Stephanie Goodman
CEO/MANAGING DIRECTOR

Since sometime in the early 90's, Stephanie Goodman has worked as a marketing professional, specializing in hospitality. Her experience spans the agency spectrum, from media buying to print production to account service. As an Account Executive and Director, her understanding enables her to market a range of products for companies that include national brands, independent corporations and boutique operations. Her background includes work with spas, financial services companies, Internet marketing agencies, and hotel ownership and management companies. Past hotel clients include Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Interstate Hotels, Starwood, Marriott, Westin, St. Regis, Continuum Partners, Belmar Center and Lucky Strike Lanes.

In addition to hotels, Stephanie’s experience includes golf courses, conference centers, real estate developments, entertainment venues and motherhood.

Stephanie’s expertise lies in identifying and understanding challenges that are unique to every client, and in addressing them in solution-oriented ways.

Stephanie graduated from University of Wisconsin Madison with a degree in Consumer Science and an emphasis in Marketing in 1992. (Note: She's not a real scientist.)

George Simkins
PRESIDENT

George Simkins spent nearly twenty years in commercial film production, and from 1996 - 2002 he produced and managed more than 100 national commercials and television programs. Past clients include Charles Schwab, Pepsi, Sears, SC Johnson, Disney, the Houston Rockets, Kraft Foods, Cadillac, Jeep, Mercedes Benz and the San Francisco Jazz Festival. He has been responsible for millions of dollars in production budgets, and has worked across the country and around the globe.

While in San Francisco, he founded Pour Boys Productions, the city’s celebrated theater company, and directed and produced shows that earned the company a host of acting and directing awards.

George worked as Senior Copywriter for "another agency" from November 2002 to December 2006.

Creatively, he functions as a Big Picture Man – a Conceptualist – a PT Barnum of sorts; and as President, he manages the day-to-day operations of Vis-à-vis Creative.

Though he seems older, George graduated from San Francisco State University in 1995, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema (that's right – Cinema) with an emphasis on American Genres. He is a member of the American Marketing Association.

Jennifer Sage
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Armed with a cutting sense of irony, an encyclopedic appreciation of pop culture, and veins that course with rampant creativity, Jennifer Sage designs from within to produce campaigns of nuance and purpose. Jennifer is an expert at creating branding campaigns, a skill that landed her a job at "that other agency," a Bucktown Chicago design shop, where she assumed the role of Creative Director for Kimpton Hotels, a boutique hotel group based in San Francisco. Her creative work can be seen in any of the more than forty-five Kimpton Hotels located across the country.

For Vis-à-vis Creative, she steers the creative direction, and is personally involved with the top-level design approach developed for every client. Her industry experience includes work in the real estate sector, financial services industry, and travel.

A Cowgirl at heart, Jennifer graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design.

Shannon Fiene
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

If Vis-à-vis Creative were a sandwich, Shannon would be the peanut butter that holds us all together. She joined Vis-à-vis Creative years ago, and is sometimes referred to as "Employee #1."

As Account Executive, she handles client communication, and is responsible for managing projects, trafficking jobs, working with vendors and communicating the needs of clients to our pretentious creative team. Her ability to follow the money really lets her love of numbers shine.

A strong background in printing and 4 years of client management experience have ensured she has a job with us, even with the weak economy.

Shannon graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 2003. So, “Go Badgers!”

Christopher McEvoy
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA

As evidenced by the Seussian visage that recalls the wonder of Solla Sallew when he sits down to his computer, Christopher McEvoy is passionate about interactive media. Self-taught, he built his first Web site for his own wedding in 1998, and hasn't stopped since; he has shepherded hundreds of websites, videos, DVDs, and other interactive media projects from inception to completion.

At Vis-à-vis Creative, Christopher continues to develop and manage digital media campaigns, from small to large, across a range of industries.

Christopher graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Craft (think Silver Smithing & Jewelry Design), with an emphasis on Studio Arts.

Kris Mocny
ART DIRECTOR

Kris is an accomplished designer with a blend of creative and technical expertise, coupled with a strong background in print and web design. (So yeah, he can do it all.) Kris has helped clients develop corporate and brand identities, as well as print and multi-media collateral.

When not imagineering at a computer monitor the size of a windshield, Kris can be found mixing and mashing things up behind the turntables of some off-the-hook Chicago house party, or peering through the lens of his girlfriend’s Hasselblad.

It's no surprise that Kris's distorted approach to life and work is influenced, at least in part, by his affinity for the works of Salvador Dalí. And he has no problem with letting the office know his favorite book is "Going Rogue" by Sarah Palin.*

Kris graduated from Columbia College, Chicago in 2004 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts.

*This is actually untrue – he mourns the passing of JD Salinger, and not just because he identifies with Holden Caulfield.

Alison White
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Alison White is a fresh burst of creativity. Just ask her. No, but seriously – she’s one of the few graduates of Dominican University (in May 2009!) with a graphic design degree who is actually working in the design industry, and that’s a real achievement, so WHOOP! WHOOP!

The root of Alison’s passion for graphic design developed from her experience working with clients to design original graphics and custom stationery. Alison landed at Vis-à-vis Creative Concepts during a summer internship in 2008, and has since stretched a double into a triple. She has also gained insight and experience doing freelance work for non-profit organizations, and with independent graphic designers.

Her excellent conceptual and production skills captured the eye and the envy of several fund raising and marketing companies. Much of Alison’s creative inspiration comes from her European travels, love for textiles and an eye for fashion. (But she is in no way stuck up. Seriously – you will like her. We do. A lot. A whole lot.)

Benjamin Lovejoy
CREATIVE DIRECTOR – THE WEST

'Creative Director' can mean a lot of things, and Benjamin has spent the past 15 years demonstrating how many talents and skills he can cram into that bucket. He's developed marketing, advertising and design communications at some of San Francisco’s premier agencies. With a foundation in brand origination and identity design, Benjamin now works in media (new, old, and multi-) on all manner of campaigns (ad, direct, interactive, and non-traditional).

Before joining Vis-à-vis, Benjamin was the creative cock-of-the-walk at The M-Line and 300FeetOut, and was one of the founding partners of Lovejoy Creative, his own multidisciplinary agency. His clients have included 24 Hour Fitness, San Francisco Opera, Insight Communications and the Academy of Friends. Before heading out on his own, Benjamin rose through the ranks to senior art director at Goldberg & Associates, a design and advertising agency serving the semiconductor and capital equipment industries in the Silicon Valley.

(Translation: he's the smartest guy in the room.)

Benjamin has served in leadership roles for the Graphic Artists Guild and is an active member of the AIGA. When he's not meditating, raising his daughter, taking photographs, blogging, making art, twittering or brewing kombucha he sometimes teaches and lectures on identity design and communication.

Areta Ljubicic
COPYWRITER

Areta began as an Account Manager, but, deciding she needed to "live deep and suck all the marrow out of life," she quickly found her niche as an ace copywriter. (This relieves her parents, by the way, who were adamant Areta find a way to put her journalism degree to work.) As a fully-fledged creative participant, she focuses her talents on expressing the vision of our clients through eloquent prose.

Areta, whose name rhymes with Loretta, graduated from DePaul University with an M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising in 2008. Her loyalties, however, will always lie with Indiana University Bloomington, where she completed her aforementioned undergraduate studies in 2006 with a B.A. in Journalism.

Gina Salamone
TEMPORARILY PERMANENT PART TIME INTERN

Gina is a senior at DePaul University. She studies Public Relations and Advertising, with a minor in Business Administration. (See where this is going? She studies advertising, and she's INTERNING at an ad agency! How many people out there actually work in the field they majored in? How many?)

Gina's previous experience includes work with one of Chicago's leading General Contractors, where she created advertisements and the company’s very first web site. She also worked with a start up eco-friendly company where she helped create ads and develop a production schedule for the launch of their new online store (…and this is where her very valuable hyper organization skills were first put to the test).

Tamara Blanich
BOOKKEEPER

Tamara has more than twenty years bookkeeping and office management experience, and that's a lot. She enjoys doing her work in a creative environment and has provided accounting services for architectural, design, and consulting firms prior to joining the staff of Vis-à-vis, and she’s constantly comparing us to them.

Tamara graduated from Indiana University and worked and studied dance in New York before moving to Chicago. She became a licensed massage therapist in 2001 and continues to explore her many interests, which include languages, travel, music, dance and alternative health. We're still waiting for the complimentary massage treatments during lunch.