Mintz & Hoke Inc.

TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Office Employees	0-50
Total US	0-50
Total Worldwide	0-50
Discretionary Comments:
We are dedicated to fostering supplier and partner relationships based on the diversity that reflects our broad client spectrum whenever possible. We believe in creating opportunities for our community partners to succeed.

BIOS

Ron Perine, Managing Principal + CEO

Ron has been overseeing the financial health of the agency for over 25 years. He has nurtured and developed the digital offerings while adhering to best practices from a security and development point of view. Ron has played many roles from IT guru to CFO to COO and finally CEO. His in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the agency allows him to provide the best possible guidance when managing the outcome of projects. The knowledge and insight that Ron has gleaned from his BOD experiences and constant interaction with other CEOs in the industry plays a major role in all initiatives.

Ron has touched, in some way, shape or form every client engagement that the agency has been lucky enough to work on over the past 25 years. In his current role, Ron serves as Managing Principal of Mintz + Hoke, as well as the lead legal and financial advisor. He is ultimately accountable for the overall success of the agency and plays a key role in the digital offerings. Ron’s expertise and knowledge of many content management systems (CMS), ranging from WordPress to Sitecore provides guidance when deciding on the purchase and integration of the CMS. Ron has implemented many enterprise systems and is keenly aware of the intricacies of making disparate systems speak to each other.

Honors/Awards:
Ad Club Hall of Fame Inductee

Sara-Beth Donovan, Principal, President of Media Only

Sara-Beth has been creating integrated media programs that raise the bar and exceed client expectations while taking their media dollars further. From corporations to state agencies to consumer brands, she brings a strategic foundation to everything she does. Her partnerships in the media community serve as an asset for partners and clients looking to extend their investment.

Sara-Beth has planned and purchased media in over 46 countries for premier brands looking to reach the most complex audiences and decision makers. In her current role, Sara-Beth serves as Principal of both the Mintz + Hoke Media practice, as well as the Media Only division which partners with outside creative agencies for media services delivery on behalf of their client campaigns.

- Partner with media organizations to build customized media activations that blend paid, earned, and owned media for total consumer immersion. Media sales teams can be the best internal ambassadors agencies and clients can have to ensure they get the best visibility throughout all platforms.

- Measure, refine and optimize continually to demonstrate ROI and substantial added value. Campaigns need to be adjusted constantly to maximize investments and remain relevant to consumers.

- Aligning campaign positioning in the development of media strategy for optimal creativity. This allows for differentiation, particularly in cluttered categories.

- Utilize advanced technology platforms to deliver highly targeted, highly efficient campaigns.

Honors/Awards:
Hartford Business Journal “40 Under 40”
Hartford Business Journal “Women in Business”

Kara Mitchell, Principal, Client Service

Kara has been navigating complex strategic assignments for Connecticut’s public and private institutions for over 15 years. Key to each assignment is an integrated approach to communications to break through the fragmented media landscape of today and reach audiences in many different ways. And, to build assignments that are accountable with performance metrics built-in.

As both a PR and advertising professional, Kara has wide experience planning, designing, and implementing community involvement, healthcare and human services, defense, retail, and consumer goods campaigns.

Kara has created or led public education and involvement campaigns around:
- CT’s state-based insurance marketplace, Access Health CT
- Opioid addiction
- Lead poisoning prevention
- Elder care, Medicare and Medicaid
- Support for people with disabilities – employment, independent living and anti-stigma.

In addition, Kara has overseen the agency’s work within the Defense category working on many project, including branding and recruitment campaigns for Leonardo DRS.

Serving as Marketing Director with Westfield Corporation, Kara worked with government relations teams and local municipalities to gain public input around expansion and development plans for Connecticut’s three malls—Westfield Meriden, Westfield Trumbull, and Westfield Connecticut Post.

With InterCommunity, Inc., she took on the state’s opioid epidemic by leading the team that developed public forum events—taking the conversation to the community and providing a platform for community members to ask questions and learn more from Connecticut’s State Senators, Representatives, medical experts, and persons in recovery.

Kara has also built numerous integrated marketing campaigns with an emphasis on digital marketing tactics and measurement leveraging her Google certification.

Honors/Awards :
Hartford Business Journal “40 Under 40”

Andrew Wood, Principal, Strategy

Andrew has led the research and strategic planning aspects of Mintz + Hoke’s client engagements since the late 80s. He is the indispensable interface between Connecticut audiences, strategy/planning, and creative development. He has also developed and led a consultative strategic planning process that has been proven over hundreds of brand engagements.

Developed message strategy and brand communications program for successful donor recruitment and fund-raising campaign for specialized Connecticut Children’s hospital. This included significant community outreach, research with multi-constituent opinion leaders, and conducting many public discussion groups instrumental in the development of plans and project design and implementation.

- Led major research and planning initiative for Federally funded social services campaign designed to help connect people with disabilities with employment opportunities. The program identified a strategy that inspired a new program name and brand identity by launching an integrated multi-audience campaign that significantly increased awareness of the program and connected people with disabilities with employment opportunities.

- Designed and implemented a strategic communications planning program for the University of Connecticut Hospital successfully uniting multiple stakeholder groups and resulting in introduction of new a brand identity and brand campaign theme that inspires an ongoing communications program.

- Managed the research and strategy development for the launch of the Connecticut transportation service brand. This includes audience segmentation strategy, brand positioning, and message platform that is driving the creation of a multi-audience, multi-channel communications campaign with emphasis on community outreach programs and public relations.

- Directed research and strategy development for CT health insurance exchange brand, leading a team of consultants, stakeholders, researchers, and multi-cultural marketing partners. Included identification and prioritization of enrollment targets, preliminary models for sources of volume, geo/demo targeting, customer segmentation studies, brand positioning development, and creative concept development supported by all forms of multi-channel research. All facets of the program included a multicultural marketing component.

- Led agency team in the management of Transit Security Awareness campaign—See Something. Say Something. Orchestrated strategic planning to better understand how to develop messages that will overcome audience heuristics and biases to get the public to act and report suspicious behavior.

Sean Crane, Chief Creative Officer

Sean has been an influential creative leader in advertising, both locally and nationally, for more than 30 years. He has worked on everything from packaged goods to cars, sports to spirits and, tourism to tech. Throughout his career, he has created numerous campaigns for state and federal agencies and programs. Sean has won just about every creative award in the industry and is responsible for many memorable campaigns across a myriad of products and services.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Mintz + Hoke, Sean is responsible for the overall creative output of the agency, including all written and visual content. He oversees and manages the creative department while working collaboratively with all other departments. He is a firm believer that a great idea isn’t really great without the right sensibility. How ideas are executed is as important as the ideas themselves.

Sean led creative across all disciplines for the highly successful National Park “Find Your Park” campaign, including traditional media, social, digital, activation and PR. Leading up to the centennial year celebration in 2016, Sean came up with a simple idea — to redefine the word “Park” for current and future generations of Americans. To actually make it happen would be a mammoth undertaking. Starting from zero, the entire campaign was self-funded by signing corporate sponsors like Budweiser, Subaru, REI, and American Express. Celebrities, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bella Thorne, and Bill Nye were also brought on board. Even two first ladies and the president himself joined the cause (one of Sean’s proudest moments was writing the talking points that the president echoed in at least six speeches). In addition to being the creative lead on all work, Sean’s photography was used extensively throughout the campaign.

Since returning home to Connecticut, Sean has touched every account at Mintz + Hoke, including new campaigns for My Place CT, Access Health CT, and Women’s Health CT.

Lynette McCarthy, Principal, Broadcast Buying

Bob Bernarduci, Director of Public Relations

An innovative and top-performing marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in Public Relations marketing and communications, Robert Bernarduci possesses proven strengths in PR strategy, program development, and brand storytelling. Bernarduci mixes the art with the science of communications and demonstrates a track record of significant achievements in PR programming, advertising, and digital/social media. Highly focused on small business marketing models, Bernarduci has guided entrepreneurs and franchisees in retail, food service, and consumer packaged goods to make their brand stories sing and registers ring.

Before joining Mintz + Hoke, Robert Bernarduci founded and led Jessella Marketing | Communications, an agency delivering creative, innovative, and revenue-generating solutions in public relations, digital advertising, social media marketing, branding, editorial consulting, event management, and media tours. Bernarduci has provided PR services in such practice areas as retail, food service, healthcare, technology, consumer packaged goods, and publishing.

- Partnered with over 100 Dunkin’ franchisee business organizations in the Northeast (CT/VT/Western MA), including 600 restaurants, to develop customized market-specific PR/ Marketing Strategies

- Created PR/digital and social media marketing campaigns for Dunkin’ Brands garnering over 14.6MM impressions per year

- Created competitive blunting marketing strategies for over 60 locations in New England and Mid-Atlantic regions

- Partnered and worked directly with entertainment and designer celebrities to pitch and produce Satellite Media Tours for celebrity-designed / inspired fashion brands and secured media outlets for each event, including such venues as Today, The View, ET, Access Hollywood, E-News, etc.

- Launched several celebrity fragrance lines incorporating press junkets, promotional events, and SMTs.

- Clients include Dunkin’ Brands, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Kohl’s, Planet Fitness, Wells Fargo, David’s Bridal, Davidoff, COTY, CNET, New England Donor Services, The Next Street, LPL- Bolvin Wealth Management.

Rena Astle, Director of Project Management + Creative Services

Rena is an analytical and proactive project manager with 10+ years agency experience owning all stages of a project lifecycle from inception through to delivery that exceeds expectations on time and on budget.

Rena is responsible for the internal planning, directing, and coordination of account-related operations, focusing on improving performance, productivity, and efficiency through the implementation of effective methods and strategies. Rena will work with the team from day one to ensure a seamless transition from proposal to execution.

Connecticut Department of Transportation:
Worked closely with the Creative Director to orderly manage creative resources and deadlines for the integrated campaign for Transit Security Awareness-See Something. Say Something. Oversaw all creative requirements and deliverables including print, digital, video, and radio.

Department of Social Services:
Designed and executed an integrated campaign for My Place CT, focused on developing communication strategies for the state’s Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) program.

Hartford Symphony Orchestra:
Worked closely with the creative team to execute a campaign aimed to inspire those with no personal stake in symphony. The campaign included bold guerrilla art installations and unexpected structural placements throughout the Greater Hartford region.