Who We Are

Scott helps companies achieve the kind of visibility that puts them in a leadership position – and keeps them there. His unique background extends beyond traditional PR and marketing, and includes political affairs strategy, editorial and production experience, and print journalism. His approach emphasizes the story behind a brand, company and product in a way that achieves dramatic business results. Scott has helped launch more than 125 technology startups in the 10 years since founding SG.

He’s learned firsthand how companies maximize media exposure to meet very specific business needs, including increased site traffic, closing new partnerships, and providing brand lift. Some of Scott’s current clients include Blekko, Velti and Braintree.

Prior to SG, Scott applied his political affairs strategy and communication skills while managing communications and advertising strategy for several U.S. Congressional campaigns, and served as the top communications strategist to former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich. Scott’s press savvy dates back to early positions as an Associated Press staff writer and editor of a daily newspaper in his home state of Texas.

Having spent years launching startups and fighting political battles in DC, Scott relishes the challenge to help startups thrive, and not just succeed.

Offline, Scott has a hidden talent for fur trapping. His favorite app is The Weather Channel because he’s always trying to get outdoors. Oh, and did we mention he lives next door to both Kevin Bacon and Mark Zuckerberg?!

Lesley is a master storyteller, creating market positioning and messaging innovative startups and top brands like Sony and Comcast Ventures. She has an unmatched talent for taking in a company’s facts and circumstances and crafting a story catalog that puts their key messaging into the hands of consumers via major media outlets like New York Times, Time and USA Today.

Since launching SG, Lesley has helped position and market hundreds of brands, products, companies, people and ideas, leading some clients to go public and several to be acquired by major tech and consumer brands. Some of Lesley’s current clients include Birchbox, Comcast Ventures and Brightcove.

Prior to founding SG, Lesley served as vice president for Blanc & Otus, the global technology practice of Hill & Knowlton, where she led breakthrough campaigns for TiVo and Sony PlayStation, among other top consumer technology brands. She also worked as a network television producer at CNN, served as the director of radio services at the Democratic National Committee, and has led positions as a campaign strategist and press secretary for former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich.

Lesley is mother of two and a proud dog owner. She also lives next door to both Kevin Bacon and Mark Zuckerberg.

Julia’s attention to detail and experience working with world-class brands and top-notch consumer, business and technology media outlets has made her a highly sought-after team lead at SG. She’s a consumer brand strategist and has managed campaigns with activities ranging from app launches and consumer data reports to recurring national broadcast placements for consumer brands and celebrity partnerships and events. At SG, Julia is an expert at getting the best exposure and pop for her clients both inside the valley and in mainstream consumer outlets. Some of her current clients include Lookout, Comcast Ventures, Massive Health and Birchbox, and in the past she’s worked on brands like Mightybell, Scribd, Movieclips and Causes. Prior to SG, Julia managed accounts for national consumer brands like Ace Hardware, Ballard Designs, Mars Drinks and Knob Creek Bourbon. When she’s not busy propelling clients to stardom, Julia likes to hike in Marin, cook big family-style meals for friends, and visit friends and family back on the East Coast.

Jen’s deep experience in consumer and tech PR give her an insightful approach that produces results. She’s developed and executed PR programs for a variety of products and companies, from large consumer brands to hot tech startups. Products she’s launched range from cute baby onesies to hip shoes and game consoles.

At SG, Jen is well known as a tightly organized and unflappable account leader. Her “never miss a detail” mindset ensures clients catch every opportunity that presents itself – from speaking spots at esteemed industry conferences and events to executive profile features in reputable publications, and ongoing product reviews that land in the hands of consumers. She’s also spearheaded dozens of regional campaigns, mommy blogger promotions, radio promotions, and consumer magazine promotions.

Driven by her passion for volunteering, Jen recently kicked off charitable work with Worldreader, a nonprofit that provides students in developing countries access to e-readers and thousands of local and international digital books. Some of Jen’s other clients include Springpad, Glympse and Oodle.

Prior to SG, Jen developed and executed PR programs for an array of consumer and tech brands, including Nordstrom.com, Sony Playstation, Hewlett-Packard, Hotwire, babyStyle and Lucy.com, among others. She managed Hewlett-Packard’s reviews program for consumer products, and launched its biggest consumer product launch with more than 30 products debuting at once. Other notable client successes include working with Kenneth Cole to launch NordstromShoes.com, and working with uPromise to spearhead a partner press conference with Coke, AOL, Safeway, Toys R Us, and McDonald’s.

In her spare time, Jen keeps busy as the “soccer” Mom of three boys, and can be found rocking her Toyota Sienna (begrudgingly, she says) on the way to the soccer field, baseball field or basketball bleachers. She’s an avid school volunteer, and is known to master plan some of the best class parties her kids’ schools have ever seen.

Tara’s deep understanding of consumer psychology, behavioral economics and consumer content consumption patterns powers the content strategies, systems and story substance she creates. She has an uncanny knack for landing her clients’ content on major web portals like Yahoo!, Huffington Post and AOL. Having personally presented her clients’ consumer content more than 100 times on national broadcast outlets like The Today Show, she’s very familiar with what producers are looking for and what gets results.

At SG,Tara builds and executes content strategies for clients that are designed to drive site traffic, build brand awareness, and build highly engaged consumer and user communities on social media channels. Her Digital Story Studio team offers strategy and execution of client blogs, infographics, data programs, social media programs and campaigns, thought leadership, and spokesforce development.

Prior to SG, Tara developed and executed integrated content, PR and social media strategies and campaigns and created thousands of pieces of consumer content that have met business, traffic and brand objectives of companies ranging from Time to AOL to real estate search engine Trulia.com. Tara got her start in digital content writing two books for real estate consumers, one of which was licensed by HGTV as seed content for a startup digital property – then being commissioned to adapt it into numerous themed web content packages, video webisodes and print, web and broadcast PR campaigns.

Tara is a bit of a health nut, holding what we think must be the world record for the largest amount of spinach and kombucha consumed on a weekly basis.

Gibson’s ability to remain calm in a fire drill serves as a constant source of inspirational Zen when our PR and content teams are working hard. In fact, he once served as the spokesperson for a “Keep Calm and Carry On” consumer PR campaign. His list of career accomplishments include most pickup from a single-word press release (woof!), most brilliant brand messaging strategist (woof!), and he once scored a sweet promotion upon sleeping through an all-agency meeting. Gibson has an amazing ability to protect and put up with his little brother, Moose.

Moose’s most recognized skills are in eating and digging. Having torn up not one, but two home irrigation systems, we can safely say that he is a champion overachiever. At one year old, he had already eaten his weight in chocolate (and lived to tell about it). He’s been voted most likely to befriend someone who’s left their lunch sitting out. He considers his big brother his best friend and stuffed animals and shoes to be his arch enemies. Moose has an unmatched talent for looking cute while sleeping.