May 2020 | (W)right On Communications

Hamish Marshall

Director, Research & Analytics (W)OC Intelligence

As Director of Research & Analytics based out of (W)right On’s Vancouver office, Hamish leads (W)right On’s survey and stakeholder information gathering initiatives North America-wide. A former advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, Provincial Premiers, City Mayors and dozens of elected officials, he also served in the government of Canada overseeing the quantitative and qualitative research activities of federal government agencies. With experience using every sort of data collection method to provide critical insights for strategic planning, marketing and other organizational activities, Hamish has worked with dozens of private and public sector client partners, including the world’s largest mining company. In 2004 he worked in radio business development in Kabul, Afghanistan, and he has volunteered in democracy-building activities in Bangladesh and Jordan. Today, Hamish is frequently sought out by the media as an expert commentator for national television, radio and print publications. Prior to joining (W)right On, Hamish worked as the Research Director for Angus Reid Public Opinion, conducting and performing analysis on surveys in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Oxford in England, a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree from the University of Toronto and enjoys history, writing and sailing.

Licia Walsworth

Communications Strategist

With over 20 years of progressive communications, sales and hospitality experience including from Marriott, Omni Hotels and regional five-star resort properties, Licia Walsworth brings to (W)right On’s client partners extensive capability to lead successful communication programs. In her most recent role before joining (W)right On in which she was responsible for ensuring brand messaging and client expectations were reached, Licia led the company with the highest group satisfaction scores for eight years running and was awarded Manager of the Year in 2016 and Cultural Warrior Award in 2018. Prior to her significant hospitality industry experience, Licia spent six years at Timex Corp where she led marketing, advertising and merchandising for all 25 Timex retail stores and achieved a performance rating within the top 10% of the company. Licia also developed learning systems for in-store staff as well as conceptualized and implemented a customer service brand training tool for substantially increased sales.

Licia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Media, Communications and Technology from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. When not leading client partner results at the agency, she enjoys graphic design and spending time with her family.

Katrina Early

Media Integration Specialist

Formerly with VisitBritain and Showtime Networks, Katrina Early provides (W)right On client partners’ integrated and creative partnerships with film and TV studios, retailers, and media outlets such as Sony Pictures, Universal, Warner Brothers, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Entertainment Tonight to name a few. Experienced in the hospitality, travel, entertainment industries among others, Katrina coordinates all aspects of B2B industry events, as well as grows client partners’ audience social media engagement through highly sharable digital content. Results achieved include positive media placement in top tier outlets including National Geographic, Robb Report, Forbes, USA Today, LA Times, NBC/Today Show, E! News, Extra, The Tonight Show, People and many others. Katrina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Public Relations from CSU Long Beach and a Master of Arts in Communications from the prestigious University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication.

Julie Wright

President and Founder

Julie Wright is President of (W)right On Communications, Inc., the award-winning integrated strategic communications firm she founded in 1998. With offices in San Diego, Los Angeles and Vancouver, B.C., her team handles complex communications challenges for B2B tech, cleantech and energy, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, not-for-profit and public sector organizations. Wright and her team elevate the agency experience through data-driven insights and measurable results for client partners.

Earlier in her career, Wright served at several public relations agencies and in-house as Director of Marketing for a financial institution. She began her career as a journalist, working as a radio news anchor.

Wright currently serves as a director and past chair of the San Diego North Economic Development Council, on the board of the Los Angeles chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, and as board vice president for the La Jolla Village Merchants Association. She has previously served on the Tri-City Hospital Foundation board and chaired the President’s Advisory Council for California State University San Marcos.

Wright was named a “Woman Who Means Business” by the San Diego Business Journal and a “40 Under 40” honoree by the San Diego Metropolitan magazine. She was also recognized with the annual Fran Aleshire Award for community leadership by Leadership North County and founded the LNC Alumni group, which is now 400 strong.

Wright holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of B.C. and a Master of Journalism degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario. She is a graduate of the Leadership North County program as well as the Corporate Directors Forum Governance Academy.

She lives in San Diego with her husband, has two sons in college, loves being outdoors in Southern California and Vancouver, and has a passion for elephants, frogs and Champagne. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Grant Wright

CEO & Managing Partner

Grant Wright has more than 30 years of senior management experience including external affairs and business development leadership roles for major American and Canadian corporations and their subsidiaries. With extensive skills in all aspects of communications including media, regulatory, governmental, community outreach and labor relations; he has also led major infrastructure project development, M&A due diligence and implementation management, marketing and brand development, strategic planning and business plan development for small through Fortune 500 companies.

As CEO and Managing Partner, Grant provides oversight and senior-level communications and business counsel for the agency’s client partners while also overseeing agency management and administration.

Grant holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and an MBA in Marketing and Finance. Professionally, he has been involved in corporate and not-for-profit boards of directors and is formerly a Board Director of the San Diego Venture Group (regional venture capital ecosystem). Grant was also named a Finalist for the San Diego Business Journal’s 2016 and 2017 Most Admired CEO Awards. During his free time, Grant enjoys scuba diving, hiking and being a mentor for university students entering their professional careers. He is also a commercial pilot licensed in both Canada and the U.S. and is the founding board chairman of the Southern California Aviation Association that has provided more than $400,000 in student scholarship grants in the past five years alone.

Chancelor Shay

Director, Strategic Communications

As Director, Strategic Communications, Chancelor Shay oversees the strategic direction of programs and manages program teams to maximize (W)right On’s bottom-line impact for client-partners. Based on a solid foundation of research and analysis, Chancelor develops and guides integrated communication and PR programs that deliver specific, measurable results. Chance’s motto is, “Make the client’s customers care.”

His creativity, strategy and diligence led to the world’s most valuable publicly-traded company reaching out to his startup client (seriously) and earned a national Bulldog Award for best B2B Product Launch in 2018 (and that was before he secured Wall Street Journal coverage for that client). From global mergers to local governments, from renewable energy to charitable causes—Chancelor’s diverse expertise earned over a decade of relevant experience is put to work for client partners and his coworkers every day.

Chancelor’s community service includes advocating for attainable housing development, and he is a founding member of the San Diego Tech Hub, where he serves on its communications committee to help build San Diego’s reputation and image as a technology hub.

Chancelor is a San Diego Business Journal 40 Under 40 finalist and an alumnus of San Diego State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies. In his free time, Chance enjoys golfing, attending baseball and hockey games, hiking San Diego’s many scenic trails, surfing, and spending time with his wife and son. Twitter LinkedIn

Shae Geary

Senior Communications Strategist

Shae Geary is a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience representing world-class travel and hospitality PR clients. Formerly PR Director with Four Seasons Resorts and a consultant for a wide variety of resorts in California, Hawaii and Mexico, Shae began her career in Hawaii for six years with the state’s largest PR firm. Over the course of her career, Shae has spearheaded numerous campaigns involving everything from hotel openings and property renovations to anniversaries and special events. Her expertise in communications and all things hospitality includes a broad range of niche markets – spa, golf, recreation, weddings, dining, luxury, family and green travel. Shae holds a Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and Master’s degree in Mass Communications (with PR emphasis) from UC Santa Barbara. In her spare time, Shae enjoys playing soccer, running training and spending time with her husband and two kids.

Linda Barger

Communications Strategist

With more than 15 years of corporate and agency communications experience, Linda is a PR expert. She’s represented B2B and B2C organizations, including Sony Electronics, Musicmatch Yahoo!, EVS and the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council. From tech and music to insurance and waste management, Linda’s industry knowledge runs the gamut. Having successfully managed, developed and executed national and international communications plans, Linda’s expertise includes consumer awareness campaigns, product launches, media training, issues and brand management, award submissions, media and analyst relations and writing. She’s elevated executives and companies into the spotlight; orchestrated blogger, influencer and media events; led product launches for major brands; written speeches; secured magazine covers; landed major speaking opportunities and led international tradeshow engagement. A graduate of California Polytechnic University with a B.S. in Journalism (cum laude), she enjoys paddle boarding, snowboarding, golfing, playing guitar and songwriting. She lives with her husband, two kids, dog and 19-year-old leopard gecko in San Diego.

Corie Fiebiger

Communications Coordinator

With more than 10 years of experience in prior marketing roles at in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles markets, Corie supports the (W)right On team in multi-channel digital marketing, client relations management, social media, copywriting and copyediting, research and analytics, media pitching and more.

Corie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Raquel Van Nice

Visual Strategist

With substantial experience in graphic design and art direction within advertising, Raquel deepens the agency’s creative capabilities and advances our client partners’ communication goals. Her diverse client list ranges from high-end hospitality (The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Aria, and Vdara) to healthcare (Southwest Medical and OptumCare) to higher education (University of Nevada, Las Vegas).

Raquel holds a double major in Art Practice and Mass Communications from the University of California, Berkeley as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Advertising Art Direction from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has a passion for vintage fashion and home goods and in her spare time, she likes to work on surface pattern design and illustration.

Roman Lukjanenko

Producer/Videographer

With more than 10 years of video production experience, Roman is a skilled cinematographer, editor and animator for such organizations as HP, PetSmart, Airbnb and Nike. Prior to joining the (W)right On team, Roman supported UCLA and UCLA Health where he successfully helped researchers, educators and healthcare professionals communicate their messages through comprehensive videos and motion graphic animations. Roman believes that a well-crafted video brings organizations and their audiences closer together, improving understanding and ultimately strengthening society as a whole.

Phelan Riessen

Lead Developer and Technical Resource

Phelan Riessen is a passionate web and graphic design artist with over 25 years of experience designing and building more than 60 websites for a variety of organizations. Skilled in fontography, web design, Photoshop and web marketing strategies; Phelan also holds a strong presence in the San Diego tech community by serving as an organizer of several large-scale events including RefreshSD, March Mingle and Startup Week.

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(W)right On Communications further strengthens digital marketing and PR capabilities with two new hires

(W)right On Communications further strengthens digital marketing and PR capabilities with two new hires

Hamish Marshall

Director, Research & Analytics (W)OC Intelligence

Licia Walsworth

Communications Strategist

Katrina Early

Media Integration Specialist

Julie Wright

President and Founder

Grant Wright

CEO & Managing Partner

Chancelor Shay

Director, Strategic Communications

Shae Geary

Senior Communications Strategist

Linda Barger

Communications Strategist

Corie Fiebiger

Communications Coordinator

Raquel Van Nice

Visual Strategist

Roman Lukjanenko

Producer/Videographer

Phelan Riessen

Lead Developer and Technical Resource