Tracy Marlowe’s superpower is the uncanny ability to unleash creative energy.

Tracy finds her joy in freeing top marketing talent from the confines of a traditional workplace, inspiring them to do their best work. Creative Noggin is a 100% virtual agency whose success is measured in team member satisfaction and a thriving client base. And currently, all of their employees also happen to be women.

“I’ve strived to build a business that empowers women,” Marlowe explains. “Originally, the business was designed to empower me as a new mother who was juggling a career and an infant daughter. But as the business has grown, I love how we’ve been able to provide a platform upon which other women can thrive.”

Early in her career, Tracy worked in offices where she saw that women were often considered “less than” because they were juggling their careers with family matters.

By contrast, at Creative Noggin, a woman can still perform at the top of her game and never question whether she’ll be considered less-than because she has to pick up a sick child from school or take a dog to the vet. “It’s an ambiance of trust that helps women thrive and have careers without sacrificing their personal lives. The virtual agency business model allows each individual to live more wholeheartedly when they show up at work each day. They don’t have to pretend that they don’t have a life outside of work. There is no inner conflict balancing career and home.”

Trish has been called a renaissance woman by colleagues in the field of advertising. Her creative toolbox includes brand conception and design; copywriting and content creation; photography and video; and a strong ability to think strategically —  an unusual combination of characteristics in one creative professional. With over 30 years of industry experience, Trish is comfortable with every facet of the business from initial strategy work to print production and social media. She sees the “big picture” and keeps it pinned up in her brain during the entire creative process.

She has won several industry awards for her creative work, but if asked would rather talk about client success. And although she credits great results to strategic planning and the ability to remain agile, her passion remains in the art of storytelling. She has worked on accounts of every size, from small mom-and-pops to non-profit organizations and mid-large corporations.

She founded Creative Noggin on the premise that what really matters in great marketing is the brains behind it — not the square footage of an office or the number of agency personnel around the conference room table.

Instead of taking an entire page to explain Terri’s credentials, let’s just assume that anything you would need to know or have experienced in advertising and marketing, Terri knows it, has done it, and has perfected it. Any size budget, she’s handled it. Any size plan, she’s orchestrated it. Her B.S. in advertising means she doesn’t put up with the “BS” in advertising. Terri brings over 25 years of experience working at San Antonio’s top agencies to the clients of Creative Noggin. Not only is she an avid brand steward, she is extremely detail-oriented and — while totally unrelated — can beat just about anyone in a game of horseshoes.

There’s no lack of communication skills when it comes to Maren Minchew. In fact, it’s her specialty. As our resident communication strategist, she relies on her love for research and strategy development to tell client stories in the most efficient and effective way. We’d like to think that her ability to rise to every challenge is fueled by her sweet tooth and latest culinary creation, but it’s more likely a product of her passion to help our clients succeed. 

Amanda happens to be a Certified Purpose Coach, as well as a Brand Strategist — so rest assured, whatever problems you may have as a client, or on an account, she can get you on the right path! Amanda began her marketing career in the healthcare industry, quickly rising to become Marketing & Communications Director. (Which speaks volumes of her abilities.) Before landing at Creative Noggin, Amanda worked full-time and traveled the world hitting Asia, Europe and South America as part of a remote year. Now that she’s found her niche in agency life, she’s bringing that drive and daily purpose to our clients. Off-hours you may find her enjoying a Luann platter at Luby’s, playing Yahtzee and/or watching Wheel of Fortune. Yes, she’s a rare millennial with an old soul.

This marketing powerhouse brings a wealth of experience to the Creative Noggin team. From tactical, multi-channel market planning and execution to customer experience, brand strategy, and channel partner cultivation, Krista is simply well-versed in “all the things”! With over 20 years in the business, decrypting an organization’s unique and inherent “growth DNA” is what lights her fire. In fact, “It is kind of fun to do the impossible” is her personal mantra. When she’s not going full-speed-ahead at work, she’s going full-speed-ahead at the gym, bringing strength to Creative Noggin figuratively — and literally. We’ll take it!

Jill is a seasoned public relations professional. Having worked in agency, corporate and non-profit environments across a variety of industries (think: financial, hospitality, energy, healthcare, transportation and academia) she understands what it takes to develop a strategic and comprehensive communications plan that will impact business objectives. But above any plan, it takes focus, tenacity and persistence to execute. And lucky for us — and our clients, Jill has those qualities in spades. Jill employs a mix of communication channels to execute her plans and influence stakeholder engagement, including: local, national and trade media, social media and grassroots outreach. When Jill’s not affecting change or motivating action for Creative Noggin’s clients, she’s playing sports mom, or alternately, arts mom to her two sons. Jill is from Illinois (where she met her husband) and she enjoys running, cooking and her church family.

Sometimes timing is a blessing. We just happened to be looking for a media buyer when one of San Antonio’s most respected agencies closed its doors. Anel brings to Creative Noggin a power-packed background of media savvy, having worked with numerous national ad agencies and international clients for over 20 years. She not only knows print inside and out, but is completely versed in the latest technologies of outdoor, broadcast, and interactive media. A master negotiator, she’s earned the nickname “Added Value Anel.” She’s a self-proclaimed craft project wannabe, a former “cheer mom” and an avid runner. But forget marathons. After just one she said, “I like to run. Not suffer.” Smart cookie. We’ll keep ‘er.

With digital marketing prowess becoming as important to creative teams today as ping-pong tables were in the early ‘90s, Nicole is one of our MVPs. Not only does she have 20 years of prior print design, she has the added bonus of gen-u-ine interactive curiosity. A true team player. Quick on her feet. A voracious learner. And not afraid to “get into the weeds” with whatever is thrown at her. In fact, her eye for detail, production knowledge and ability to stay ahead of the digital marketing curve may just make her one-of-a-kind. (BAM!) When she’s not drinking out of a fire hose, she’s horsing around with her adorable Border Collies. Or singing Elvis tunes. She’s visited Graceland four times and even walked down the aisle to “It’s Now or Never.” Shoot — if only we had an actual office, we could broadcast “Nicole has left the building!” every night.

In addition to our core team, Creative Noggin works with an extensive stable of talent all over the country with a range of expertise. When asked, “How many people do you have on staff?” our answer is very fluid. Depending upon the needs of our business, we may have anywhere from ten to thirty+ people on payroll from month to month. Our unique business model allows us to tailor the perfect creative team for your business, rather than just using whoever is on staff and has the bandwidth at the time. Also, since we have very low overhead, we are able to employ senior-level talent with an average of 15+ years of experience. We work with the best in the business—which means you can, too!