CONVERGENCE MEDIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Digital Marketing
Austin Fiala is Senior Director of Digital Marketing at Convergence Media. Specializing in housefile fundraising, new donor acquisition, and voter engagement, Austin provides a data-driven approach to help our clients meet their fundraising and political needs. He graduated from the University of Mississippi with degrees in both Public Policy Leadership and French. He currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Production
Ben Miller is the Vice President of Production and joined Convergence at its founding in 2017. Starting on production sets on large commercial and corporate shoots, he went on to work in communications roles on Capitol Hill, served as the director of public affairs for a large grassroots organization, and was the Vice President at a political media firm.
Ben oversees the production of all television, digital, and radio advertisements for Convergence's clients, managing the creative process from conceptualization to placement. An award-winning ad maker, he has produced ads for various candidates, campaign committees, SuperPACs and corporate clients.
Ben is from Alpharetta, Georgia and a graduate of the University of Alabama. He heads up our Atlanta office, where our production operation and post-house are based. He and his wife Shea have three sons: Shaw, Collins, and Tucker Nile.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Production at Convergence
Charles Barbour is the Managing Director of Production at Convergence. He started his career at Cartoon Network in Marketing and moved over to Production, creating award-winning ad campaigns for CN partners like LEGO, Kraft and Nintendo. Charles joined Convergence in June 2021 and discovered that politics and cartoons have much in common (at least from an ad perspective). Diving right in as a Writer, Producer, Director, and Drone Operator, he has executed over a hundred ads for various candidates, campaign committees, SuperPACs and corporate clients.
Charles is from Houston, Texas. He graduated from Washington and Lee University, where he met his wife, Emily. They live in Atlanta with their son, Charlie, and daughter, Mary Benson.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Operations at Convergence
Jamie Vosseller is the Senior Director of Operations at Convergence. In this role, Jamie oversees the operations and finances of all production and post-production projects. This includes booking crew and editors as needed, actualizing budgets and maintaining production numbers throughout the year, as well as streamlining processes to ensure the department's continued growth and success. Her vast experience started in New York with Calvin Klein as the Associate Producer for their in-house advertising department, working on both print and commercial campaigns. Jamie then relocated to Atlanta, where she worked as the Senior Production Manager for Turner Studios. During her time at Turner, Jamie managed and produced promos, short and long form series for all the Turner Brands (TNT, TBS, TCM, Turner Sports and Cartoon Network), as well as live events for their networks.
Jamie is a graduate of Hollins University and lives in Atlanta, GA
Job Titles:
- Digital Content Director at Convergence. As a Member
Jesse Stokes is a Digital Content Director at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Jesse manages client expectations, develops messaging, and tracks client fundraising initiatives day-to-day.
Jesse graduated from The University of South Florida with a degree in Political Science and lives in Alexandria, VA.
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Manager at Convergence. As a Member
Kathleen Ashmore is a Digital Marketing Manager at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Kathleen helps run internal email/peer-to-peer list offerings, coordinates with external prospecting vendors, and monitors email and peer-to-peer deliverability. Kathleen emphasizes the importance of data driven decision making in order to increase fundraising efforts for all digital clients. Kathleen graduated from Wofford College with a degree in both Humanities and Spanish and lives in DC.
Job Titles:
- CORE Director
- Director at Convergence
Liam O'Toole is the CORE Director at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Liam supervises the full life cycle of all digital data from managing proper tracking and storage to building compelling visualizations and in-depth analyses. Liam designs and runs the Marketing Intelligence platform for the digital team, providing insights to make data-driven decisions. Before joining Convergence, Liam worked on the digital team at the RNC during the presidential election cycle.
Liam is a graduate of the University of Dallas and currently resides in Alexandria, VA.
Mark Jennings is a Client Strategy Manager at Convergence Media. As a member of the Digital team, Mark assists in developing fundraising programs for various clients. He graduated from the University of Arizona and currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Marvel Red Carpet Premieres in Los Angeles, including The Eternals, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Captain Marvel
Job Titles:
- Client Strategy Manager at Convergence. As a Member
Michael Bonilla is a Client Strategy Manager at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Michael works to drive engagement for clients by employing various marketing and design strategies. Michael graduated from Boston College with a degree in Political Science and Film and currently lives in Alexandria, VA.
Job Titles:
- Client Strategy Manager at Convergence. As a Member
Michelle Barrientos is a Client Strategy Manager at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Michelle assists with developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns. Michelle graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a degree in Public Relations and Political Science and currently lives in Arlington, VA
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Founder and Partner at Convergence
Mike Shields is a Founder and Partner at Convergence bringing more than 20 years of strategic experience at the highest levels of national campaigns, Capitol Hill and influential outside groups. The Washington Post reported that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Shields "one of the most talented political minds I know." Shields is a CNN Political Commentator who brings an unparalleled depth of policy and management experience. The American Association of Political Consultants recognized Shields's expertise by naming him the 2012 election's "Most Valuable Player" for his leadership in creating a messaging program to defend House Republicans.
Having led SuperPACs, Independent Expenditure units, and party committees, possibly Shields most impactful work came as the Chief of Staff to the RNC. Here Shields oversaw the data renaissance of the modern Republican Party, helping to map out the data ecosystem and create a vision for the RNC data, digital and ground game infrastructure that helped win the 2016 presidential election and that is still the backbone of the RNC today. Shields also counts Newt Gingrich as his mentor, having served as the former Speaker's Communications Director in his early career.
Born in the United States on a U.S. Air Force Base to an American father and British mother, Shields moved with his family to Great Britain as a child where he lived for 10 years. Now Shields lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife Katie and his son Aidan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Branding and Creative Strategy
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Digital Marketing at Convergence
Remy Hart is Vice President of Digital Marketing at Convergence, leading Convergence's digital team and overseeing its clients' online programs. Remy and her team architect and execute some of the most competitive digital operations in the marketplace, prioritizing creativity in combination with data-driven strategies to power their success.Remy joined the Convergence team as its Managing Director of Digital Marketing in 2021, directing the team's internal operations, systems and processes for team efficiency and growth.Prior to joining Convergence, Remy led digital operations for some of the most competitive statewide, congressional, and local campaigns throughout the country. She has over a decade of expertise in developing and streamlining online political efforts to strategically cut through the noise and reach voters and donors where it counts.
Remy is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and lives in Richmond, VA with her husband and two children.
Job Titles:
- Advertising Manager
- Advertising Manager at Convergence. As a Member
Sarah Mautino is an Advertising Manager at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Sarah assists with developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns.
Sarah graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in PPEL concentrating in Political Science and currently lives in Richmond, Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Director at Convergence
- Video Content Director
Tanner Williams is the Video Content Director at Convergence. As a senior member of the Production team, he contributes to every step of the creative process from conceptualization to placement and plays a key logistical role for production shoots - hiring crews and talent, scouting and securing locations. He is also a fully licensed drone operator, capturing drone footage across the country for various Convergence clients
Previously, Tanner worked on national marketing campaigns at Massive Media, leading marketing teams at Comic-Con, Super Bowl LII, and the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. In college, he worked as a Production Assistant for the Jay Barker Radio Show in Tuscaloosa, AL. Tanner got his start in politics interning for the communications team in Rep. Mike Rogers' (AL-03) office.
Tanner graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Public Relations and French. He is from Birmingham, Alabama and currently resides in Washington DC.
Tom Newhouse is Strategic Advisor at Convergence Media, a new role where he will provide strategic counsel and guide Convergence's business development. He was previously the Vice President of Digital Marketing and joined Convergence at its founding after two successful cycles at the NRCC as Digital Political Director and Digital Director.
Since joining Convergence, Tom built one of the largest and most powerful digital teams in Republican politics and oversaw digital operations for Governors, leadership in Congress, and campaigns across dozens of states. In 2021, Tom was honored by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) as one of the 40 best and brightest campaign professionals under 40 years old.
At Convergence, Tom oversaw the Digital team and served as chief digital strategist for Convergence's campaign and public affairs clients. Tom and his team built an online fundraising program for Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy from scratch into a national powerhouse and helped elevate Congressman Devin Nunes into one of the most prolific small-dollar fundraisers in the Republican Party. Tom is a proud graduate of Tulane University and resides with his wife Lauren and daughter Lydia in Alexandria.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Public Affairs at Convergence
Tyler Q. Houlton is the Vice President of Public Affairs at Convergence and has worked at the intersection of public policy, media relations and politics throughout his career in a wide variety of senior level positions in the Executive Branch, on Capitol Hill and on political campaigns.
Houlton is a skilled communicator with nearly two decades of public affairs and issue advocacy experience navigating the most difficult media environments, driving strategic communications goals, leading crisis management, and shaping and defending public policy on the international stage as well as the local, state and national levels.
Houlton is nationally recognized for his successful navigation of high-profile issues in the press. At the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Houlton served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs and Press Secretary. In this capacity he was a "trusted adviser" to multiple former Secretaries of Homeland Security and successfully "managed the department's public response during a number of high-profile security incidents, the midterm elections and hurricane season."
After managing the Office of Public Affairs at DHS, Houlton served as DHS Deputy Chief of Staff, where he oversaw and managed the daily operations of the Office of the Secretary. Houlton also oversaw the External Affairs of the Department, including the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Legislative Affairs, and the Office of Public Engagement. For his service to our nation, Houlton was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Department of Homeland Security's highest honor.
Houlton previously served at the U.S. Department of State where he advised the Department on critical foreign policy issues and helped shape our nation's response to global challenges in both foreign and domestic media markets. Prior to his service in the Trump Administration, Houlton was a Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and a spokesman and policy advisor for the National Republican Congressional Committee. He has a Master's Degree from Georgetown University and a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Director
Wyly Walker is a Digital Marketing Director on our digital team, where he guides Convergence's digital client programs on creative content and how best to integrate performance marketing techniques into digital campaigns. He graduated from Patrick Henry College with a degree in American Politics and Policy and currently lives in Loudoun County, Virginia.