Razorfish, Wunderman, and now Rational. Greg is highly effective at developing efficient, creative, and innovative, advertising and integrated marketing communications through a very collaborative approach, while driving growth through strategy, brand and digital marketing, and performance media.

LinkedIn

Director of Design & Analysis
Pacific Market Research

With a tenure in marketing research that stretches over the last twenty years, Chelsea has discovered that research is not only a science, but an art, and that the combination of these two disciplines allows research to go beyond data and numbers to deliver insights that drive impactful change. Chelsea has been the driving force behind over 1000 marketing research projects, and has managed and implemented over 10 million dollars in marketing research dollars. Chelsea is focused on the evolving research methodologies that study the intersection between stated consumer behavior and actual modeled behavior in real world settings in order to accurately predict the performance of the marketplace when changes in the marketing mix are introduced.

Anna Liotta, MA, CSP, is an award-winning keynote speaker and best-selling author with a deep understanding from 20 years of research on how generational demographics and dynamics affect every aspect of business success.

Early in her career, Anna identified a common theme: a fundamental lack of understanding between different generations within an organization hinders trust, alignment and bottom-line outcomes. This led to her life’s work of helping people develop practical strategies for optimal communications across generations.

Anna’s most impressive generational credential however is that Anna is the youngest girl of nineteen children. This means that every Thanksgiving, graduation, or wedding is a fascinating case study in multi-generational communication.

The founder of The Generational InstituteTM and author of Unlocking Generational CODES, © Anna’s clients range from the PGA of America to the NBA, from Amazon.com to the Women’s Foodservice Forum.

Anna holds a Master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication. She currently serves as the Vice- President of the National Speakers Association, and President of the Columbia Tower Club and Top 40 Under 40 Alumni Association.

When she is not keynoting or volunteering you’ll find her at an off-leash dog park with her Labradoodle puppy named Golfing.

AnnaLiotta.com

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Senior Strategist
Rational Interaction

Audience obsessed, data-driven marketer living and breathing all things gaming and esports. Holder of a master’s degree in integrated marketing from Northwestern University and currently ranked in the top 1% on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox.

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Principal
Emphatic Thinking

Emphatic Thinking is a consulting agency focused on solving go-to-market problems and improving how organizations understand their audiences and the ways those audiences process messages. Their clients include some of the biggest names in technology, as well as some of the really interesting start-ups.

Ken holds a PhD in Communication, and has taught courses in persuasion, research, communication and media studies. He served on the faculty of the University of Washington’s Communication Leadership Program, where he taught courses on digital disruption, gaming and engagement, and the analysis and assessment of network health. His own academic research focuses primarily on media ecology, or the role that different media combinations have in shaping psychology, social norms, and belief.

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Paid Social Strategist
Rational Interaction

Amanda was running social media campaigns before it was cool, or even a profession. She is dedicated to staying on top of the ever-changing social landscape and executing strategies that integrate organic, paid, and influencer partnerships. Her client work spans luxury retail, editorial, tech and gaming—proving any brand can be social in her experienced hands.

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Forza Motorsport
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Forza RC
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Senior Campaign Manager
Allrecipes

Ishea Brown is a media professional with 10 years of experience in advertising. She’s currently a Sr. Campaign Mgr (AdOps) for Meredith Corporation and host of Allrecipes.com’s new YouTube Series: Revive or Archive! In her free time she co-hosts “About That…” a weekly podcast about love, sex and relationships and manages a lifestyle blog (Six Twenty Seven Blog) covering all things hair, food and shenanigans in the city.

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Head of People + Culture
Rational Interaction

Co-Founder
HRuprise

Rebecca Weaver’s wide-ranging experience spans two decades and includes leadership within companies of all shapes and sizes, from Fortune 50 companies to start-ups. She is currently the Head of People + Culture at Rational Interaction, Seattle’s largest independent creative agency and consultancy. A long-time critic of status quo HR, Rebecca self-identifies as an HR disruptor. Her own #metoo experience led her to co-found HRuprise, a social movement calling for meaningful change within HR.

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Senior Account Executive
Textio

Pronounced ahh-dee, Adi (they/them) is a Latinx, Chicanx, queer, non-binary person who you might find eating or dancing salsa. When they’re not dancing, Adi works at Textio, an augmented writing platform that uses predictive analytics to show how people will respond to the language you’ve written.

Adi received their BA in Public Relations with a minor in LGBTQ studies before starting their career in fashion and celebrity PR. They’ve recently just moved to Seattle for some sunshine.

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HR Program Manager
Outreach.io

Founder
Unlimited Coaching

As a career coach, HR professional, and experiential marketer, Amanda Townsend has a well-rounded and unique background in the business of people. Currently, Amanda is the HR Program Manager at a thriving startup called Outreach, a new sales engagement platform that is used by some of the most well-known brands around the world. At Outreach, Amanda works on the core People Team to lead efforts on employee engagement, culture, diversity and employer branding. In her previous career in experiential marketing, Amanda managed hundreds of experiences for global brands like Boeing, Microsoft, and even the POTUS. Amanda's number one mission is to empower others to achieve their goals and greatness. She is also the Founder of Unlimited Coaching, and has guided countless professionals and students through major career and life transitions.

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Founder
UpperHand

Stephanie Peirolo is a consultant at UpperHand LLC, where she helps leaders of creative companies do better work and make more money. She writes about women in leadership for Adweek and The Drum and has spoken at the 3% Conference. She worked in business development and executive leadership at agencies large and small, including Razorfish, FCB, and Publicis. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MA in Transformational Leadership from Seattle University.

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Head of Marketing
Simply Measured, a Sprout Social Company

Chief Creative Officer
Rational Interaction

Selina Petosa, founding principal and chief creative officer of Rational Interaction, has been a practitioner and influencer in the design and communications industry for over two decades. Working with Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Acer, Amazon, Cisco, McKinsey, Google, AT&T, TMobile, Sony, and Symantec, Selina has served as the digital partner for several of the most illustrious brands in the world.

Global Creative Director
Brooks Running

Dave Holloway is creative director of Brooks Running. He’s penned two Super Bowl spots. Won Cannes Gold, One Show Silver and the $100,000 Grand Athena. Written love songs recorded by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville. And written a textbook on getting into advertising. But most importantly to this discussion, he’s a native Philadelphian and life-long Eagles fan.

Head of Hustle and Digital Media Strategist
Ladies Get Paid

Sage Quiamno is a brand storyteller, community builder, and a fierce advocate for women's advocacy. She is passionate about empowering more women into leadership roles and closing the wage gap, especially for women of color. She has a background in marketing, public relations and advertising previously working at Amazon for the Kindle Fire team. Originally from Hawai‘i she has worked for Anthology Marketing Group and oversaw a book of business including Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Hawaiian Airlines and PACCAR Inc.

Emily Cushman
Creative Strategy Director
Tether

Emily is an expert strategist whose passion for uncovering consumer insights has led her to helm top strategy roles at agencies across the globe. Her research driven approach and creative vision lead the development of both digital and traditional spots working with clients like Target, Nike, Starbucks, and Microsoft. With a Super Bowl ad credit to her name and an unrivaled expertise in consumer behavior, we are thrilled to have her join the panel.

Patrick McKay
Executive Creative Director
Cole & Weber
 

Pat moved back to his home state of Washington in 2010, settling in Seattle with his wife Nina and daughters Avery and Maddy. Prior to that he worked as a writer and CD at W+K London; Goodby, Silverstein & Partners; DDB LA and The Martin Agency, developing work for brands like UPS, Viacom, Comcast, Got Milk?, Starbucks, Nestea and Honda. After the move home, he freelanced for several years before landing in his current role at Cole & Weber in 2014. His work has been recognized by Cannes, The One Show, The Clios, D&AD, New York Art Directors Club, London International, The Effies, Andy Awards, The Webbys, AICP, The Kellys, CA Magazine, Los Angeles Belding Awards and The Emmys. Sometimes he likes to throw this little pot sweetener on the table: Find your own truck and he’ll help you move that mattress.

Nick Gesualdi
Senior Campaign Manager
Amazon

Nick was born and raised in The City of Brotherly Love, which means the majority of his free time h11as nothing to do with the beautiful outdoor scenery that Seattle has to offer; instead he spends his time in dark bars hate watching his favorite Philly sports teams.  Over the past fourteen years Nick has worked on global campaigns for brands like Volkswagen, BMW, ESPN, Walmart, Expedia, and Microsoft at agencies across the country including Arnold Worldwide, GSD&M, The Martin Agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners and most recently leading client management and new business at Creature.  Currently, Nick leads mass advertising campaigns across various categories at Amazon.

Patrick Mazzotta
Associate Director, Marketing Sciences
POSSIBLE
 

Patrick hails from Toronto, Canada and self-identifies as having the mind of a scientist and heart of an adventurer. Starting (early) as a programmer, his career has gravitated towards becoming that glue between collecting & storing data and using it to drive decisions. Patrick has been lead for some of the largest analytics initiatives in Canada, and has worked across North America on cross-channel integration and data warehousing projects. He’s been working behind the scenes on advertising and helping to steer the data-driven discussions before & after executions. Now with POSSIBLE (1.5 years), Patrick oversees analytics and BI initiatives related to social listening, big data, and forecasting models in an effort to support the next generation of advertising strategy.