RareBird

Jim Cota, President and Creative Director, spent eight years working for an advertising agency before launching Rare Bird in 1998. In that time, he worked for a wide variety of clients across a wide spectrum of media: print, electronic, outdoor, etc. Since then, Jim has been focusing more on Internet-related communications for companies seeking to leverage the power and potential of this exciting medium to enhance sales and further define a cutting-edge corporate culture. Want to know more? Read the company blog, Jim’s personal blog, or follow him on Twitter.

Troy Chandler, our design partner, has a great eye for good work and a talent for creating it. With more than fourteen years of hands-on experience, he knows the industry and brings an overall marketing sense to the work he creates. Boasting a complete marketing background, he has been known to suggest headlines and copy changes from time to time. In the last few years, Troy has focused his talent on creating some of our best sites – whether it be for one of the world’s great health authorities, a wedding accessory retailer, or a craft materials supplier.

Ben Rothe is the leading programming/information architect side of the operation. Ben has an extraordinary blend of strong design and fluent programming skill. These two talents enable him to implement design into his programming, creating user interfaces that people understand and like to use. Ben leads a team of talented programmers with a strong sense of purpose, skill, and attention to detail. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that, in your interaction with programmers, you’ve experienced frustration with their lack of design sense or inattention the users’ perception. I’m sure that won’t happen here.

Michael Fox is a developer with a grand curiosity and a passion for creating great work. With almost five years of experience and a solid understanding of the tools of the trade, Michael is the go-to resource for javascript and xml integration. Michael has been the lead programmer on the Harvard Medical School and The Saturday Evening Post projects, and is pioneering some of our most exciting development work.

Brad Meiser is a programmer with strong skills and a refreshing, all-in attitude. Brad’s willingness to jump in with both feet makes him a welcome member to the development team, and his experience and perspective provides a unique view on creating workable solutions.

Jeff Philapy is a programmer with a long history of building technically sound solutions. Jeff has been working in the industry for 10 years and brings a healthy dose of real world sensibility, admirable work ethic, and a spirit of cooperation to the development team.

Anne Shumaker is a marketer, thinker, and “roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-to-work” enthusiast. All of which fit perfectly in her role as Integrated Marketing Specialist where she specializes in helping clients find strategic ways to integrate cross-channel strategies throughout their marketing communications.

Mike Priami is a graphic designer with a considerable background in developing content for online marketing campaigns. At Rare Bird, his primary role began in email design and creation, though his projects have rapidly extended into traditional web design and development.

Kyle Bavender is a designer with a uniquely technical bent. Kyle’s best work is done when he is converting great ideas into great design, and then into technically savvy implementations. Kyle has established himself as a standards and compliance expert, helping ensure cross-browser compatibility for all of our work.

Tom Gasta is our new HTML/CSS Specialist. Tom has considerable experience in the advertising and marketing industry and spent several years honing his video skills; something we expect to put increasingly to use for our clients.

Allison Rothe is an artist by nature and a graphic designer by training. With a long history (and enviable talent) in fine art, Allison brings an artists’ sensibility to everything she creates. In her three-year tenure with Rare Bird, Allison has built several sites, created multiple email campaigns, and coordinated some of our print and direct mail efforts.