CRISP Brand Agency: Professional Gaming 2008

TONY CRISP | Brand Strategist / Founder

Tony Crisp is the lead brand strategist of CRISP Brand Agency, an award-winning branding and integrated marketing agency located in Orange County, California. Since founding CRISP in 1991, Tony has been helping global and regional businesses solidify their marketing messages, establish and strengthen their branding and grow into powerhouses.   Thanks to Tony’s vision and brand acuity, the CRISP active client roster includes XFX, PINE Group, G4S International, G8 Brand Apparel and the University of California at Irvine.  A graduate of University of California at Irvine with a Bachelor of Science in biology, Tony also graduated from the MDE Entrepreneur Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. Tony has also taught Corporate Branding and Graphic Design at the Art Institute of California. Today, Tony serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the Santa Ana Artist Walk Association and is a member of the Ad Club of Orange County. He has served as Vice President of Marketing for the Executive Board of Directors of the University of California at Irvine Alumni Association and also has been on the Board of Advisors for the Art Institute of California.   Tony is an avid artist, and frequently exhibits his post-graffiti pop art at local galleries. He also surfs, enjoys traveling, and is the drummer for Velicious, an Orange County rock cover band.

ALAN YEUNG | Vice President/Client Services

As producer for CRISP Brand Agency, Alan Yeung is responsible for the management and execution of every CRISP project. A driving force in the development and growth of CRISP since 1994, Alan established many of the processes and systems that CRISP utilizes to increase productivity and enhance product quality. Today, Alan is at the helm of every CRISP client effort, coordinating each project so that it stays on schedule and on budget.   Alan majored in Business Administration at California State University at Fullerton and is a graduate of the MDE Entrepreneur Program at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. He has taught Project Management for Multimedia Projects at the Art Institute of California.   A mid-century architecture buff, Alan enjoys entertaining guests at his refurbished Eichler home. He also is an on- and off-road cycling enthusiast.

JIM LAWSON | Vice President / Business Strategy

Jim Lawson is a veteran professional with solid strategic planning, business analysis and management expertise that comes from more than 20 years of experience in the marketing and advertising industry. Jim has extensive experience in healthcare and medical marketing, as well as for real estate and professional service firms, and his body of work extends across more than 250 businesses representing a broad range of industries.   Jim received his MBA at the Drucker Graduate School of Management, Claremont Graduate University in 1982. He taught advertising at Vanguard College for four years.   Jim is a member of the Ad Club of Orange County and the Medical Marketing Association (MMA), and is the recipient of numerous industry awards recognizing creativity and excellence.

GREG SMITH | Controller

For more than seven years, Accounting Wizard Greg Smith has been keeping CRISP Brand Agency’s financials in order. A genius at numbers, Greg has significant experience working with small- to medium-sized businesses.  Prior to joining CRISP, Greg helmed his own accounting and tax practice, serving a range of clients including a software development company, a home care agency, several property management companies, a compressor service company, and more than 300 personal and corporate tax clients.   From October 1995 to June 1998, Greg served as controller for ARV Healthcare, a physical therapy company. Greg also has served as the Director of Corporate Accounting for E for M Corporation, a medical equipment company.  Greg received his B.S. degree in Accounting from California State University, Long Beach in 1977.

LORI WILDRICK | Copywriter / Account Executive

For more than 15 years, Lori Wildrick has worked with leading Orange County advertising agencies crafting compelling marketing messages for such national brands as the Coca-Cola Company, the Walt Disney Company, Buena Vista Pictures, Delta Airlines, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. and Denny's restaurants.A former editor for The Disney Magazine and Drag Specialties Magazine, Lori lends her literary expertise to CRISP’s expansive and varied body of work.  A graduate of California State University at Fullerton with a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising, Lori is avid about continuing education, and is pursuing additional credentials. Honored by both the L.A. Advertising Women and the Ad Club of Orange County, Lori’s work recently garnered a Silver Award from Multi-Channel Merchants for her Web copywriting.

STEPHANIE FRLEKIN | Account Executive

Mulit-talented Stephanie Frlekin comes to us from the entertainment world, where she has enjoyed a successful career as a singer working with major labels such as Island Def Jam Records and Maranatha Music. She also has been a guest on a variety of music videos.  Stephanie’s extensive talent for planning, organizing and executing everything from venue events to complete road tours has been utilized to great success by CRISP. She came on board and executed XFX’s wildly successful Challenge I Road Tour, managing all of the tour’s logistics, from casting and bus equipment to team travel and the execution of all on-road events. She also was instrumental in the public relations and marketing activities associated with the Challenge.  Also an accomplished clothing designer, Stephanie is helping to spearhead the design and marketing efforts of G8 Brand Apparel, a new fashion line designed by gamers for gamers. In addition, Stephanie is involved with ongoing account management for the agency’s largest account, XFX.  In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys singing, playing guitar, painting, surfing, and playing with her black pug, Stella.

TRISHA LYNCH | Account Executive

Trisha Lynch is the agency’s point person for both internal teams and outside vendors to ensure that every project moves efficiently. In charge of the agency’s Intranet and server, Trisha keeps all lines of communication open and functioning properly. A vital member of the CRISP team, Trisha is involved with all of the agency’s clients, ensuring that everything, from product launches to email blasts to print production, are executed to perfection.  An accomplished photographer, Trisha also brings a fresh eye to the design team. For more than ten years Trisha has taken her love for live concert photography on the road, photographing her favorite musicians in venues nationwide. A sought-after freelancer, Trisha’s photographs can be found in the Orange County Register, OC Home Magazine, 944 Magazine and Skratch Magazine, to name just a few.  A movie enthusiast, Trisha attended film school, which, she offers, attempts to brainwash students into hating mainstream offerings. In her spare time, Trisha can be found on the beach with her two dogs, Penny and Abbey, capturing the remaining musicians on her must-have photo list (watch out Paul McCartney), and going to the movies (sorry, film school, even blockbusters).  Trisha has a B.A. in Communications with a minor in Radio/Television/Film from California State University at Fullerton.

AMY EDEWARDS | Account Executive

Interested in both fashion and business, Amy Edewards focused on both during and after college. A graduate of California’s Concordia University with B.A. in Business Administration, Amy also attended Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing, where she earned an A.A. in Merchandise Marketing.

Upon graduation, Amy took on the responsibilities of Entertainment Marketing Coordinator for BCBG Max Azria, where she enjoyed her own “Devil Wears Prada” experience while coordinating photo shoots, scheduling showroom appointments, styling department store runway shows, working the Spring runway show for New York’s infamous fashion week, and assisting celebrity guests with all of their personal arrangements.

Amy joined Crisp Brand Agency in 2007, bringing with her the account management skills she honed during her tenure as an Account Manager at ACI Insurance Co. Today, Amy serves as account executive for a variety of Crisp clients, while also offering her apparel expertise to the agency’s apparel clients.

When not chasing down estimates, assigning new projects or checking existing stock, Amy still has the energy to enjoy snowboarding, running and hiking. An active volunteer, Amy also finds time to hang out with her family and her dog, Bessy.

JIN KIM | Creative Director

The ultimate multi-tasker, CRISP’s Creative Director, Jin Kim, finds that every day is unique. From wrangling design teams to crafting international campaigns for CRISPs varied clientele to brainstorming tour bus designs to evaluating office space, it’s all in a day’s work.  A graduate of the Art Center College of Design with a BFA in advertising design, Jin’s strong visual prowess enables him to play multiple roles on the CRISP design team. From lead creative to designer to project manager, Jin creates jaw-dropping creative that is on time and on budget. A skilled Adobe artist, Jin offers strong composition capabilities. And, his basic html knowledge makes him the office code go-to.  The kind of person who likes to take apart lawn mowers just to figure out how they work, Jin also enjoys breeding snakes, caring for the growing assortment of reptilian mascots residing at the agency, snowboarding and reading—often all at the same time.    

NAM HOANG | Creative Strategist

As Creative Director for CRISP Brand Agency, Nam Hoang is responsible for managing the design and production staff as well as overseeing all creative work product.   Currently an undergraduate student at the University of California at Irvine pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and psychology, Nam also has more than 10 years of computer technology expertise and has earned a Microsoft Certified Professional certification in networking and hardware technologies. Prior to joining CRISP, Nam was lead designer for Rare Medium, Inc. and Product Manager for Linksys, Inc., where Nam's expertise helped grow the brand into one of the world's leading networking manufacturers.   Nam is an active participant of the University of California at Irvine chapter of the American Advertising Federation and also manages a number of Internet design discussion forums.    

ADAM ROSS | Graphic Specialist

Inspired by a Photoshop class, design specialist Adam Ross immediately knew what the future held, and it was extremely graphic—as in graphic design. A recent graduate from Brooks College in Long Beach, California, Adam has wasted no time hitting the fast track and landing an opportunity to showcase his talents.  When he’s not hard at work creating eye-catching layouts and head-turning headlines, Adam enjoys snowboarding and a good game of Texas Hold ‘em. An acknowledged Chipotle addict, we are somewhat concerned that Adam’s interest in the studio may also have had something to do with the fact that his favorite restaurant is just around the corner.   We hope to enjoy Adam’s talents as long as possible, or at least until he discovers that his amazing Photoshop skills could really bring him the big bucks over at The National Enquirer.    

Monday, February 9, 2009

Professional Gaming 2008

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