Scott Kiner, CEO

Son of baseball Hall-of-Famer, Ralph Kiner, Scott grew up in the sports radio broadcasting world, and began his career with the major radio networks and ESPN. As local radio station manager, Scott founded the Palm Springs Radio Broadcasters Association, and went on to run a national radio syndication company with his stepfather, Jack Whitaker.

Scott has more than 29 years experience in the industry. He has been actively involved with CVEP, is past Board Chairman of the Riverside County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and currently serves on the Board of the United Way of the Desert.

Chris Hunter, President

Chris has more than 29 years of experience, and has worked both client and agency side. She joined the agency in 2000, moving from Vancouver, Canada, where she had worked for DDB and Grey Advertising with such clients as Starbucks, Safeway, and Tourism British Columbia.

Chris is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, as well as Dale Carnegie and Leadership Coachella Valley. She recently served for a several years on the Board of the Advertising Federation of the Desert and the Board of the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves on the Marketing Committee of CVEP.

Linda Furbee, Vice President/Account Director

Linda joined the agency in 2006, and has more than 27 years experience. With a career focus on economic development and the tourism and hospitality industries, over the years she has worked for the City of La Quinta and the City of Indian Wells.

Linda has managed local, national, and international sponsorships for special events, including the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament, the Bob Hope Classic Golf Tournament, the Palm Springs Film Festival, and the Frank Sinatra Golf Tournament.

Casey Dolan, Marketing Analyst/Online Specialist

Recruited to be the first local morning host at KMRJ Radio, Casey’s show immediately became one of the top rated shows in the valley. Six years at KMRJ were followed by positions at KKUU and KCLB where, despite vastly different formats, Casey’s radio program continued to dominate the ratings until he decided to leave the microphone behind to pursue a career in marketing.

During his radio career, he was heavily involved in all aspects of the media from copywriting to promotions to production to media sales. He combines the skills of creating great content with the technical know-how to produce interesting and compelling social media. Casey holds a B.A. in Business Administration from California State San Bernardino.

Ellen Paris, Director of Public Relations

Ellen knows both sides of working with the media. She spent two decades as a national business journalist, columnist and magazine editor. Ellen was a staff writer with Forbes for twelve years in the Los Angeles bureau.

In addition, Ellen has written numerous travel and lifestyle features. She wrote a regular column for Entrepreneur Magazine for four years, she was the editor of Palm Desert Magazine and, for five years, she was the personal finance columnist for Palm Springs Life.

Sheila Kiner, Vice President

After graduating from the University of Toledo with a BA degree, Sheila decided to go west to the “golden state”. With more than 22 years of experience in the healthcare field throughout Southern California, Sheila has extensive experience in operations, business development and marketing.

She has worked for large national companies such as Interim Healthcare, Nursefinders, and Staffbuilders. After building a successful partnership with prestigious ScrippsHealth, the Managed Home Care Congress ask her to teach others how to develop effective alliances.

Steve Johnsen, Vice-President/Creative Director

A native of Southern California and a fine arts graduate of California State University, Long Beach, Steve joined the agency in 2001. He has more than 29 years experience and owned his own Los Angeles design firm for over 10 years, before moving to Oregon and, 4 years later, returning to the sunshine in Southern California.

A recipient of numerous awards over the years, Steve’s business expertise is in corporate identity, annual reports, catalogs and other collateral materials. His award-winning work over the years has included such clients as Honda, Toyota, Speedo, UCLA, Harry & David, and Jackson & Perkins.

Jozelle May, Graphic/Web Designer

Originally from Thousand Oaks, Jozelle has more than 13 years experience in graphic design and web development. Prior to joining the agency in 2006, she was an Assistant Director of Web Services, where she was responsible for maintaining over 170 client websites and for customizing html and flash website designs.

Jozelle began her career education at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, where she received her A.A. Degree in Digital Design and Production. She has extensive knowledge of website development.

Sandy Piedra, Media Director

Sandy joined the agency more than 16 years ago, coming from positions in Los Angeles with Positive Response Television (now Quantum Television) and Inter/Media Advertising, a direct response firm.

In addition, Sandy has been an independent event-planning consultant for more than 10 years, and has previous experience in the hospitality industry.