Concept Team Bios

Veronica has a unique mixture of journalism, in-house, agency, consulting, and global business experience. She has managed the PR needs of organizations throughout the world, from Fortune 100 companies to the smallest of start-ups. Based in San Francisco and a native of ‘The City,’ Veronica has been in the PR industry for nearly two decades. Her roots as an award-winning college journalist led her into the PR world, and she is known for bringing high enthusiasm, integrity, good instincts and resourcefulness to her work ever since. Her experience backpacking around the world – twice – has also given her a unique perspective on people, the media, and the global economy. Both a former Canadian and a former collegiate water polo goalie, Veronica combines a socialistic, team-oriented attitude with a tinge of toughness (she’s had her nose broken after all!)

A co-founder of Concept, Veronica heads up the Gracenote account. Past Concept client works includes DivX, TripIt, TravelPost, Transpera, HomePages, AllBusiness, UpTake, MetroLyrics, Praized Media and FrameFree. She has held agency positions with Porter Novelli in Los Angeles, and Wilson McHenry Company in the Bay Area, and held an in-house corporate communications position at Intuit. Veronica is formerly the Vice President of the Public Relations Society of America – San Francisco Chapter, and was recently the Publicity Chair for INFORUM in San Francisco, the division of The Commonwealth Club for people in their 20’s and 30’s.

Follow Veronica on Twitter @veronicaskelton.

Samantha has spent the past 15 years running PR campaigns for established companies such as Microsoft and Intuit, to scrappy start-ups like Isilon, Musicmatch and Moviso. She’s been on both sides of the client desk, managing the agency and running the agency, and she gives companies such as MOD Systems, DXG, Runtime Revolution, Intava and Unify2, a deep PR skill-set combined with fresh perspective and passion—all of which make referrals the top driver of Concept’s business. Her upbringing as an athlete (she played college volleyball and softball) drives much of her work today, where she thrives on teamwork and helping her clients beat the competition through savvy PR strategy.

Before starting her own business in 1999, Samantha was a vice president with Shandwick International, overseeing PR for Microsoft’s MSN services. She managed Shandwick as the in-house PR pro for software company LBMS, and handled publicity for the island of Oahu, Sheraton Hotels, and Hawaii’s first technology park, with Stryker Weiner & Associates in Honolulu. She began her career with Wilson McHenry Company, launching Intuit’s Quicken and QuickBooks.

Samantha loves to talk technology and consumer products—in front of the camera, into the microphone, on podcasts and on the phone with the media. Her strongest passion lies with her 4 year-old and 2 year-old daughters Sydney and Harper, who are the stars of the family blog and see a lot of Facebook time from Mom.

Follow Samantha on Twitter @sammystein.

Darlene Gannon has several years of marketing and PR experience with a background in the mobile, digital media and entertainment industries, working with such companies as Zannel, a mobile entertainment start-up, and InfoSpace in its mobile entertainment division. Darlene keeps DXG, Intava,and Gracenote in the spotlight and is the master multitasker, heading up media relations campaigns, reviews programs and social media profiles for our clients.

Darlene comes from a family of entrepreneurs who immigrated to the United States from France to live the “American dream,” and has learned to always be resourceful and embrace any challenge. She has traveled many parts of Europe and has a deep understanding for global economies, media and cultures. Darlene studied abroad, is fluent in French and received Honors at the Université de Sciences-Politiques in Toulouse, France. She holds an MBA in Marketing and Operations Management from Santa Clara University and a BA in Business Management Economics from UC Santa Cruz.

Follow Darlene on Twitter @darlenegannon.

Leona Laurie has been helping musicians, music venues, entrepreneurs, and businesses craft and communicate their professional identities for several years. Since 2005, most of her work has been rooted in social media. She designs and implements programs for clients that include a strategic approach to blogging, using the right social networking tools the right way, and maximizing the effectiveness of their Websites. She understands search engine optimization and occasionally customizes WordPress blogs for clients seeking low-cost, user-friendly starter Websites.

Leona holds a master's degree in Communication and Society from the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. In 2007/08, Leona worked with Federated Media, first as a contractor and then as an Account Manager in the Author Services department, where she played a key role in the planning and execution of Conversational Marketing campaigns and managed relationships with influential bloggers. Her areas of expertise include social media, conversational marketing, branding, personal public relations, and event planning and execution.

Sandy has worked in public relations and marketing for the past 15 years on the client and agency side. She has managed high-profile accounts for leading consumer and B2B brands across the technology, financial services, consumer products and food and beverage industries. In addition to expertise as a senior strategist and writer, Sandy continues to work with top-tier media and key influencers. She has also managed business development for several PR agencies giving her a unique perspective on the power of relationship building and the importance of connecting communications strategies with bottom-line results.

Sandy holds leadership roles at a number of non-profit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. She serves on the Board of American Cancer Society's California Division and is on the Board of the Public Relations Society of America Silicon Valley Chapter. She also works on marketing and communications initiatives for Professional BusinessWomen of California.

Scott has more than 15 years experience in strategic and corporate communications in both in-house and agency capacities, leading organizations and executives through the development and execution of integrated, national and global PR campaigns via thought leadership positioning, marketing communications, editorial opportunities and media execution. Based in New York, has written for Fortune magazine, the Hartford Courant, Newsweek and many other publications. His marketing and communications experience includes work in technology, healthcare, media, automotive, energy, and software, and emerging markets including Latin America.

Based in Chicago, Lois is a former BusinessWeek correspondent and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) senior manager of media relations. She combines expertise in journalism and strategic communications to help clients grow their businesses, launch new products and services and strengthen customer relationships. Lois has worked with companies and non-profits to develop and implement communications programs that create distinctive market positions, establish thought leadership, raise awareness and credibility and engage employees and members. Her clients include healthcare, professionals services, technology and financial services organizations.

Fred has created industry-leading points of view for marketing, media and management companies-- Reader's Digest, SPECTRA, and KSL Media, to name a few-- since founding Fred Pfaff Inc. in 1993. Before that, he covered marketing and media for a decade-- for such magazines as Adweek, Inside Media and Marketing Week-- gaining a reputation for the incisive essay on a development that other writers failed to recognize or appreciate. He has been personally featured in Reputation Management, Advertising Age, Presentations and The Wall Street Journal.