SPI Collective

Bios

• 

  Chris Calcagno

  Owner/President

  Chris came up in the marketing and advertising world through the world of video production. His career started as a director and producer at local television stations in Illinois. When coming to Hampton Roads, he worked in production at various local ad agencies and at CBN before starting his own company in 1985. He honed his craft in production and took over writing and concepting as SPI’s Creative Director in the early days. In later years, he directed marketing strategy for many clients but kept a hand in creative and production. Throughout his career Chris has worked closely with business owners and CEOs as they launched their companies developing on-screen/on-camera personas for bank presidents, college presidents and chancellors and political hopefuls. Names like Bob Aston, Chairman and CEO of TowneBank; Representative Scott Rigell; Dr. Jack Hawkins, Chancellor of Troy University; Ed Snyder, automotive dealer and local business icon are some of the many business and community leaders who have called on his expertise and talent. Very active in the day-to-day business at SPI, Chris oversees marketing strategy for our largest accounts and all new accounts.

• 

  Rick Mytych

  Creative Director

  From concept to final execution, Rick is responsible for the creative product of the agency. He develops branding and effective campaigns that have a positive impact on the bottom line of SPI’s clients. Rick’s specialty is retail advertising and he has extensive experience in automotive, home furnishings and medical advertising. His skill set includes brand development, creative concepting, print design and production, writing and directing for broadcast, and the development and design of online advertising assets. Rick provided the creative vision that helped a regional automotive group reinvent itself when they shifted to a one-price sales model. He developed the theme “Fast • Simple • Smart” to define their new sales process, and it has proven to be an overwhelming success. Since its introduction, market awareness of the new platform increased over 250%! During the span of his career, Rick has won local and regional Addy Awards, multiple Silver Microphone awards for excellence in radio, and several Telly Awards for outstanding work in television. He was also the National Winner of the AMA Advertising Awards and has won three International Vision Awards for creativity in television.

• 

  Valerie Dazey

  Director of Digital Media

  Valerie has experience in all areas of digital media planning and buying. Her technical background, knowledge and analytical expertise covers project management, media planning, campaign optimization, tracking, reporting and analytics for higher education, transportation, automotive, tourism, banking and healthcare. She expertly handles all aspects of a client’s media plan to guide targets through the purchase funnel to conversion. While she manages paid social media, search engine optimization, audience optimization and more, programmatic digital media—utilizing The Trade Desk—is her specialty. Her top priority is campaign performance and she works closely with each client to ensure campaign planning, consultative strategic direction, and optimization strategies meet their needs and goals. With all plans, Valerie provides comprehensive results reporting, holding her team accountable for success. Valerie’s significant programmatic experience includes clients such as the Virginia DOT, Marshall University, Magellan Healthcare, Riverside Military Academy, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and TowneBank, as well as Anthem, Inc. For Anthem she has focused on defining appropriate strategies and executing media plans per region, boosting brand awareness and increasing Medicaid membership.

• 

  Sarah Beth Cosgrove

  Video Producer & Editor

  Sarah Beth is the wheels that keep SPI’s post production department running smoothly. She’s a graduate of Regent University with a BA in Cinema and Television and an MBA in Marketing. She has 12 years of experience in video production, managing projects to ensure they exceed clients’ expectations and are completed in a timely manner. She has specific expertise in shooting and editing in Adobe Premiere. While Sarah Beth is known for her love of ballroom dancing and her investment in the community, she also has an impressive client experience background. She is on the MBA Advisory Board for the School of Business and Leadership at Regent University, and has production experience with clients such as TowneBank, Thomas Nelson Community College, and MINI of Baltimore.

• 

  Kelly Williams

  Production Manager

  For more than ten years Kelly has built a strong marketing resume. She has skills in account coordination and planning, fundraising, special event and conference planning and public relations—both for companies and non-profit organizations. Significantly, she was responsible for brand building, research, advertising and social media for a large real estate team in Virginia Beach. In addition, her skills extend to social media management with nine years managing online platforms and increasing engagement for several organizations. A college athlete, Kelly has specific strengths in sports marketing, including a stint at the Maryland Jockey Club helping to organize the Preakness Stakes, and a proven record of successfully increasing sporting event attendance. Kelly’s ability to manage multiple projects at once and meet tight deadlines makes her a natural at managing projects through to completion. Her proactive approach and communication skills are an asset to any account team.