PDMI Spring Seminar Series

Mary Ann Bautista is a 35-year veteran of the direct response industry. She launched Bautista Direct Marketing Inc., a full-service direct marketing company, in 1998. She serves as president of the firm and oversees programs for a broad array of direct-to-consumer and business-to-business accounts. Bautista’s passion for direct response stems from a long history on both the client and agency side of the business. Prior to establishing BDM, she managed the direct response program at Gateway Learning Corp., publisher of the well-known educational product, “Hooked on Phonics.” Prior to that, she spent six years in direct marketing at SyberVision, where her vertical marketing of “The Pimsleur System” foreign language products returned the company to profitability in the mid-1990s. Bautista lives with her family in Alameda, Calif., and — when not strategizing media buys — she spends her time enjoying her husband’s gourmet meals, practicing Pilates, and daydreaming about her next vacation.

Paul Mosenson is the seasoned founder of NuSpark Media Group, a media agency specializing in crafting high-impact media campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With more than three decades of experience in media buying across various industries, Mosenson has honed his expertise in delivering top-notch tracking and promotional offers that drive measurable results. His approach combines data-driven strategies with creative flair, ensuring that each campaign not only reaches its target audience but also resonates with them. A thought leader in the field, Mosenson's extensive knowledge and hands-on experience make him a go-to resource for businesses looking to amplify their media presence and achieve sustainable growth.

Gregory Silvano, CEO of Mojo, has white water rafted down all 300 miles of the Grand Canyon, scuba dived the Blue Hole in Belize, and — in two weeks — will summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He was a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army and, in his downtime, runs Buyist.

Carey Chase serves as senior vice president of media at Modus Direct. Chase and the media team are responsible for media strategy, planning, placement, and optimization across all available media channels (linear/streaming TV, OOH, print) for both D2C as well as brand-focused clients at Modus. She has spent nearly all of her 30-plus year career in DRTV (except for those “lost years” as a UX web designer), working in-house and on the agency side for both large and boutique shops. One of her greatest thrills has been living this industry’s transition from dismissed as “remnant media” to respected as “performance media” — while spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. A leader at every agency she has worked at, Chase has trained and counselled countless buyers who have gone on and excelled in their own careers in advertising and ad tech. She currently resides in Chicago.

Kyle Patten is an xperienced vice president with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. Patten is skilled in broadcasting, advertising, sales, digital marketing, and social media. He graduated from the New York Institute of Technology.

Kaelyne Yumul Wietelman is a Washington, D.C.-based associate at Venable LLP, where she advises clients on compliance with federal and state marketing and advertising laws. With a background in consumer protection and privacy, Wietelman has helped clients substantiate claims related to price advertising and environmental and health benefits and has counseled clients on disclosures for autorenewal programs, influencers, endorsements, testimonials, reviews, and promotions. She has also defended clients before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), National Advertising Division (NAD), and state attorneys general in investigations and inquiries into product marketing.

Fern Lee, CEO of THOR Associates, is an award-winning marketing professional with a proven track record of creating and increasing brand awareness. A proud 2018 inductee to the Direct Response Hall of Fame, she has mastered the caveat of consumer engagement with each campaign, recognizing the “journey” to provide loyalty and asset values for multiple globally recognized brands. Lee is successful at applying direct response initiatives to the traditional and digital marketplaces with a unique expertise in branded-response omnichannel results. Earlier in her career, Lee was the head of direct response at Good Times Entertainment/Gaiam, bringing fitness hits Billy Blanks, THE FIRM, and Richard Simmons incredible success around the world. TurboCooker and GTXpress were also multi-million-dollar revenue generators in DTC and retail initiatives. For the past 14 years, Lee has dedicated her talents as CEO of THOR Associates, creating a premier omnichannel strategic marketing agency that implements dynamic lead generation resulting in multiple consumer transactions. Under the THOR Associates umbrella, Lee is proud to have provided services to select clients such as: MetLife, AIG, Humana, J&J, Mars, Balsam Hill, FocusFactor, KUMON, InventHelp, GalleryDirect.com, MedicareAdvantage.com, ClickNKids, Zestra, ReBloom, SmartSilk, and Migralex.

Allegro Response is a multichannel contact center that specializes in direct-to-consumer sales and customer service. However your customers want to communicate — whether it be through the phone, email, chat, or text — Allegro’s team is trained to take care of your customers. Its expertise in the direct response space helps clients improve campaign results while improving the key metrics necessary for success.

Sarah La Voi is a partner in the Chicago office of BakerHostetler. She focuses her practice on commercial negotiations within the advertising ecosystem, including agency agreements, media buys and activations, brand collaborations, sponsorships, digital marketing, influencer protocols, intellectual property and dispute resolution. Business-focused and practical, she provides counsel to clients on forming strategic advertising and brand partnerships and creating in- house systems to manage clearance risk operationally. She also assists with advertising review and compliance, both self-regulatory and regulatory.

Ava Seavey, founder and president of Avalanche, is known as one of the most dynamic and energetic marketing executives in ROI advertising. Known for her innovative, out-of-the-box thinking, Seavey has spent the last two decades as a marketing and production executive working with clients to help them realize their dreams. Fluid in all media and unafraid to embrace controversy and risk in order to achieve excellence for her clients, she brings fresh solutions to every problem, which often leads to dramatic prosperity for her clients.