People

Benson’s goal is to be the pre-eminent global wine marketing agency.

To get there, the agency was founded using a simple but powerful “people” strategy it calls the “Upward Spiral.” The agency hires truly outstanding people, who deliver stellar results, which attract the right clients, who allow the agency to hire more great professionals, and so on. The strategy is autocalytic, meaning that it is a self-reinforcing strategy, and it influences every aspect of the company.

How is the agency organized? In 2009, Benson reorganized to create interdisciplinary account teams rather than functional divisions (PR, Digital, etc.). This complemented its integrated approach to combining PR, Social Media, Trade Promotion and Branding services. Today, client teams typically include a diverse group of specialists, located in both Napa Valley and New York City, but each campaign has a single account manager – the structure promotes creativity and coordination. The result has been a decade of consecutive, year-on-year revenue growth averaging 15%-20%. (Click on the images below to read biographies of Benson’s professional team.)

Jeremy Benson
President Benson founded the agency in 1997 and directs client strategy and creative development. He speaks frequently at industry conferences and university seminars on digital media, PR’s new role in marketing, and brand marketing.

Prior to starting Benson Marketing Group, he was brand manager and export sales manager at Franciscan Estates, and marketing director for the Napa Valley Vintners Association which brought him from Los Angeles to Napa. While in LA, he managed PR campaigns for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton brands including Domaine Chandon, Moet & Chandon, Hennessy Cognac, and Tanqueray.

Benson holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BA from Occidental College, both in Los Angeles.

Sample of Industry Boards and Speaking Engagements:
* UC Davis Wine Executive Program: Current Marketing Seminar Lecturer
* WineFuture Rioja 2009: Guest Speaker on Social Media
* Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium: Past Chairman, Current Steering Committee Member
* Auction Napa Valley 2008: E-Auction Chairman 2008
* University of California at Davis, Board of Visitors & Fellows: Former Director


Telephone: 707.254.1107
Tia Butts
Vice President Tia leverages her background as a radio journalist and experienced PR pro to provide strategic counsel for international and domestic clients and to develop and manage integrated marketing campaigns.

Before joining the world of marketing communications, Tia was a radio news director and reporter, winning awards for both her investigative journalism and her compelling coverage of former Vice Presidents Dan Quayle and Al Gore. After making the switch to Public Relations, Tia has spent the last 12 years in the wine industry, joining the Robert Mondavi Corporation in 1999, where she handled PR for the Robert Mondavi family and for Woodbridge, Robert Mondavi Private Selection and the new brand division. She then transitioned to Constellation Wines’ Icon Estates division to lead PR for Robert Mondavi Winery, Franciscan and Mount Veeder.

Since joining Benson Marketing Group in 2005, Tia has spearheaded more than a dozen new brand launches and re-launches, media-trained a number of winery spokespersons and has been instrumental in leading and developing the agency’s digital marketing and social media practice. Tia is a requested speaker at industry conferences on social media and communications. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications from Eastern New Mexico University and the Intermediate Certificate from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Telephone: 707.254.0456
Sean Carroll
Senior Account Executive Sean has more than a decade of marketing and Public Relations agency experience. He has designed and executed national media relations programs for wineries of all sizes, from small family-owned wineries producing less than a thousand cases to much larger brands. He has successfully launched a handful of California wine brands and provided strategic council on communications to consumers, media and trade. All of these efforts have produced news coverage in a very broad range of media, including men’s and women’s lifestyle magazines, business outlets, consumer wine publications, as well as on radio and TV.

Prior to Benson Marketing Group in 2003, Sean worked in the competitive world of high-technology PR in San Francisco during the “dot com” era. This experience honed his communications, marketing, and PR skills, and allowed him to establish relationships with journalists that he maintains today. He holds a BA in Communications and Public Relations from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.

Telephone: 707.254.1167
David Cohn
Account Executive David joined Benson in August 2011 to add skills and experience to the agency's growing trade promotions practice. Here, he manages on and off premise promotions and events, trade tastings, and private events for sommeliers and buyers.

His background in wine importing makes him ideal for this role. Previously, David was head of brand development and operations for Noble House (now the Gotham Wine Group), a mid-sized New York wine importer with distributor licensees in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Prior to joining Noble House, David was a wine buyer, serving as assistant sommelier for Fourth Wall Restaurant Group, also in New York. David started his career in law, and is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey.

David graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, and obtained his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York. He holds a Wine Certificate with top honors from the Sommelier Society of America and his Introductory Certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Telephone: 212.822.3404 ext 201
Thea Schlendorf
Account Executive Drawing on her experience working with Italian, Spanish and Portuguese brands, Schlendorf coordinates media outreach, story pitching projects and social media campaigns that garner attention for a diverse array of wines and vineyards. She also brings a tenacious and organized hand to wine events for press and trade.

Schlendorf joined Benson’s New York office in 2008 from Winebow, a successful wine importer and distributor located in New York. Working in the education department, Schlendorf developed training materials to help the sales team and buyers better understand and sell the company’s broad portfolio of brands. Schlendorf is a Certified Specialist of Wine, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, and graduated with a BA in history and economics from Colgate University.

Telephone: 212.822.3404, extension 202
Brett Van Emst
Senior Account Executive Brett's experience in social media, marketing communications and brand building brings strategy and insight to clients and helps them communicate in a quickly changing marketplace. He is responsible for the seamless delivery of creative, consistent messages across print and digital media.

Before joining Benson in 2009, Van Emst spent 12 years in advertising. He has an extensive project management background, working on both the corporate and agency side of advertising for companies such as Sanford Corporation in Chicago and Foote, Cone and Belding in New York City. Most recently, he was with the ad agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners where he was Senior Project Manager on Greyhound, Sun Microsystems, Priceline.com, and RadioShack. Brett graduated from Michigan State University.

Telephone: 707.254.1169
Ross Wassermann
Vice President A native New Yorker, former chef and restaurateur (with an award for his wine list from Wine Spectator) and compulsive traveler, Wassermann joined the agency to open the New York office in 2005. Ross manages PR as well as Trade Promotion and Brand Strategy projects for domestic and international clients and wine regions.

Prior to joining Benson, Wassermann worked with wine and gourmet food brands at a New York PR agency, where he managed the Loire Valley Wine Bureau from its creation, in 2002, through 2005, and has been featured widely in radio and print interviews. He also worked with clients such as D'Artagnan organic game and poultry, premium loose-leaf tea company, SerendipiTea, and the annual Chocolate Show in New York. He is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of Italian, German and Russian.

Telephone: 212.822.3404, extension 203
 

Comments are closed.