Kellie Searle
CEO & Chief Strategist
Marketing Strategy, Branding, Copywriting, Design
Kellie excels at developing strong marketing strategies and enjoys the challenge of discovering optimal ways to get attention, communicate, and persuade. An accomplished designer, her creative oversight guarantees that her clients’ marketing communications reinforce their brand in the most powerful way possible. Her job is to ensure that no matter what project Searle executes for its clients, it’s on target with both their brand story and their marketing objectives. Results matter.
Kellie holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from University of California Santa Barbara. Before launching Searle Creative in 2000, Kellie served as in-house copywriter for a $65 million agricultural brand, and prior to that she worked as an editor for Santa Barbara-based educational publisher ABC-CLIO. She also contributed articles and served as editor-at-large for a marketing trade magazine. Running Searle Creative is her favorite job ever.
Nicole Bosman
Digital Marketing Director
Digital & Social Marketing, SEO/SEM, Website User Experience
With over 25 years’ experience in the marketing field, Nicole worked in the start-up internet industry before beginning her career with Searle Creative Group in 2002. An accomplished graphic designer and web developer, she has worked in all levels of the development process, from requirements gathering through deployment on small- to large-scale web projects.
In digital marketing, where a campaign's success (or shortcomings) are almost immediately quantifiable, Nicole works tirelessly to ensure outstanding results for our clients. During her ten-plus years managing digital marketing at Searle, her creative ideas for social campaigns are second to none. Nicole's deep understanding of UX, commerce interaction, and online behavior makes her uniquely suited to lead Searle Creative’s search engine optimization and online marketing efforts on behalf of our clients. Nicole is also expert at social media strategy and paid search and social advertising strategy and management.
Aimee Allred
Creative Director
Creative Services Management, Web Design Management
A truly creative multi-talent who constantly pushes the envelope, Aimee brings a contemporary taste and unique perspective to all of the pieces she oversees, whether it’s an award-winning website, a high-profile logo, or an automated email marketing program.
Aimee is a careful curator of quality, pushing every project to be its absolute best. Not limited to brilliant creativity, she is also an exceptional analytical thinker, eagerly diving into new technology and solutions. When our clients need something really complex, Aimee is the one who can break the problem down, research and present the best solutions, and then manage the project toward its flawless conclusion. Aimee earned a certification in Graphic Design for Web from the Technology Development Center in Ventura, California and freelanced in both print and web for several years before joining Searle in 2010.
Kayla Wilde
Art Director
Web Design, Graphic Design, Photography
Kayla’s passion for design started in 2002. What intrigued her the most was the design process from the start to the finished product. Kayla started her formal training at Brooks Institute of Photography and graduated with a Bachelors in Visual Communications. Since joining Searle Creative in 2014, Kayla has proved to be a highly flexible production powerhouse, tackling everything from advertising to sales collateral, identity, email campaigns, and photography (and everything in between). Kayla maintains her knowledge of all social media platforms and keeps up with current market trends.
Joe Howard
Web Developer
Web Development, Web Design, Illustration
Joe is a craftsman by nature, with some 20 years' experience in magazine and website design. Joe is also very solutions-oriented, which led him into programming and development in the latter half of his career. He possesses an intricate knowledge of the technology that drives online functionality and is a stickler for upholding best practices. A front-end web developer and WordPress master, Joe has vast experience in PHP, CSS/CSS3, HTML/HTML5, e-commerce, and custom PHP. He enjoys planning the architecture of complex interactive elements and helping our clients take advantage of all the incredibly useful functionality their websites can offer.
Melissa Lenington
Digital Marketing Manager
Digital & Social Marketing Manager
Melissa's phenomenal work ethic and positive attitude make her one of the easiest people to work with on the planet. She’s also killer at social media and content marketing and an expert at analyzing and crunching the numbers so we can measure success. Melissa has a special interest in events and plays a huge role in getting the word out about the festivals and other events that Searle Creative promotes. Melissa holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Principia College in Illinois. She joined Searle Creative in 2014.
Google Analytics Certified
Kelly Myers
Art Director
Web Design, Graphic Design, Custom Illustration
Kelly attended Sonoma State University where she dabbled in everything from mathematics to metal sculpture, but never found her passion. She became interested in graphic design when her roller derby league found itself desperate for effective materials to market its events. Kelly stepped up, and she soon discovered a talent for layout and typography. In 2009 Kelly received her professional certification in Graphic Design for Web and Publishing from the Technology Development Center in Ventura. Her professional experience before joining Searle in 2016 includes five years in the art and marketing department of a major drinkware manufacturer. Kelly is an exceptionally talented illustrator. In fact, she’s our in-house infographic queen.
Josh Vance
Web Developer & Video Editor
Web Development, Search Engine Optimization, Video Editing
Josh loves anything that has to do with technology. With a range of experience in web development, graphic design, photography, video editing, and even IT, he is able to think on his feet to solve pretty much any challenge that is thrown at him (and we do throw our share). On staff at Searle Creative since 2017, Josh enjoys keeping up with the constantly evolving requirements of SEO in order to make sure that our clients’ sites rank as high as possible in organic search. His knack for deep research and meticulous work has also made him our in-house specialist for ADA compliance. Josh’s passion for technology and a constant desire to learn enables him to put his best foot forward with everything he does.
Google Analytics Certified
Google AdWords Certified
Gino Lambano
Director of Cinematic Arts
Video Production, Art Direction, Cinematography
As a filmmaker, Gino has worn all the hats: producer, director, cinematographer, and actor. Since joining Searle in 2019, he’s been leveraging his Hollywood background in storytelling for the benefit of our clients. Gino’s excellent eye for scene composition, camera angle, and movement is matched only by his extraordinary ability to find the heart of the story in each shot. When he serves as producer, Gino’s nearly bulletproof logistical skills and on-set leadership provide the atmosphere and creative space for capturing remarkable footage and images for our clients.
Peter Demaria
Web Developer
Web Development, Search Engine Optimization
Peter is a dynamic web developer, SEO/SEM and highly creative individual. He graduated with a Bachelor's in Studio Art with a focus in Graphic Design from the University of Missouri in Kansas City in 2008. He joined the Searle in 2020.
Always interested in computers, Peter scratch-built WordPress websites for his friends and family while studying graphic design. After graduating he gained professional expertise in everything from web development (ecommerce, HTML, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, CSS) to dev-ops, SEO/SEM and more.
Peter prides himself in his capacity to adopt the latest in development best practices and accessibility standards. Crafting high-quality, accessible, responsive web experiences, optimized inside and out.
Google Analytics Certified
Beth Brown
Web Development Manager
Web Development Manager, Custom Illustration
Beth earned a Bachelor of Science in Multimedia and Web Design from the Art Institute of California-San Francisco in 2005 and has been working in the industry ever since. Specializing in web design and front-end web development, Beth provides leadership in all phases of the production cycle, including special functionality, ADA compliance, and SEO. She also supervises our quality assurance process so that each website we publish is all but perfect. Her illustration and creative skills are phenomenal as well. With her double life as a professional artist, Beth brings a special perspective and a keen eye for detail to every project our clients are fortunate enough to have her touch.
Reese Burge
Project Manager
Client Communications, Project Trafficking, Digital Media
Reese graduated from San Diego State University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in international business and joined Searle Creative soon afterward. She studied marketing and business communications, developing a well-rounded understanding of business practices. Her easygoing personality along with her terrific organizational and communication skills make her incredibly reliable and easy to work with. Reese has a passion for travel, culture, and digital media and is looking forward to growing her knowledge and skills as she finds her niche in the marketing world.
Rachel Brethauer
Senior Copywriter & Content Strategist
Copywriting, Content Marketing and Strategy, Brand Storytelling
Rachel Brethauer is a multi-passionate creative obsessed with storytelling in all its forms. She started her career as a copywriter at Canada’s largest advertising agency, focused mainly on direct marketing and digital campaigns. Among her other creative roles, she has managed digital, content and email marketing for the Sundance Institute’s online learning platform, Sundance Collab, and taught screenwriting, television history, and media studies at Loyola Marymount University (LMU).
Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University, an Ontario Graduate Certificate in Media Copywriting from Humber College, and an MFA in Writing and Producing for Television from LMU.
Google Analytics Certified
Hubspot Certified
Andrew O'Brien
Associate Graphic Designer
Print and Digital Design, Branding
Andrew brings a fresh voice to the creative team after years working as a self-taught freelance designer. Specializing in print layout and identity design, he is interested in all things branding and typography. Andrew is currently attending the Los Angeles Film School to earn his bachelor’s in science in graphic design. When not designing, he can be found crate-digging for a new jazz album on vinyl or with his nose buried in a book or video game.
Diane Rumbaugh
Public Relations
Press Releases, Content Writing, Media Relations
Diane has been a public relations practitioner, developing and implementing public outreach plans for over 30 years, and we’ve been lucky enough to have her on our side since 2017. The wide range of clients she has worked with in her decades of service include cities, special districts, corporations, and events.
Her day-to-day work goes well beyond the traditional press releases and preparing client-bylined articles. She develops online PR strategies, creates outreach programs, and authors content. Diane routinely secures client interviews on radio and television programs, in print, and through online outlets. Diane works closely with the creative team to ensure that PR functions are integrated with overall marketing efforts.
Associates
Dustin Waller
Videographer/Photographer
Video Production, Graphic Design
Dustin’s passion for visual media started in 2005 when he photographed the volunteer efforts of Hurricane Katrina and landed a job for a magazine in Chicago, shooting commercial photography and video. Skilled at both graphic design and photo/video, Dustin soon became the creative director for the magazine. In 2011 he ventured out on his own and has been shooting food, fashion, commercial, and NGO efforts in third world countries. Dustin has a talent for capturing captivating imagery in any situation and producing engaging, effective videos.