GKV, one of Baltimore’s largest integrated marketing firms, today announced it has added seven new employees to its social media and public relations team to accommodate the agency’s new business and increasing social media demands.
Since March 2017, GKV has gained 11 new clients that are seeking social media growth and require management services. Additionally, several existing brands have added social media as a new area of priority service, bringing the number of clients served by the Social Media Department to 16.
“At GKV, we strive to be at the forefront of the constantly evolving social media landscape, and have developed a proprietary approach to helping clients achieve business objectives through social media in addition to the traditional and digital advertising realms,” said Stacey Wynia, SVP, director of social media and public relations. “We have been working alongside our blue chip brand partners to elevate social content and strategy, and our new team members play a vital role in continuing to set a gold standard in this practice area. We are thrilled to have them all on board.”
To tackle the ever-increasing challenges and ensure social media goals can be properly met, GKV has made the following new hires:
Lauren Niles, account supervisor
Niles, of Baltimore, MD, joins GKV as an account supervisor. In this role, she works alongside the director of PR/social to determine social media strategy, serves as the day-to-day client point of contact and manages internal teams to implement social executions.
Niles previously owned her own event company where she managed creative direction for all branded content, developed strategic social plans to drive awareness within the industry, and worked with internal teams and external vendors to produce twenty events per year. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Walden University.
Justin Smith, account executive
Smith, a New Jersey native, joins GKV as an account executive where he implements annual, ongoing and campaign-specific plans for social media clients.
Prior to joining the GKV team, Smith was a social media strategist with Tough Mudder, during which time he oversaw and executed marketing efforts across social channels. Smith earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.
April Thiess, account executive
Thiess, of Baltimore, MD, joins GKV as an account executive. Her role entails planning and executing brand-specific social media strategies.
Thiess previously worked as a social media specialist for Strategic Factory where she created and managed all marketing materials, social channels, advertising spend and content. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Baltimore.
Morgan Borkowski, assistant account executive
Borkowski, of Ellicott City, MD, joins GKV as an assistant account executive. She is responsible for assisting the PR/social team with media relations, monitoring and reporting social media, and planning editorial content for social media clients.
Borkowski previously interned for GKV and recently earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the University of South Carolina.
Grace Campbell, assistant account executive
Campbell, of Catonsville, MD, has been hired as an assistant account executive, for which she contributes her expertise to the PR/social team across various client accounts. She assists with media relations, does social media monitoring and reporting, and plans editorial content for social media clients.
Campbell recently earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton.
Julie Kraus, assistant account executive
Kraus, of Bel Air, MD, has been hired as an assistant account executive. In this role, she provides support to the PR/social team across various client accounts. Some of her responsibilities include assisting with media relations, social media monitoring and reporting, and planning editorial content for social media clients.
Kraus recently graduated from Towson University where she majored in mass communication and minored in business administration.
Heidi Stasiowski, assistant account executive, grassroots marketing & public relations
Stasiowski, of Hagerstown, MD, has been hired as an assistant account executive for the grassroots outreach/experiential team at GKV. She is responsible for assisting in developing outreach programs and experiential marketing plans, implementing logistics and overseeing event production to ensure success for GKV’s clients, and assisting with PR efforts for GKV channels and other various clients.
Stasiowski previously interned for GKV while earning her bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a concentration in public relations from Towson University.
