“At initiate-it, we invest in technology, education and people so we can deliver optimal results. Having good people doing the right thing creates and builds trust for our agency’s internal culture and for our clients.”

A born entrepreneur, Andrew takes tremendous pride in the steady growth of the agency he founded over 10 years ago when he saw that advertising with shifting from traditional channels to digital. Under his guidance, initiate-it was named one of Richmond’s fastest-growing companies with an impressive portfolio of local, regional, national and even global clientele. He and his team have created successful, results-oriented digital marketing and social media campaigns for some of America’s most trusted brands. His reputation for helping consumer brands connect and engage with current and potential customers through nimble, highly creative digital marketing strategies and tactics has elevated him to the status of a respected thought-leader in the industry. He was invited to be a featured presenter at several national Digital Summit conferences. Also, he was asked to author an article for an international publication, the Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing, sharing a case study of a multifaceted campaign that significantly increased in-store sales for a national retailer. Andrew’s adventurous, no-fear approach to pushing the boundaries of creativity in digital media also extends to his vacations, where he tests his survival skills by bonefishing alone on the flats outside of McLean’s Town in the Bahamas. A graduate of Radford University, Andrew is married and the proud Dad of a son and daughter.

“initiate-it’s unique mix of strong digital and production teams can generate e-commerce or in-store sales with intoxicating creative deliverables.”

As Chief Revenue Officer for initiate-it, Holland is responsible for aligning all of the agency’s revenue streams including sales, marketing, growth and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining initiate-it, he owned and operated a digital agency where he worked with a number of major brands such as Lego, Web.com, MGM Resorts, Crunch Fitness and Virginia International Raceway. He was drawn to join the team at initiate-it because of the agency’s ability to execute at such a high level and their ability to guide clients through many layers of technology. He’s especially excited about leveraging the agency’s breadth of capabilities for the retail rebound that’s projected to occur in the 2020s and beyond. Holland earned a bachelor’s degree at VCU, where his favorite subject was – no surprise, here! – entrepreneurship. In fact, he even ran his own reclaimed wood business at one time and enjoyed crafting pieces rich in character that brought new life to old wood. He comes from a long line of cooks and is passionate about creating original dishes with lots of flavor for his wife and two young daughters.

“It’s so rewarding to get positive feedback from clients on how our efficient digital advertising spend resulted in significant increases in sales and/or engagement.”

Sarah’s role at initiate-it has grown exponentially since she joined the agency in 2013 as a part-time employee. Her organizational skills and creative talents quickly led to a full-time position as Account Executive, where she excels at developing strategy and execution on digital marketing campaigns for our largest clients including a global sales training franchisor. While attending conferences for the franchisees, she often hears how initiate-it’s expertise in creating highly effective digital marketing tactics has benefited them at the local level. This seasoned pro has also added Operations to her responsibilities at the agency. An enthusiastic team player, she loves watching her colleagues get excited when they experience an “Aha” moment that will elevate a client’s brand or have a great idea to share. A graduate of Longwood University, she took classes in criminology and psychology, and learned skills that she uses in client work. She prefers doing anything outdoors and lives in RVA’s Museum District, where she walks and bikes to nearby breweries and restaurants—often in search of sushi or Asian cuisine.

“I have a deep respect for building client relationships and doing what’s best for them. I try to think like a client and that makes me a stronger agency partner.”

Lauren joined the team at initiate-it in September 2021. A 17-year veteran of the advertising business, she first worked in traditional media planning and buying on many large national accounts. She then moved more into the digital side of media, focusing on efficient targeting methods to help clients reach their audience. As Senior Account Director, she exercises her special superpower for 360-view strategic planning because she manages campaign development and execution for several of the agency’s largest accounts. She has a gift for taking clients on a journey from planning to implementation to optimization to successful conclusion of a marketing campaign. A graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY)-Cortland, where she met her husband, Lauren prepared for her career by studying business economics with a minor in communication. Her off-work hours are mostly filled with cheering her son and daughter on at baseball and soccer games or going for a long run when not at the fields. A favorite downtime activity is playing Golden Tee, a golf arcade game, with her husband on date nights.

“I love the photography and production side of the agency business, especially working in our expanded in-house studio.”

Mary Grace joined initiate-it in 2017 after graduating from James Madison University’s School of Media Arts & Design. Rising to the position of Art Director, she expertly manages the majority of the agency’s production work including photography, videography and graphic design. She is our go-to resource when clients of all sizes and industry categories request high-quality photo and video elements, as well as animation, in their digital marketing campaigns. Some of the cutting-edge production skills she has honed at initiate-it involve stop-motion and motion-based photography. A self-described nerd about interior design, she admits to reading textbooks on that topic like other people read novels. She also frequents antique shops and thrift stores in her leisure time, along with visiting museums and restaurants in the Fan neighborhood of Richmond. This art lover dabbles in everything from painting to calligraphy and laughs about her obsession for always re-arranging the furniture.

“I like watching a social media campaign go in the right direction and knowing that I helped make it happen. Digital advertising is a fascinating world that is always evolving.”

Since joining the initiate-it team as Digital Marketing Coordinator in the Spring of 2021, Hayley has leaned into the digital advertising space in a big way. She helps to design and launch organic social media campaigns for clients and the agency, along with analyzing and reporting data from the campaigns. Her social media skillset has broadened through the collaborative culture of learning at initiate-it, and she’s well on her way to teaching a master class in how strategic social media advertising can reach specific target audiences during a campaign. After earning a degree in creative advertising from VCU’s Mass Communications program, she began her career at a winery in the Shenandoah Valley, where she handled social media, photography and digital advertising before becoming a marketing assistant at a company specializing in scientific instruments and then finding a home at initiate-it. She lives in historic Church Hill and enjoys cooking and trying new restaurants. A budding botanist, she experiments with propagating plants from clippings and tracking their growth.

“There are so many opportunities for growth in designing and my end-goal was always to work for an agency.”

A member of the initiate-it team since June 2021, Kathryn has wholeheartedly embraced her role as a Junior Graphic Designer. She collaborates with Mary Grace and Alyssa to build a portfolio of digital assets for our clients’ social media campaigns. Also, she assists with social media campaign design and execution while learning the ropes on how an agency operates. A native of Virginia Beach, she had worked as a graphic designer for a home services company and later as a marketing coordinator for a mortgage company. Those experiences have brought valuable insights to our work for clients in similar industry categories. While working as a barista at Starbucks, this resourceful go-getter took advantage of the company’s College Achievement Plan and she earned a degree in graphic information technology through an online program at Arizona State University. An avid reader who loves living in historic Church Hill, she cites traveling and going to the beach as favorite activities along with listening to historical podcasts and watching true crime documentaries. What’s one of her hidden talents? Playing the ukulele!

“I’m really looking forward to gaining a deep understanding of our clients and challenging myself to deliver exciting work for them.”

Maddie Pullen kicked off 2022 with a new job as a Junior Designer at initiate-it. She works closely with other team members at the agency to help strategize, design, execute and analyze digital and traditional assets, including social media posts, digital ads, landing pages and motion graphics. One of her favorite things about the culture of innovation at initiate-it is having the autonomy to design assets that meet and exceed a client’s expectations. Her passion to pursue a career in a creative field led her to major in art history at Sewanee: The University of the South, where she spent a semester abroad studying Renaissance and Medieval art. She headed for The Big Apple after graduation to work in some art galleries. Returning to Richmond during the pandemic, she launched a career switch to graphic design and hasn’t looked back. Prior to joining initiate-it, she took online classes to uplevel her growing skill-set in graphic design and also did freelance work in digital marketing at the VCU School of Business. In her off-hours, she enjoys designing wrapping paper and stationery as well as exploring new restaurants – especially Italian! – in the Fan and Church Hill neighborhoods of Richmond.

“What I love about this job is that we represent something bigger than ourselves. It’s not just about us as a company, it’s about all the other companies that we are here to help too.”

As an Account Coordinator at initiate-it, Kathryn DiSanti helps manage accounts in the agency’s portfolio. This includes ensuring effective communications with clients and supporting the sales and marketing teams with information about how the accounts are operating. She joined the agency in June 2022 after working for over a year at a financial advisory firm during the day and waiting tables at night in Charleston, S.C. following graduation from the College of Charleston. A chance remark from a friend’s mother about an opening at initiate-it led to her taking a leap of faith, boarding a plane, and traveling to RVA for an interview. This was a life-changing move because after getting the offer, only 3 short weeks later she packed up her things and moved to Richmond to work for initiate-it full time. A native of tiny Babylon Village on Long Island, N.Y., Kathryn is the only member of her family to have left the area. Growing up on the water, she earned her boater’s license before learning to drive a car. She also likes other activities such as surfing, long boarding, and exploring new places with friends. Now that she has more free time, she’s eager to start playing the piano again. A fan of playing classical music, she also plays current hits by ear and finds that concentrating on a song is a great way to focus brainpower on something besides work. Don’t be surprised if her colleagues ask for a tune by Adele or John Legend at the next agency happy hour!

“I love taking the customer on a journey through the sales funnel via a digital experience and motivating people to act on something that benefits our clients. It’s a cool puzzle to solve, like a Rubik’s cube.”

In a word, Denni is a rockstar at creating a series of automation-composed emails in her role as Direct Response Specialist. Her areas of expertise include CRM specialization, list segmentation, custom-designed communications and messages, technical setup, implementation and seamless integration into the campaign. When initiate-it’s digital marketing campaigns capture a lead, Denni nurtures the relationship throughout the customer/brand life cycle with the goal to ultimately end in a purchase or other desired action. That final step represents a customer’s decision to buy into a company’s reputation and brand – and Denni makes it happen by identifying with a potential customer’s pain points and creating personalized emails that convey a compelling sense of urgency to close the deal. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, she has worked in a number of fields during her career such as telecom and aerospace/defense, among others. In her leisure time, she and her husband enjoy off-roading in two big Jeeps, touring interesting architecture and fishing in the warm waters of the Florida Keys. Denni also attends tournaments of Magic: The Gathering, where she plays the game with cards and donates any winnings to various community causes. If she had a superpower, it would be to stop time – or at least slow it down – because she loves what she’s doing and doesn’t want her three adult children to get any older!

Billy Collins brings a broad range of brand management experience to initiate-it, after leading Mega Brands in the US like Aveeno, Lubriderm and RoC, the global billion dollar brand of Listerine, as well as serving as the CMO of the emerging challenger brand, Soapbox Soaps. Billy is most passionate about having the ability to meet someone, listen and then help solve their core brand and business challenges.

A digital native grounded in consumer behavior fundamentals, Billy approaches each brand individually to identify the best positioning unique to its category with a key focus on what matters to the target consumer. This approach was developed by leveraging traditional marketing strategies combined with emerging digital media tools to grow both retail and eCommerce business, working within both Fortune 100 and startup environments. The results that follow Billy come from leveraging strong communication and interpersonal skills to set a vision for the brand, to develop team members and to partner with all key stakeholders. Billy received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School because at the core, Billy’s about building bridges even though he will always pull for the Blue Devils.

Reach out to Billy here.