Leadership | MGH | Baltimore – Washington, D.C.

Andy Malis
President Andy Malis started MGH at his kitchen table in 1995. Frankly, he's tired of seeing that fact written down. He'd much rather tell you about how the agency has become one of the largest in Baltimore since then. How we've picked up some very high-profile local, regional and national accounts, and attracted some of the best account, media, PR, interactive and creative staff anywhere. But his partners insist that he leave this fact in his bio for a simple reason: He's very much the same unassuming guy who started the agency way back when.

Having been a client — a regional marketing manager for Weight Watchers International — and a VP at a huge national shop (Doner), he's seen what agencies do right, and wrong. And he's intent on building a better one. Where clients are listened to, not talked down to. And where employees actually love their jobs. That is the driving spirit behind our agency motto, "The best place to work produces the best work." Yet despite all of MGH's success, Andy refuses to start acting like the caricature of an agency president — self-absorbed, condescending and aloof. Talk to him. You'll see.

Jane Goldstrom
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Media Director Everyone likes Jane Goldstrom, the "G" in MGH. She just has this way of instantly earning your friendship, and your trust. It's not just her 2+ decades of media buying and planning experience — including over 10 years at Doner, where she supervised more than $200 million in annual media spending. It's that, when you sit down with Jane to discuss a media plan, you get the feeling that she actually cares about your business and wants to help. And, it's not just media buying where Jane shows her skills — she also serves as MGH's Chief Operating Officer, where she manages the day-to-day activities of the company to ensure that operations are efficient and effective.

Jane's also proud to say that she's built a department with similar traits — a talented staff capable of planning and buying any market, anywhere. And also quite skilled at stretching a dollar, through innovative, value-added promotions, sponsorships and bonus spots. Jane is a research fanatic who insists on having the latest technology in-house to be able to look at the numbers beyond the obvious. But if she ever puts I Love Lucy or The Dick Van Dyke Show into your media buy, question her. She's addicted to those shows.

Jane graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a degree in advertising design. (A lot of good that did her.) She currently serves on the boards of the Nikki Perlow Foundation, The Semi-Colon Club and Itineris.

Terra Hopson
Executive Vice President, Creative Director Terra Hopson never set out to be an agency owner. But like so many talented people, she just couldn't help it. Terra's work as a graphic designer was gaining her recognition far beyond the reaches of Baltimore. People were paying attention to her bold, simple design solutions and demanding that she work on their accounts. One of those people was Andy Malis, who crossed paths with Terra at a small, boutique agency early in his career and literally begged her to join him when he launched the business in 1995. She hasn't looked back since.

The "H" in MGH, she's most comfortable sitting behind an artist's pad, or a computer screen. But her work speaks loudly and clearly and demands attention. Terra's work on behalf of clients large and small does just that. It's also garnered the attention of our industry, resulting in numerous local, regional and national awards. She's too modest to show you them. But one look at her work, and you'll feel like handing her a trophy, too.

Terra graduated from Towson University with a degree in visual communications. She's also studied extensively at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

John Patterson
Executive Vice President, Executive Creative Director John Patterson likes attention. He craves it, actually. Not so much for him, but for his clients. A writer by trade, John is known for creating television, radio, print, and direct mail that is talked about — by the general public, by the press, and by the advertising industry. He's convinced a group of otherwise stuffy business executives to dance around Baltimore to the Nutcracker Suite. He's put an entire symphony orchestra in a suburban backyard. It's the "buzz factor" that his work creates that first attracted the attention of Andy Malis, who recruited John to MGH in 2003.

John's previous job, as creative director at Doner, gave him the experience to handle production budgets exceeding $1 million. But John is just as happy creating a small print ad that surprises people with a simple, yet startling, headline. He's been a copywriter for 20+ years, and is the recipient of numerous industry awards — including the Gold Medal for Copywriting from the New York International Advertising Festivals. His background nicely complements that of his partner, Terra Hopson. In fact, they don't even argue with each other.

John graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was also managing editor of the award-winning daily newspaper, The Diamondback.

Beth Willard
Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Integration Director Beth Willard can see into the future. And while she hasn't yet predicted the next Powerball winner, she is quite adept at helping our clients position themselves for tomorrow. Beth relies on both research, and the ingenuity of our staff, to create meaningful, relevant strategies for a very modern marketplace. She then decides which MGH services to employ — from traditional advertising and PR to social media and search engine marketing — and makes sure they work in tandem with each other.

Beth came to MGH after 15 years at Doner, where she supervised a number of large, national accounts including PacifiCare, Scudder and AEGON. She became known both for her tremendous strategic insight, and her never-give-up determination. She demands results, from herself and others, and constantly re-jiggers her strategies to optimize a client's return on investment.

Beth graduated from Goucher College with a degree in fine arts and has studied art and design in both Greece and the Maryland Institute College of Art. (Don't ask how she got her current job.)

Mike Skandalis
Executive Vice President, Response Director Mike Skandalis doesn't like waiting. And as the agency's resident tracking expert, he doesn't have to. With an extensive background in media planning, Mike leads a team that uses a variety of innovative software to tell you almost instantly whether your communication is working. He can then adjust your buy, or your marketing efforts, just as fast. Broadcast spot? Mike can tell you when your commercial actually ran, and what the response was to that exact spot. Web banner? Mike can measure clicks hourly if you'd like, and even tell you where they went after they clicked. Telephone number? Mike can set you up with a service that lets you know who called, how long they talked, and if you choose, you can even listen in on the call. Direct mail? Mike can tell when your mail arrives, down to the address.

Mike graduated from Towson University with a degree in mass communications. He and his wife Jackie have a son, Jack, and a daughter, Kate. Mike has less luck keeping track of them.

Ed Repasky
Senior Vice President, Account Services Director You know that friend that's so easy to talk to, they just seem to "get" everything you're saying and really understand?

Well, that's how our clients feel about Ed.

As head of MGH's Account Services department, Ed listens and understands what our clients need and want. And he believes that the best client-agency relationships exist when everyone can freely exchange and challenge ideas to reach the best outcome. Of course, Ed just isn't concerned with wants, needs and ideas. He immerses himself in our clients' businesses, consulting research, considering budgets, and only making recommendations once a marketing mix is developed to best achieve a client's goals.

Before joining MGH, Ed worked at large and small ad agencies for more than 15 years, bringing with him a wealth of client and industry experience in fashion, education, sports marketing, health care, government, B2B, associations, consulting and automotive.

Ed graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in advertising.

Ken Peluso
Senior Vice President, Interactive Development Director Ken Peluso knows everything. Or at least it seems that way when discussing interactive. And these days, virtually all of our clients find themselves discussing this constantly evolving technology. As our Interactive Development Director, Ken is responsible for the development of fully functional websites with advanced content management systems, blogs, email campaigns and social media programs. He supervises our interactive project managers, who help keep projects on track and on budget, as well as a team of highly skilled programmers. He also consults on interactive strategy.

Prior to MGH, Ken supervised design and interactive at Gilden Integrated, overseeing new technology and implementing Web and e-commerce strategies. He began his career as a designer, working on such brands as Campbell's Soup, Frito-Lay and Godiva.

Ken graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a degree in visual arts.

Cara Citino
Senior Vice President, Interactive Strategy Director Cara speaks an unusual language for an Internet person: English. Perhaps that's why so many of our clients hang on her every word when it comes to all things interactive. Cara directs the agency's interactive thinking and planning for a wide range of national, regional and local accounts.

Her unique ability to demystify the Web, and technology in general, is matched only by her excitement about what they have to offer today's marketers. Cara has 15 years' experience managing and developing websites, content management systems and banner, search and email advertising campaigns. Her work on behalf of past clients such as Coca-Cola, MasterCard, Q-Tips, Nike and Hanes gives her a depth of experience matched by few in the industry. Before joining MGH, Cara applied her skills at such companies as Weber Shandwick and Rand Interactive.

Cara graduated from Towson University with a degree in mass communications.

Dave Wassell
SVP, Associate Creative Director, Frontman for The False Starts Dave Wassell is a man of many talents. He's a bowler. He plays guitar and performs lead vocals in his band, The False Starts. And at MGH, he's an award-winning associate creative director and art director.

As associate creative director, Dave oversees and supervises creative for several clients, as well as most of our interactive projects. And as an art director, he's responsible for creating a lot of work for many of our high-profile clients, including MASN, Towson University, Ocean City, MD, and the National Aquarium. It's the best of both worlds, being able to help grow and manage MGH's art directors, copywriters and creative department - and still get in the trenches and produce great work. And in his ten years at MGH, Dave's work has drawn a lot of attention, and won many local, regional and national ADDY awards.

Dave graduated from Towson University with a degree in fine arts with a concentration in visual communication.

Laura Crovo
Senior Vice President, Content Strategy Director, Business Development Director Laura Crovo has always liked to solve puzzles, something she gets to do a lot at MGH. Also bringing her writing and storytelling skills as a former journalist, Laura uses her puzzle prowess to help bring a clear and comprehensive strategic approach to the development of interactive content for websites and other online projects.

Before a site is designed or written, Laura considers what kinds of content make sense, based on business goals and available technology. Once a site is created, she ensures that the content meets current best practices guidelines for search purposes, and makes sure they are compatible with all other forms of communication.

At the same time, Laura also directs the agency's new business and marketing activities. Having previously served as the agency's PR Director, Laura helps work with new clients and prospects to uncover their marketing challenges and figure out how MGH can best meet those needs.

Prior to joining MGH, Laura served as the small business reporter at Maryland's Daily Record, where she was named "Small Business Reporter of the Year" by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Laura graduated from Towson University with degrees in mass communications and political science.

Chris McMurry
Vice President, Public Relations Director Chris McMurry has a pretty novel stance for a Public Relations Director. He believes that there is no such thing as just a public relations campaign. Rather, what Chris brings to his clients are strategic PR plans and tactics that integrate successfully into his clients' overarching marketing campaigns.

As PR Director, Chris is responsible for MGH's ever-evolving group of PR services. His passion lies in developing fresh and unique content that will get the right people talking — whether it's the media, stakeholders, social media influencers, customers or internal audiences. Moreover, Chris has been integral in making sure PR tactics work in concert with advertising, interactive, social media and marketing tactics.

Chris's biggest claims to fame are landing MGH's first hit on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; securing two placements on the Today Show in the same week for the same performance apparel client; and creating an unexpected partnership between two of MGH's clients, Marco's Pizza and the Common Ground Alliance.

Prior to joining MGH, Chris served as the Communications Manager at the Frederick Keys minor league baseball team, so he knows what it's like to be on the client side (and he's not afraid to dress up like a mascot). Chris graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in public relations.

Ryan Goff
Vice President, Social Media Marketing Director As the head of Baltimore's first dedicated social media group, Ryan has led numerous successful social media campaigns for clients. From developing an extremely unique Foursquare campaign for Miss Shirley's that garnered national media attention, to helping expand Ocean City, MD's Facebook following to more than 150,000, and creating a larger than life QR code campaign for Smyth Jewelers, Ryan creates effective social media campaigns that not only generate results, but garner buzz - on and offline.

Ryan has a certain eloquence and charm about him that many do not possess. Clients adore and respect him, and his laidback demeanor and intellectual sense of humor make him extremely likeable in and out of the office. At MGH, we like to think of Ryan as the Doogie Howser of marketing and social media - wise beyond his years and always ahead of the curve with his out-of-the-box, strategic ideas that have produced tremendous results for clients.

Ryan is regarded as an expert in his field, and is quoted regularly in local, national and trade media outlets. He also frequently participates in speaking engagement opportunities, including the American Advertising Federation of Baltimore and Visit Baltimore.

Ryan graduated from Washington College with a degree in business management.

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