Mathew Conley

Matthew is the Events and Marketing Assistant for SPI Marketing. He helps in handling the flow of event sponsorships and managing National and Local Media and day-to-day office operations.

Prior to joining the SPI team Matthew worked at the Fire Island Pines in Promotions and Marketing. He helped organize one of the largest Beach Parties on the East Coast and helped in promoting the Pines’ organizations through various promotions and events. He also helps raise money annually for the New York Gay Men’s Health Crisis at the Aids Walk in Central Park. Matthew is a Midwesterner transplanted to New York City and a graduate of the University of Kansas.

Scott Seitz
CEO

Scott Seitz is the CEO and founder of SPI and is widely recognized and cited as one of the most influential persons in gay marketing. Scott has been involved in gay and lesbian marketing for nearly 20 years.

Scott brings a diverse background from Kodak and Pepsi into the marketplace with working backgrounds in business-to-business sales, operations, distribution, new product introductions, quality control, reengineering, brand and consumer marketing. Shaping a unique approach to the marketplace, SPI was designed to get clients’ messages out through our “operations” network, media, PR and industry contacts. Watching the growth in Urban marketing and promotions, Scott redirected SPI growth and staffing to reflect the need for pinpoint promotions and PR in a competitive market. Scott grew the company to accurately reflect the needs of clients, and reached beyond traditional PR and Marketing efforts to include sales and distribution when available.

Active in community service, Scott has served on the Board of Governors of Bread & Roses, a Connecticut AIDS service organization, and is a founding board member of Honoring Our Journey, a men’s spiritual group, and in his neighborhood associations. He has also consulted with a variety of other community organizations. A graduate of Michigan State University, Scott lives with his partner on the Connecticut Coastline.

George Maquieira joined SPI Marketing in 2005 as the Director of Marketing Communications. He handles day to day client relations across all brands and works on implementing all programs from strategic concept to execution. His primary areas of specialty are Brand Strategy, PR and Events and Media. He also interfaces with our partner agencies. George is the communications hub of SPI Marketing and works hard to ensure programs are being executed in a timely manner and that all parties are informed.

Prior to joining SPI, George spent six years in public relations at Manning Selvage & Lee, New York. He began his work in the consumer technology division and worked on accounts such as Quicken, Quicken.com and TurboTax. Later, he transferred into the healthcare department to work on accounts he felt more passionate, HIV medications for Roche Laboratories. He also worked on women’s health accounts for Pharmacia and men’s heath accounts for Eli Lilly.

George also spent a summer working at NBC Studios in New York in their press and publicity department. While at NBC, George coordinated photo shoots, press conferences, radio spotlights and talk show interviews for NBC talent.

George graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville and holds a BS in Public Relations and Communications.

David Gudelunas
Director of Research and Insights

An experienced researcher and focus group moderator, David works closely with clients to design methodologies, gather data and produce insights that help determine marketing platforms. Working with both qualitative and quantitative data, David is also a resource for clients with questions about how to measure and track gay and lesbian consumers.

David is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Fairfield University in Connecticut. His research interests include audiences, gay and lesbian identities, media industries and communication taboos. David is the also the author of “Confidential to America: Newspapers and Sexual Education” from Transaction Publishers as well as many scholarly and popular articles about the intersections of communication and sexuality.

David holds a BA from the University of san Francisco and MA and Ph.D. degrees from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Palm Springs, CA, David now lives in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood.

Aaron Brost
Director of Public Relations

Aaron Brost is the Director of Public Relations at SPI Marketing, primarily responsible for creating strategic programming that generates awareness, media coverage and word-of-mouth.

As the past Director of public relations at Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Aaron oversaw communications planning and execution for the full spirits portfolio. He is a proven brand-builder that develops strategic, innovative and newsworthy programs that drive sales. In his tenure at Beam, Aaron helped to solidify the Company’s leadership position in bourbon and tequila. He provided communications counsel for senior leaders and spearheaded media strategy and key message development. Aaron also served as liaison to the various brand and regional marketers. He managed a PR budget in excess of $6MM and oversaw an internal and external communications team, including five public relations agencies, which generated more than 2 billion media impressions in 2007. He also has extensive experience with entertainment marketing and is on the forefront of the social media revolution. Prior to Beam, Aaron spent several years at top public relations agencies, including Weber Shandwick, where he focused on client service, media relations, writing and event planning and execution for leading companies like the Nation’s Milk Processors, Kraft Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Pennzoil-Quaker State, Orbitz and Peapod.

Aaron graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Iowa in Communication Studies and Spanish. A sports enthusiast, he is a member of NAGAAA, NAGVA and Chicago MSA. A Chicago native, he also serves as a mentor for the Broadway Youth Center and is a former member of the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus.

Doug Budin
Director of Marketing and Operations for the West Coast

Doug Budin is the Director of Marketing and Operations for the West Coast.

Based in SPI’s Los Angeles office, Doug oversees activities from San Diego to Seattle including national and regional events and sponsorships. He works with local area organizations to ensure a synthesis with SPI’s New York Headquarters which allows the client to be taken care of on a national as well as local basis. He also oversees promotions in local area bars and nightclubs working closely with the New York office.

Originally from New York City, Doug moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue a career in television and film. Before joining SPI in 2003, he worked for a special event company overseeing operations and client relations for events from 50 to 5,000. Doug was on staff for Fidget.com and wrote their weekly nationally syndicated food and entertaining column as the “Fidget Gourmet” which had over 70,000 subscribers. His appearances on TV and film include ER, Friends, Frasier, According to Jim, Charmed and the films Redline and Because I Said So. Additionally, Doug has volunteered for many not for profit organizations over the years in both LA and New York including Outfest, GLAAD, GMHC and Project Angel Food. Doug is a graduate of Clark University.

Edward A. Lent
VP Visual Merchandising

In the course of traveling the world setting up showrooms and retail operations for over 25 years, Edward Lent became had become a published author and recognized visual merchandising guru.

A consumate educator with a B.S. Degree in Art education, Mr Lent is also a member of the National Association of Display industries and Society of Visual Merchandisers. A cosumate entertainer, designer and stylist, Ed has been writing for a variety of design oriented magazines for over 20 years and continues currently as contrbuting editor of Tableware Today magazine with ongoing articles in several lifestyle publications.

His experience has gone past print and into live events and TV as host of his popular ” Edward’s Table” entertaining program and hosting on QVC and Breakfast TV. Turning merchandising into creative ways to engage the consumer has taken Edward in to multiple marketing an advertising arenas including radio, television, on-line, event marketing, and guerilla programming. He resides in Manhattan New York and Norwalk, Connecticut.

Mark Sottek
Internet Consulting

In 1982, with moneys made scalping Elton John concert tickets, Mark and his college dorm mate pooled their ill-gotten gains and bought a computer which they had agreed to share. Mark, to the dismay and rather loud objections of his dorm mate, was soon “hogging” the computer and becoming immersed in the burgeoning promise of computer technologies. In the early years, there was no Internet. However, Mark began using a precursor to the Internet known as remote “bulletin boards” to get free software and share code. Mark created an electronic book with a graphic interface, Bulletin Board Bonanza, explaining how to connect and use bulletin boards to download free stuff and join a network of online communities.

Mark’s “e-book” was published by a national software vendor and distributed through electronic forums as shareware. Although the e-book was a free download, Mark asked people to send donations if they found it useful. For $30, Mark would mail diskettes with handy software. When checks and cash started showing up in Mark’s mailbox, a new career was on the horizon. Inspired, Mark created and marketed e-books for a long list of clients including chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends. Chef Paul’s free downloadable cookbook featured 33 recipes with Magic Season Blends as ingredients and included a printable, digital coupon good for free seasoning samples. This delicious e-book was featured in a special “pull out” edition of PC Computing magazine as one of the “Top 100 Free Downloads” on America Online where Mark served as a moderator. By the time Web browsers came along and the Internet took off, Mark was well ahead of the curve and began preaching the good word about what was to come. Although eyes glazed over when Mark said “internet” or “web,” his enthusiasm and conviction were enough to persuade people to give Mark’s crazy sounding schemes a shot. As it turned out, Mark’s crazy schemes weren’t so crazy after all. Over the years, Mark has created websites and online marketing strategies for a rather impressive list of clients. Mark has received accolades and won a few awards along the way too.

For over a decade, Mark, along with his close friend Graham Button, have struggled to make time for MardiGrasUnmasked.com. Mardi Gras Unmasked is a labor of love and a tribute to the unique culture of New Orleans, the city Mark and his life partner of twenty seven years—Ronnie—call home.

Rob Rosiello
Director of Promotions

Rob Rosiello holds a Masters Degree from Villanova University. Before SPI Marketing, Rob served as Entertainment and Events Coordinator at The Crown & Anchor Entertainment Complex in Provincetown, MA. It was during Rob’s time at The Crown & Anchor that Bar and Nightclub Magazine named The Crown & Anchor Editor’s Choice Top 100 Bar/Nightclub in the Country for 2004- 2006. Rob was also invited to be the key speaker at The Bar & Nightclub Conventions in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City, addressing such seminars as Owning & Operating a Gay/Lesbian Bar/Nightclub, Top 100 Club Panel- Killer Management Tips and The Challenges of Owning/Operating Waterfront Properties. For the past two years Rob has served as Producer of the ABSOLUT Real Fruit Tour and LOGO’s Drag Race Tour featuring Exceptional ABSOLUT Drinks, the national tours that featured the winners of the RuPaul Drag Race Seasons 1 & 2.

Kevin Henry
Sales Activation Manager

Kevin first came to SPI working on the Absolut Vodka account. He has also worked as a Production Coordinator specializing in Branded Events for clients including Grey Goose Vodka, 7 Jeans for All Mankind, X-Box, T-Mobile, and Angeleno Magazine. Kevin was Brand Manager for Crater Lake Vodka, and beverage manager for the Emmy Awards Show, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Grammy’s.

Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Kevin is a graduate of New York University, and now resides in Los Angeles where he also performs as a musician, singer and actor.

Kyle grew up in North Texas, graduating high school in 2003.  He attended Texas Tech University, majoring in Marketing.  While at Tech, Kyle was the social chairman of his Fraternity.  He also participated in the Tech Marketing Association and the Student Red Raider Club, graduating in 2007.

From 2007 to 2009 at Glazer’s, Kyle was an Off-Premise Wine Sales Rep in the Frisco Grocery territory selling WJ Deutsch and Fosters Wine portfolios.  In 2009 Kyle made a lateral move within the company and started selling spirits On-premise.  As an On-premise Spirits Sales Representative, Kyle represented many brands including Crown Royal, Ketel One, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Belvedere and Grand Marnier. 

In his spare time, Kyle enjoys shotgun sports, golf, pool time and anything outdoors.