Rob Ostermaier
Photographer
Rob, an award-winning photojournalist, is Consociate Media’s lead Photographer and joined the Consociate Media team following two decades working in newspapers, most recently at the Daily Press for the last 16 years.
Our Team
Stephanie R. Heinatz
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Cutting her teeth as a newspaper journalist and working on assignments from her own hometown, to the remote areas of East Africa to war-torn Iraq, Stephanie believed one thing – stories are the most powerful way to reach people and inspire change. She brings that same strategy to Consociate Media, where she specializes in working with business owners, legislative initiatives, economic development programs, non-profit organizations, tourism efforts and individuals to strategically plan and execute storytelling across a wide range of new and traditional media.
Rudy Heinatz
Chief Operations Officer and Controller
Before joining Consociate Media, Rudy served in the health care field as a mid-level executive and brings a strong combination of health care knowledge, executive leadership, analytics and marketing acumen to every Consociate Media project. Specifically, his experience as an analyst (MBA, William & Mary) is utilized heavily to measure the effectiveness of efforts. If it counts, then count it. That is a philosophy he ensures is taken on each project.
Mark Harris
Partner
As a graphic and web designer wielding his knowledge from VCU’s Communication Arts program, Mark understands where the intersection of medias meet. That is, he bridges creative design with online media to help tell the best stories and reach the widest audience possible. Mark has experience with design and front-end web development across numerous industries, honing his skills with his own freelance business MarkMadeDesign before joining the Consociate team.
Brian Harris
Partner
A 20+ year veteran of a $5.2 billion international technology company, Brian is an experienced writer, public and media relations specialist and communicator. Serving in a wide variety of roles over the years, he has delivered across the product, corporate, internal and executive communications spectrum and creates all manner of assets, from impactful website copy, to employee newsletters to CEO talking points.
Michael Kimball
Partner
Michael joined Consociate Media following a long tenure at The Williamsburg Winery where he served as the Marketing Director. Prior to assuming the responsibilities of the marketing department, Michael served as the Winery’s Wine Club Director, Social Media Director and Wine Festival Manager. Michael has served on tourism advisory groups and was elected to the Virginia Wineries Association Board of Directors.
Before leaving the Williamsburg Winery, Michael was promoted to Vice President of Marketing for The Williamsburg at Wessex Hundred. Prior to joining the Winery, Michael worked as a Brand Ambassador for CIP Marketing, a European based retail and event marketing agency, with a specific focus on the sporting goods company, Adidas. While with CIP Marketing, Michael learned innovative-non-traditional branding strategies and, most importantly, developed a passion for marketing and branding.
Amanda Shortt
Partner
Amanda has a passion for the business of running a business. She shares her knowledge of administration, management, and operations, cultivated from years of experience serving as the Corporate Secretary & HR Manager of the Williamsburg Winery and as an Associate Partner of Virginia Ventures.
Jeff Phillips
Creative Director
Jeff brings more than 20 years of graphic design experience to Consociate. After spending five years as the Marketing Director at Alewerks Brewing Company, where he helped reinvigorate the brand of one of Virginia’s oldest craft breweries, Jeff brought his skills (and humor!) to the Consociate team. A talented artist in his own right, he has extensive experience in apparel and t-shirt design, having worked with a wide variety of national retail clients. Logos, websites, brochures, taphandles, t-shirts, vehicle wraps – you name it, Jeff has probably designed it at some point.
Amber Wyatt
Graphic Designer
Amber serves as Consociate Media’s lead Graphic Designer, bringing with her deep experience at The Williamsburg Winery as its Creative Director and prior to that as a graphic designer in the advertising art department at the Daily Press.
Vicki L. Friedman
Writer
Vicki penned her initial story in elementary school — a humorous tale highlighting the personalities of the dogs in her Washington, D.C. neighborhood, the first in a series. Her passion for writing evolved into an award-winning newspaper career after she earned her master’s degree at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She enjoys connecting with people in the community and sharing the uniqueness of their stories while building lasting friendships along the way.
Jill Pongonis
Production Manager
After many years working in the tourism sector, Jill has come to Consociate Media to expand her skillset and passion for client relations, marketing, public relations, and communication. She will be working with production management, serving our clients needs and details to meet deliverables. Prior to coming to Consociate Media, Jill has had the opportunity to work with amazing companies such as Visit Williamsburg, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and Newport Hospitality Group.
Jillian Lawrence
Communications Associate
Jillian is a Communications Associate at Consociate Media. Her love of photography and writing started at a young age and has turned into a passion for blogging and all things social media! She is a graduate from the University of Mary Washington.
AJ Harris
Junior Communications Associate
As a Junior Communications Associate at Consociate Media, AJ puts his social media prowess, analytical skills and fun-loving personality to work in variety of ways supporting the team. Prior to joining Consociate, AJ studied at Radford University where he was a proud member of Sigma Pi Fraternity.
Memberships
