The California PR agency also received three awards for its integrated communications, social media and creative work in the prestigious regional competition, in addition to San Diego PR Team of the Year (Photo credit: Vanner Photo + Design)
SAN DIEGO; Oct. 23, 2024 –(W)right On Communications, a leading strategic communications and public relations agency, has been honored as PR Team of the Year at the PRSA San Diego / Imperial County 2024 Edward L. Bernays Awards, named for the father of public relations. The agency also earned top honors for its Integrated Communications work on behalf of the $5.5-billion Payment Card Settlement and additional recognition for its creative use of social media tactics on settlement work on the AEG Worldwide 2023 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report.
“Effective communication in 2024 is no small feat. It demands thoughtful strategy, bold creativity, and a dedicated team that can navigate complexity to drive results,” said Julie Wright, President of (W)right On Communications. “We’re incredibly proud of our team’s achievements and grateful to our client partners for the trust they place in us to tell their stories.”
“This past year, this team faced one of the most intense and rewarding periods in their 26-year history,” said PRSA SD/IC Chapter President Arturo Garcia-Sierra during the San Diego PR Team of the Year award presentation. “The demands were high, but the heart and commitment of the team rose to the challenge. Through creativity, strategic collaboration, and tireless dedication, they achieved remarkable success for their clients and their community.”
To learn more about (W)right On Communications and its award-winning work, visit www.wrightoncomm.com.
About (W)right On Communications:
(W)right On Communications is an award-winning strategic communications and public relations agency serving B2B, clean energy, technology, healthcare, hospitality, lifestyle, nonprofit and many other sectors across North America. Named a Best PR Firm in America by Forbes and Newsweek, (W)right On Communications can be found at www.wrightoncomm.com.
(San Diego CA) – (W)right On Communications has been recognized in Newsweek magazine’s inaugural list of America’s Best PR Agencies, based on a national survey of 2,400 industry professionals that names the Top 150 from among the more than 12,000 agencies operating in the USA.
The agency was further named for its excellence in four categories — “Health Care & Pharmaceuticals”, “Consumer Goods, Retail & Fashion”, “Internal Corporate Communications & Employee Engagement” and “Brand Reputation & Marketing” — the latter two of which (W)right On Communications was named in the Top 25 percent of the Top 150.
“We are incredibly honored to be acknowledged by Newsweek and our industry colleagues across the United States. This achievement is a testament to the trust placed in us by our incredible client partners and the savvy and imaginative (W)right On team delivering impactful results every day” says Grant Wright, CEO of (W)right On Communications.
“With our industry capability spanning across B2B, Energy, Technology, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Lifestyle and Hospitality among many others no two days are alike. This recognition reaffirms our dedication to leading the way in the ever-changing communications industry.”
About (W)right On Communications:
Founded in 1998, (W)right On Communications is an award-winning integrated strategic communications firm headquartered in San Diego, California and supporting client partners across the USA and internationally. With a focus on creative and measurable results, (W)right On Communications serves organizations in complex and unpredictable business environments working with business innovators, leaders, and difference-makers. (W)right On Communications has also been named one of America’s Best PR Agencies by Forbes magazine and is one of five board members leading the International PR Network, a Belgium-based global network of more than 50 independently owned and managed communications and public relations agencies in over 40 countries.For more info, see www.wrightoncomm.com.
(W)right On Communications kicked off its Next 25 series with an expert panel on the future of sustainable tourism and travel including Visit Napa Valley, Lowe, Archer Aviation and TravelPulse.
What do hospitality PR teams need to know about social media tourism trends for 2020? First, it starts with storytelling—or, more appropriately, story “selling.”
The San Diego Tourism Authority recently hosted a some social media gurus for a workshop on trends to leverage to get your business and brand the most exposure. The following 5 trends and tips topped their lists.
1) The WHY behind the WHAT
Go beyond storytelling and start “story selling.” That’s the key to increasing consumer awareness of and interest in your brand. Story selling more actively engages them in what you have to offer because it appeals to their emotional needs—their desire to relax in that peaceful place, sip that craft cocktail or take advantage of that once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s how you effectively motivate consumers to go to your hotel, eat in your restaurant, or explore your attraction. You make them want it, whether or not they are actively seeking it out. Immerse your audience in the “where” with your social media images, but make sure that your images show them the “why.”
2) Instagram: Forge a consistent brand presence
Instagram Stories stand out as the most economical platform remaining in advertising. Plus, they offer the “Swipe Up” feature, which allows you to share a link and drive the consumer exactly where you want them to go next.
Perhaps you’ve found yourself watching story after IG story, not realizing how much time has passed. Capitalize on that behavior — with a consistent style.
It’s not as difficult as you might think. You need no more than seven slides at a time. Just keep these simple tips in mind as you capture and share Stories:
Organization is key. Create a storyboard and timeline in advance. Plan exactly what you are going to post and the sequence or flow — with photos, hashtags, and phrases at the ready.
Know your brand templates down to the font, color palette, and backgrounds, and integrate them as you plan your content days, weeks, or even months ahead. The moment consumers glimpse your images, they should immediately recognize your brand.
Post a new Story only after the current one completes — and avoid sending followers from a serene beach to a noisy rollercoaster. Try to tell and share seamless Stories.
Craft ads that feel like Stories. Even when you are promoting a product or experience, you can keep the content entertaining and authentic so that the consumer won’t feel that you are “selling” and will be more open to your message. Make the message so appealing that they just have to learn more.
3) TikTok: Know your audience
You can’t talk about social media tourism trends in 2020 and not mention TikTok. If your key demographic is 16- to 24-year-olds, this is the medium for you.
This is not the kind of platform where your CEO will deliver a simple message about your brand. Posts require a sense of humor and a creative tack.
What’s recommended in this space? Use an influencer to help sell your brand, and a creative team to help show the fun side of your business. You won’t engage here with your audience, but it will give you brand recognition. Proceed with caution for now; the analytics provided aren’t yet 100% intuitive for determining ROI.
4) YouTube: The return of a classic
A resurgence in YouTube? That’s right.
Create a video — but have a hook to grab the audience right away. Skip the intro music and opening credits. Grab their attention from the first instant.
Teach and tell. Make viewers care about you and the information only you can provide. And don’t focus on the subscribers; focus on views. The more views you have, the more exposure. When the video is over, there’s no need to sign off, or roll credits. Simply lead to the next video and keep the consumer on the platform and your channel. The more times your video leads to another video, the more exposure you get. YouTube’s goal is to keep the viewer on their platform, so don’t even bother saying “visit, comment or subscribe.” Your target users — if they’re engaged in what you have to offer — are smart enough to find you.
P.S. YouTube, like IG, offers Stories. The main difference: YouTube Stories stay for seven days — not just 24 hours. Talk about the power of longevity. Use this feature to drive home what you are about. Create that sense of engagement that will have the consumer wanting to see what else you have to offer.
5) Mindshare: The power of listening
Mindshare media is gaining significant traction, too. People can engage in podcasts while driving, exercising, or folding laundry. The average listener will be on a podcast for 26 minutes. What other platform gives you that level of extended exposure? Google is starting to show podcasts in search results.
Start a show based on your area of expertise: whether that’s wine pairings, the best restaurants in the area, or how to tell when the high tides are coming in. The visitor to your city will want as much knowledge as they can get, so be the one giving it to them. Not to mention the platform is relatively inexpensive to use and an easy way to gain a great ROI.
Look at your next social media campaign: Have you hit all of these trends? Are you organizing content ahead of time? Are you engaging the consumer in a way that taps into their wants? Go outside of your comfort zone and try a different platform rather than relying on what you’ve used in the past. The only thing constant is change, so take this opportunity to see how these trends can work best for you. Remember to not just story tell, story SELL.
We all love showing off our personalized pictures of food, travel, and fun experiences, especially during holidays. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, we’re betting you’ll be sharing some delicious eats with your sweetie or besties. To make sure your food selfie skills are perfectly polished, we’ve delved into our archives for today’s blog. Here are five pro tips from San Diego food photographer Sam Wells for producing mouth-watering and Instagram worthy photos for this Valentine’s Day xoxo.
In Hospitality Public Relations, we often rely on images to help tell our stories – a pristine white sand beach; a mojito in a mason jar; a field in bloom. With the rise of social media and the availability of high quality cameras on most smart phones, photography is often how our guests tell their vacation stories, particularly when it comes to food.
Despite having such ready access to cameras, however, most of us remain photographically challenged. A good camera phone isn’t enough to turn our latest gastronomic delight into the envy of all our friends: placement, lighting and composition are all important elements in the quest to capture delicious food memories. Sounds difficult, right? That’s when you turn to the pros.
I was recently fortunate to work with Sam Wells, a respected San Diego food photographer who shoots for publications like Carlsbad Magazine and San Diego Magazine. While I watched him work his photographic magic, it occurred to me that he must have a load of helpful hints for us “do-it-yourselfers.” Sam was more than happy to give his insights on what makes for great food photography. Follow his tips and you’ll be on your way to drool worthy food on Instagram in no time.
Food Photography Tips from Photographer Sam Wells
Tip 1: Light quality is everything.
I shoot most of my food in areas I call “transition zones” – where the light is transitioning from light to dark. Windows, open doors, and the outer edges of shaded areas all produce beautiful directional light. If there are any conflicting tungsten lights in the restaurant, try to block them to create clean light.
Tip 2: Create a strong composition.
Negative space can be a great asset to a photo. Using the “rule of thirds” always helps – just imagine there are two horizontal and vertical lines dividing up the frame into nine rectangles. Place the most interesting point of focus on any two lines or where the lines intersect, and you’ll instantly have a better-composed image. Add a few more details to fill the frame, and you’re off and running.
Tip 3: Steady your hand.
Motion blur can ruin a photo, so if you are hand-holding the camera make sure to take a few and be gentle when you push the shutter button. Make sure your camera or phone doesn’t move when you shoot the photo. I always use a tripod to ensure maximum sharpness.
Tip 4: Show some life and action.
Have a hand reaching for something. Take a bite. Make it messy. Do anything that makes the food look delicious and enticing.
Tip 5: Styling can make any dish interesting.
I always use linens and napkins to help spice things up a bit. Adding other elements allows you to create a more interesting composition by leading the eye through the image. Think of image flow – a fork placed in the lower right hand corner pointed towards the dish will lead the viewer’s eye towards the focal point.
Keep this handy for your next dining adventure and you’ll definitely have some Insta worthy food photos. Need more photo inspiration? Follow the latest in Sam’s food reel on Instagram at @swellsphoto.
I started out in PR before the Internet or email. It was the era of fax machines, the Yellow Pages and 400-page media directories that you combed through to research and build your media lists. There were few shortcuts on the way to mastering your PR skills, but in some ways, all of today’s technology and automation tools might actually be shortchanging entry-level PR people and getting in the way of developing PR fundamentals.
Back in the day, once you had your list built, you then had to call each reporter until they picked up the phone and then use your verbal skills to hold their attention more than eight seconds to pitch your story. Those calls helped you develop a thick skin, fast. That real-time feedback taught you which approaches worked or didn’t.
Unfortunately, in today’s email environment, you’ll never really know what they loved or hated about your pitch. (Unless you follow @smugjourno or @DearPR to monitor Tweets from journalists losing their s*** after being addressed with the wrong name for the 10th time in one day, sent another off-topic pitch, distastefully news-jacked or sent a 120 mb attachment.)
In the pre-email era, entry-level PR pros had to work the phones but that process made us better, faster.
We had another tool beside the phone. It was called the fax machine. Part of paying your dues was standing over one feeding it hard-copy press releases with your fingers crossed, hoping to hear the modem answer. (If you don’t know what a modem sounds like, it’s kinda like a DubStep drop.) That sound let you know that your brilliant press release was transmitting.
If you were sending a fax to a busy newsroom, you could often expect repeated busy signals and multiple attempts to get your press release through. Faxes could only be sent one at a time. You could punch in several fax numbers, but they’d be delivered sequentially and not simultaneously.
Think about that, for a moment.
You, literally—and I mean literally–experienced the sensation of your pitch colliding and competing for bandwidth with other pitches. The idea that your pitch was one of hundreds being sent to an outlet or reporter was not just a concept. It was something you actually heard and saw.
Anyhow, damn. Those days could be a real grind. Some labor-intensive, inglorious work. Like walking uphill both ways to and from school. But it was just what you had to do so you did it.
So, here’s my point: While the tools may have changed, I honestly do not think that the fundamentals have.
PR still requires an awful lot of legwork to do right and over the past quarter century, I have found that there is no substitute for that hard work—particularly as you are starting out. Generating a Twitter following, mastering Facebook’s algorithm, researching blogs for your thought leadership project—it’s a different grind, but to succeed you’ve got to do the work.
The practices I learned in the early 90s as an entry-level Gen Xer gave me sound fundamentals. It was a methodical process—detailed, diligent and it kept you close to your media contacts. You worked hard to find each contact and cultivate it. You knew the value of each contact and sent your pitches out into the world with each recipient in mind.
If I wanted to target my client for a radio interview, I had to listen to that radio show. If I wanted a trade or consumer magazine to feature my client’s project, I had to read the magazine. There was no website to consult or Google to search.
You had to be dialed into your media list, totally aware of who each contact was and why the hell they’d want to do a story on your news. I think this is one of those basics that has been lost in the race to automate our work, and it is the bane of the remaining working journalists who are inundated with off-topic email pitches. It’s also the bane of PR professionals who know that it takes time to do this job right but get pressure from clients who think PR is just distributing press releases to massive lists.
What Can You Do Today for Maximum Career Growth & Success?
What would happen to your pitching skills and PR instincts if you adopted these old school practices. What if you voraciously consumed the very same media you were expected to earn coverage in? What if you approached every single media contact on your media list like a wedding guest—knowing their background, your relationship to them, whether they’d want the ribeye or the vegetarian option and who they’d want to sit with?
I tell you what. You’d be successful. You’d be a rock star.
In today’s environment of cheap, plentiful and immediate information, taking pains to research and document each entry in your media list probably makes you feel like you’re doing it wrong.
Stifle that impulse. Take the time. If you have a passion for communications and telling great stories, then focus on your fundamentals. Do what might feel like drudgery. It’s called paying your dues. We all did it. If we wanted it, then we did it.
So if that’s you, don’t miss the opportunity to shine because it looks like hard work.
Put that extra care and attention into your work. Invest extra time in your day for attending a webinar to build your knowledge. Spend a little extra time every day reading up on your industry and talking to the more experienced people on your team about what you’re learning to get their take and advice.
And for god’s sake, show up. Network with journalists, other PR professionals, peers and business leaders. Volunteer on a committee so you can practice your leadership skills outside of the office to get more confident contributing during team and client meetings.
It may sound old-timey but work hard, pay your dues, take chances with your new knowledge and you will get noticed and rise quickly. I assure you, don’t be afraid to do these things for you will have one of the most exhilarating and rewarding careers imaginable.
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Justin Beach
Developer & Technical Resource
Justin Beach brings over 25 years of expertise in web development, programming and technical support to his role at (W)right On Communications. As the agency’s Web Developer and Technical Resource, Justin ensures our client partners’ digital platforms are optimized for success and deliver seamless functionality and a compelling user experience.
Justin’s career spans leadership and entrepreneurial roles with experience building corporate websites, e-commerce platforms and electronic marketing campaigns for a diverse client base. His technical fluency extends across PHP, ASP, MySQL, CSS, JS and multiple database architectures.
Previously, Justin supported strategic SEO campaigns at Myers Media Group, creating platforms responsible for deploying over a million search-optimized web pages. He also led the development of an online shopping platform for Kodak subsidiary ENCAD, Inc., driving e-commerce growth through sophisticated web solutions and marketing integrations.
From guiding print marketing clients into the digital age to deploying hundreds of websites across various frameworks, Justin’s ability to blend design and technical expertise has benefited industries ranging from finance and bioscience to wellness and nonprofit organizations.
At (W)right On Communications, Justin’s creative problem-solving, deep technical know-how and passion for excellence power our clients’ digital strategies, elevating their brands in the digital space.
Blake Bunch
Content Strategist
Blake provides (W)right On’s client partners more than 15 years of experience as a regional newspaper Editor, Copywriter and Digital Content Creator. Blake is instrumental in creating media relations strategies and results; optimizing website strategies and road mapping; developing creative, engaging, SEO-driven and data-oriented content across all platforms in brand voice; and keeping abreast of emerging digital, social media and website technologies. Blake has a strong understanding of cultural diversity and what resonates with audiences; is adept at delivering complex content projects under tight deadline; and leads analytical reviews to improve processes and recommendations.
A resident of San Diego’s coastal community, Blake holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the College of Charleston, South Carolina.
Claudia Askew, APR
Senior Communications Strategist
Claudia Askew, APR is based in Washington, D.C. and draws on her 30 years of experience in strategic communications to serve client partners in the energy, cleantech and B2B sectors. She led marketing and PR planning for the NeighborWorks America program for eight years helping low-income residents in all 50 states access down payment assistance through the Neighborhood LIFT program. She has a long history of volunteerism helping underserved youth and low-income women, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Wake Forest University and her Accredited in PR (APR) designation from the Public Relations Society of America.
Marsha Kelly
Tribal Media + Outreach Specialist
Marsha Kelly has dedicated her career to assisting American Indian tribal communities and businesses with strategies to diversify their economies through wind farms, solar arrays, EV charging infrastructure and other initiatives. Her tribal relationships include the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians and the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association with consulting to other tribes across California, Michigan, New Mexico, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor of Science in English and Communications from the University of Minnesota.
Tatiana Martinez
Hispanic Media + Outreach Specialist
Tatiana Martinez leads Spanish-language media outreach and community relations efforts for the agency and its client partners. She acts as a spokesperson for Spanish-language media and business or community group outreach. Tatiana has provided translations, Spanish voiceovers and strategies for reaching Spanish-speaking stakeholders. A former journalist for Mexican and American media outlets, Tatiana has a journalism degree from the University of Arizona and communications degree from Mexico’s Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara.
Terry Whitaker
Senior Consultant
A communications veteran with more than 20 years’ experience, Terry brings brand development and communication programs to life through strategic counsel and event activations across the agency’s client partners. He’s most at home developing and implementing fresh ideas and strategically integrated approaches for client partners’ complex communication needs that keep the agency at the forefront of our industry.
Before joining the (W)right On team, Terry was based in Sydney, Australia and represented client partners such as the USA’s National Football League, Visit California, Sydney Festival, Budweiser, Electronic Sports League, Holden, IBM, TEDx, Major League Baseball International and numerous others.
Terry’s past accomplishments include winning a Bronze Media Lion Award at the Cannes International Advertising Festival; helping three Australian startups be named to the Fast 100; and managing media relations for the Australian speaking tours of former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George HW Bush involving hundreds of journalists and raising millions for charity.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Terry enjoys family time with his wife and two young children, travel and team sports.
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 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. TwitterLinkedInFacebook
Alex Mikhail brings more than four years of experience as a communications & public relations professional to his role as a Communications Strategist with (W)right On Communications. Alex possesses a particular interest in media relations, having established and maintained relationships with myriad producers, editor and reporters from coast to coast. At (W)right On, he’s responsible for such strategic activities as content creation, media outreach, relationship building, client reporting, etc. A native of Southern California, Alex earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a minor in public relations from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
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 is formerly a Board Director of the San Diego Venture Group (now Connect San Diego – the region’s venture capital ecosystem). Grant is a two-time Finalist for the San Diego Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Awards, and currently is in his second year as Chair of the North American chapter of the International PR Network (IPRN) based in Brussels, Belgium. He is also one of five board directors chosen by its worldwide membership for a second year to lead IPRN globally. A resident of and advocate for San Diego, and with (W)right On being a prominent tenant in San Diego’s iconic Emerald Plaza, Grant also serves on the board of directors of the Downtown San Diego Partnership.
During his free time, Grant enjoys scuba diving, hiking and family time. 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 $500,000 in student scholarship grants since the organization’s inception.
David Cumpston
Associate Vice President, Lifestyle & Hospitality
David brings more than 22 years of communication experience to (W)right On’s client partners, currently overseeing the agency’s hospitality, tourism, senior living, wellness and education practice areas. He has developed and successfully led strategic communications for numerous prominent brands including JP Morgan Chase, Oakmont Management Group, Aramark, San Diego Tourism Marketing District, SEGA, RISE Healthcare Group, Horizon Organic, Visit Napa Valley, Stanford Children’s Hospital, Orbitz, Best Western, Walmart and Velodyne Lidar.
He is a two-time winner of Bulldog Media’s Best Response to Breaking News Award and earned a bachelor degree in Mass Communication & Public Relations from Texas State University. David cemented his love for travel early on and has visited more than 45 countries on six continents; he’s also passionate about dogs and, in particular, his Chiweenie mix, Dora.
Larry Smalheiser
Vice President, B2B & Tech
Larry is a strategic communications and PR pro who brings more than 20 years’ in-house, agency and independent experience driving brand visibility, supporting sales growth, and establishing executives as thought leaders in the B2B and B2C spaces. He has a track record of building, leading, and excelling on cross-functional global teams for emerging and established brands including Sony, Dell, VMware, RSA, Xerox, Virgin Galactic, Underwriters Laboratories, Purfresh, Radiant Logic, Sumo Logic and more. He regularly serves as mentor to business and community organizations and has earned two PRSA Silver Anvil Awards for his work over the years.
Larry most recently served as Public Relations and Analyst Relations Lead at Sony Electronics, where he worked closely with Sony Electronics North America President & COO, and the global team. He holds a Master’s degree, is fluent in Japanese and Spanish, and lives in San Diego with his wife and their rescue Morkie, Cookie.
Felicia Watson
Associate Vice President, Creative Services
With a proven track record of success and more than 20 years of design and marketing experience, Felicia approaches each project with a commitment to create an impactful design that achieves results. Responsible for leading the agency’s creative services that integrate print and digital graphic design, online programming, videography, editing and photography, Felicia also oversees agency services including animation, motion graphics, and emerging technologies including augmented/virtual reality and holography as they may be integrated in strategic communication programs.
Through the course of her career, Felicia has created effective marketing campaigns for many notable domestic and international brands including the Motion Picture Association of America, Kirkland, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, bliss Skincare, City National Bank, Abbott Diagnostics, KB Home and more.
Felicia was named a 2023 San Diego Business Journal Leader of Influence in Advertising, PR & Marketing. Felicia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Diego and enjoys keeping abreast of new creative technologies in the ever-evolving field of marketing communications.
Corie Fiebiger
Senior Communications Strategist
With more than 10 years of experience in prior marketing roles 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.
Brian Wright
Communications Program Analyst
Responsible for communication programs research and analysis, Brian provides administrative and functional support to the agency’s program leads as well as senior management. With experience managing a retail store in the complex pool supply industry, Brian is a key contributor for social media programs, media relations, content development, vendor management, software programs oversight and other critical program aspects. He brings an innate sense of the agency’s GSD attitude to help ensure the agency remains at the industry forefront.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, is an FAA-licensed Private Pilot, and is an accomplished musician and music producer in his spare time.
Shae Geary
Director, Hospitality Communications
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.
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.
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.
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.
Grant Wright
Corie Fiebiger
Shae Geary
Roman Lukjanenko
Phelan Riessen
Katrina Early
Hamish Marshall