Patsy Sumner
Chief Executive Officer
Short (and true!) story: Patsy Sumner helps companies master their marketing with blockbuster branding.
After spending nearly 20 years in her clients’ shoes, Patsy knows firsthand the challenges internal marketing departments, CMOs, and Marketing Directors face. She founded MediaSpark in 2015 with two goals in mind:
To boost the impact of a company’s internal marketing efforts
To offer growing companies data-driven strategies that work as hard as they do
“Everything we do is approached through the client lens, from understanding the budget and goals to engaging company ownership in the process,” says Patsy. “Our award-winning talent, industry leadership, and partnership approach isn’t just what makes MediaSpark different. It’s what helps us do everything better.”
MediaSpark has spent the last five years successfully helping an impressive client roster create, place, and optimize media to turn hometown brands into household names. By focusing on data-driven strategies, the team can track results in a way that executive leadership likes to see—and in ways few internal marketing team’s are equipped to analyze and target on their own.
“Branding is no longer a logo and marketing is more than a message—it’s what consistently calls customers to your products, what makes your team rise to a challenge, and what adds exponential results to your bottom line,” adds Patsy. “The better you can rally around your reputation, the easier everything becomes.”
Patsy, a Creighton alum and collegiate athlete, pours her competitive spirit, strategic thinking, and team mindset into all things business to drive results consistently for clients.
Kim Stoneburner
Chief Marketing Strategist
With over 20 years of senior-level marketing experience, Kim Stoneburner translates advanced data and analytics into usable, actionable insights, increasing branding power and marketing success for companies of all sizes.
With experience helping brands like Nestle, Barbie, and PetArmor increase their market share while optimizing their ad spend, Kim Stoneburner now manages multi-million dollar media budgets, media planning, and marketing tactics as our Chief Marketing Strategist.
After a successful transplant from California to Nebraska, Kim is completely at-home with providing clients a winning combination of personal touch and big brand experiences. She brings extensive exposure to media across television, print, digital, and social, as well as development and deployment of consumer research projects.
“Your brand reputation is our brand reputation,” says Kim. “Big brands didn’t achieve household name status overnight. It takes a coordinated, innovative, and strategic effort of messaging media planning and consumer research. We bring that ‘big brand brainpower’ to every company.”
Kim holds an M.B.A. from UCLA and has extensive experience in the home services and consumer products industry, specifically with traditional, digital, PPC, and social media campaigns.
Ellie Charter
Chief Connections Strategist
Ellie Charter walks the walk, creating marketing campaigns that put companies on a direct path to profits.
With previous agency experience working with brands like Panda Express, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, HDR, and TD Ameritrade, Ellie touts a reputation for smoothly-run, eye-on-the-target campaigns with a positive management style.
Her unique combination of strategic and creative thinking delivers unparalleled client understanding, satisfaction, and care.
“Success in marketing isn’t an accident or a coincidence,” says Ellie. “Research, strategy, and data are laid out to create the right recipe of ingredients. Then we add in a cup of creativity and a secret ingredient—like recognizing current trends—to bring our clients the results they’re after.”
Ellie graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) focused in Marketing/Marketing Management. She has since accumulated exceptional experience in Digital Strategy, Social Strategy, Social Content Creation, Event Management, Market Research, Management, and Account Management.
Stephanie Welsh
Director of Media Services
With a keen eye set on client needs and getting the best of the buy, Stephanie Welsh sets her sights on client goals and insists on serious results.
With 20+ years in operations, purchasing and customer service, Stephanie stepped into her role at MediaSpark as a social media advertising ninja. She identifies target audiences, ad types, and strategies for every client—and she has the chops to take clients from Point A to Point Z with fewer road bumps in between.
“It all comes down to truly understanding what a client is looking for—what they see as ‘next level’ for their business,” says Stephanie. “MediaSpark is different in that we put clients first. That drives our internal priorities and clears the purchasing pathway.”
How would she advise potential clients searching for better social media advertising outcomes? “Find a partner who knows the ins and outs of social and programmatic media, who can carry out your vision like your best employee, and who can step out front to clear the noise and confusion blocking your path,” adds Stephanie. “That’s what we do. It’s what I love.”
Stephanie graduated from Bellevue University with a Bachelor’s degree in Management of Human Resources. Since then, she has amassed experience in marketing, advertising, and supply chain management.
Nancy Le
Art Director
Creativity is a fierce companion when nurtured, channeled, and brought to life. Nancy Le would know.As the in-house creative champion and collaborator, Nancy stepped into the role of Art Director with eyes wide open and an “all-ideas-on-the- table” approach. Clients rave about Nancy’s ability to take the most basic notion and guide their teams to enhance it into a full-blown digital media campaign that works across several media tactics.
“We are fast-paced, fearless experimenters and huge proponents of open communication,” says Nancy. “You don’t have to have all the answers, and you definitely don’t have to go it alone. Our MediaSpark team wants to function as an additional—and extremely effective—arm in your creative and marketing efforts.”
Nancy came to understand creative advertising and design through her experience as Creative Design Manager for Scooter’s Coffee, a national coffee chain, as well as graphic designer for an international retailer, Payless ShoeSource. Having experienced big agency pricing for herself, she loves the fact that MediaSpark offers big ideas and serious solutions without the hefty retainer fee.
“It’s critical to me that a client feels ownership in our approach,” adds the University of Nebraska alum. “While we are the digital media experts, they know their companies best.”
Lana LeGrand
Chief Growth Strategist
“One of the reasons I love my job is that I get to help each client see their brand from their biggest fan’s point of view,” says Lana. “I help them find ways to get more of those perfect-fit clients—and create a pattern of success they can build on.”
Lana’s strategic vision is a product of over 20 years of experience in marketing, advertising, sales, and brand advancement. A relentless learner and people lover, Lana has a knack for making connections that work, whether it’s aligning the right people with the right project or the right product with the right audience.
As an IowaHawkeye grad amongst Huskers, Lana loves a good rivalry, a strong cup of coffee, and every time a client reports another month of unprecedented sales.