Friday Forum

Katie Ramp, Director of Talent, Associate Partner, MUH-TAY-ZIK HOF-FER

A Bay Area native, Katie Ramp attended college at UC Davis where she received a BA in Communication and a certificate in whitewater rafting. When the whitewater got too chilly, she drew on her passion for creativity and interpersonal communication, and started a career in advertising. Katie has over 15 years of experience, first in an account management role, then moved into project management and eventually agency recruitment and creative services. Katie joined MUH-TAY-ZIK / HOF-FER as Director of Talent focusing on talent acquisition, retention, and culture across San Francisco and New York. An advocate for gender diversity in advertising, her 2016 Cannes Facebook Live discussion with AdWeek about gender balance in creativity beat out Usher’s interview in number of viewers. When she’s not talking to a candidate about their hopes and dreams, she enjoys outdoor adventuring with her rescue pup, traveling, and baking her way through the Tartine cookbook.

John Matejczyk, Chief Creative Officer, Co-Founder, MUH-TAY-ZIK HOF-FER

After having created lots and lots of advertising, John started the agency as the ultimate creative project. How can we make a thing that makes things, really well? His career up to that point had put him in leadership positions at some of the world’s top creative agencies like Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Fallon, and BBH. His work for brands like HP, Citi, got milk?, Netflix, H&R Block, and Snickers had been honored with gold, best-in-show, and campaign-of-the-year honors in global competitions like the One Show, Cannes, and CA. He’s even won the EMMY for outstanding commercial. But it was all warm-up to MUH-TAY-ZIK / HOF-FER, where his creative energies are poured into not just the work for great clients, but the company itself. He’s developed a culture where everyone is running the same direction, pursuing outstanding results for the brands they work on. This has led to highly influential campaigns for Audi, Netflix, SoFi, AAA, Golden State Warriors, Method, and many early-stage tech companies.

Henry Fernandez, Account Director, MUH-TAY-ZIK HOF-FER

Henry does what he does because he wants a better world for himself and for his kids. Try and separate Henry’s passion for his work, his beliefs, and his family. Good luck. He’s a one-track kind of guy. Born in Manhattan, the city of the greatest art and commerce and the biggest dreamers, Henry grew up finding beauty and energy in the people and culture around him. His friends have a term to describe the feeling you get when you’re around him: HENERGY. It’s a real thing. Father. Brother. Husband. Friend. Worker. Henry has over ten years of Fashion Marketing experience that includes working with brands including Liz Claiborne, Nautica, and Alpha Industries. From strategic brand marketing to launching social media platforms, Henry is an idea generator, executing with boundless dedication and passion. His ideas are smart, understandable, and make you wish you’d thought of that. When Henry isn’t off strategizing, he is exploring his home in Northern Virginia with his two sons, Henry and Hudson, and his wife, Angelyn. He can be seen driving around NOVA, singing with the windows down, or working at Audi Headquarters as the on-site Account Director for MUH-TAY-ZIK / HOF-FER.

Gavin Portnoy, VP of NCMEC Strategic Advancement & Partnerships division

As vice president of NCMEC’s Strategic Advancement & Partnerships division, Gavin Portnoy is responsible for creating and maintaining strategies to elevate the organization’s brand, create new partnerships, bolster existing relationships and work positively and efficiently with NCMEC’s departments and stakeholders to support programs and goals. Portnoy joined NCMEC in 2014 after more than 15 years helping organizations build brand awareness and effectively tell their story using the latest business, digital, social and media channels. He has created groundbreaking television, marketing and content development projects for a number of top media outlets including Discovery, Fox, Lifetime, National Geographic, Ovation and PBS. Portnoy previously oversaw NCMEC’s digital media team where he exponentially increased the organization’s social media reach and oversaw the formation of high-profile content. He launched a successful suite of new digital and social initiatives, raising national awareness of NCMEC. He was honored in 2015 as one of PR Week’s “40 Under 40” for developing new strategies to directly assist with the recovery of missing children. Portnoy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Rowan University in 2003.

Becky Steinbach, Senior Program Manager of Communications, NCMEC

As Senior Program Manager of Communications, Becky is responsible for working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as well as families of missing children to create individualized media plans to increase coverage for active missing, unidentified and exploited child cases. Becky joined NCMEC in 2005 and has been instrumental in building relationships that have elevated NCMEC’s brand and increased awareness of the issues surrounding missing and exploited children. She serves as a spokesperson for NCMEC and leads the media relations team to develop strategy and direction for the department. Becky is the point person for national media opportunities including People Magazine, Good Morning America, Live PD and In Pursuit with John Walsh. Becky received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from St. Bonaventure University in 2004.

Tune in to our live stream at 11 a.m.: http://mssvideo.vcu.edu/ICA