Team

We are collective of marketing gurus. Foodies at heart, we think like entrepreneurs and passionately promote the idea-makers. Those who not only talk, but act. Focusing on craft beverage, specialty foods, and niche brands, we use analytics and data to drive sales and hyper-focus on what full service marketing strategies will bring you real results. In short, we are good at what we do.

We are experts at digital marketing, website development and maintenance, branding, packaging design and photography. While there are many moving parts to any project, at Tiny Blue Sky we have the capacity and experience to make sure all aspects of your marketing plan move in the same direction resulting in a cohesive strategy that drives success.

We encourage our clients to enter into a partnership with us at any point in their development process. Whether they need assistance right from the beginning, have a specific one-time project need or want to keep us on retainer for continual marketing maintenance, we are up for it.

Tiny Blue Sky can confidently take your product and first develop an audience, then a following and ultimately a growing customer base. We are the real deal and can’t wait to learn your story, your idea and become just as passionate about it as you are.

Check out our services page for details on the type of work we do. Want to start a conversation? Click here and let’s begin!

TEAM MEMBERS

Gretchen DeVault
Co-founder / Director of Digital and Creative Services

Gretchen likes to think, create and make awesome happen—whether it be developing a digital strategy for a craft beverage startup or creating engaging marketing content for a niche brand. Her design range and skill set is broad. With over 15 years of experience working for a wide variety of boutique brands, specialty food and beverage companies, musical acts and nonprofit organizations, she has established a record of producing award winning work that drives business.

In addition to her design work, she is a singer, songwriter and guitarist with the indie pop band The Icicles and shoegazer band Voluptuous Panic. Her music has been licensed in commercials for Motorola and Target, as well as several independent films. She also recently completed a 6 week intensive improvisation course through Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, CA.

Zane DeVault
Co-founder & President

Zane is co-founder and president of Tiny Blue Sky. In addition to overseeing the success of the business, Zane is also a skilled brand and digital marketing strategist with extensive web development chops. He’s a fervent believer in clean code, and he’s on a mission to make content management systems more intuitive and accessible. He works with WordPress, HTML / CSS / jQuery, PHP / MySQL.

Robert Simmons
SEO & PPC Specialist

Robert has a bachelor’s degree in media management, which comprises design, development and copywriting for websites. His background includes working as a web designer for a firm specializing in e-commerce websites. The firm grew so quickly, Robert moved from designing websites to working with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and SEO until they “found a replacement.” He became so good at both, he became the replacement, doubling their PPC revenue in less than a year. As director of SEO and PPC advertising at another company, he increased their monthly revenue by 25% in just nine months. Robert holds Google Analytics and AdWords certifications from Google Academy and is
a WP Elevation–certified digital business consultant.

John Miller
Web Designer and Developer

Creativity at work and at play. A musician at heart, homebrewer and chef for fun, John focuses his professional time on creating the digital, print and other marketing elements his clients need to reach their goals. A jack-of-all-trades, John’s background is varied with over 14 years of experience in marketing and communications, project management, graphic design, email marketing, web development, user experience and more. He will almost certainly catch that detail most assume, “nobody is ever going to notice,” and loves the process of translating client vision into reality.

Brian J. Bowe
Lead Writer

Brian J. Bowe is a seasoned writer with a social scientist’s mind and a rock ‘n’ roll heart. As a music journalist, he has written books about bands like Judas Priest, The Ramones and The Clash. While earning his Ph.D. in media and information studies, Bowe developed a deep understanding of how communication helps people make meaning about the world in which they live. By day, he’s an assistant professor of journalism at Western Washington University. Outside of work, he makes music with Gretchen DeVault in Voluptuous Panic.

Amanda St. Pierre
Writer + Public Relations

Amanda is a seasoned public relations practitioner. She is a planner, a strategic thinker, a creative problem solver, and a details enthusiast. She is happiest when she is creating content to help clients achieve their communication goals. Amanda has a special place in her heart for data and psychographics—after all, for a message to resonate you have to know your audience. When not tapping away on her trusty laptop, Amanda is drinking coffee and dreaming up new business ideas.

Chelsea Slocum
Writer

Chelsea is an eloquent and creative copywriter with wit and mad typing skills to boot. She’s a comprehensive thinker with an intense dedication to the craft. Armed with ideas, gusto, and a very loud laugh, she is ready to tackle the day one post at a time.

Jane Petitjean
Photographer

Jane is an experienced professional photographer, food stylist and artist/illustrator with vast knowledge and years of experience. She doesn’t just take pictures, she transforms images into works of art. With over 30 years of design experience ranging from visual merchandising to corporate art direction and graphic design to studio photography, Jane has the unique experience it takes to make your images look great. When Jane isn’t behind the camera, she is either gigging with a band of musicians in which she plays a mean flute, or she is writing and illustrating books.

Shannon Nieuwkoop
Designer

Shannon is an expert designer who understands the project management process from concept to completion. She has extensive experience developing strategic print and online marketing campaigns across multiple brands that get to the heart of the matter. Shannon’s designs are clean, innovative and always communicate the intended message. When she isn’t on the clock you can find her on a plane heading to the next travel destination on her bucket list.

Dan Laninga
Point of Sale Specialist

Dan has extensive experience in integrating point-of-sale systems with accounting and e-commerce platforms. He has worked with small and large retail businesses and manufacturers. He works with Shopify, WooCommerce, Square, Vend, Clover, Revel, Quickbooks and Wave Accounting.

Angela Satterlee
Strategic Partner / Fairly Modern

Angela Satterlee is a Los Angeles based, Midwest raised designer with experience across various mediums. After earning her BFA in Graphic Design, her career started in Creative Direction – with a strong focus on Marketing and Brand Development. This led her to a tech agency where she specialized in User Experience Design for Fortune 500 companies. Utilizing her time outside of work, Angela dove into many passion projects including two extensive home renovations which led to the unexpected success of her blog, Fairly Modern.

Today, Angela has received her Masters of Design degree and is living her dream in California. She has founded a collaborative studio that utilizes her skills in Interior and Graphic Design to bring holistic and conceptual solutions to her Residential and Commercial clients. Her visual language simplifies concepts and creates a clearly defined plan with a beautiful, West Coast influence and Midwest budget.
See details about our Strategic Partnership with Angela.