People

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, the new role of PR, and brand marketing.  Currently he is a Director, Board of Visitors & Fellows, UC Davis Dept. of Viticulture and Enology; Executive Director, Free the Grapes!; steering committee member, Direct to Consumer Symposium; and marketing instructor, UC Davis Wine Executive Program. 

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. 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.

Tia Butts
Account Supervisor

Tia leverages her background as a radio journalist and experienced PR pro to craft compelling stories, especially those targeting lifestyle magazines, travel, and food media outlets.

Prior to joining the agency in 2005, Tia spent almost six years at Robert Mondavi Corporation as PR Manager, then transitioned to Icon Estates (formerly Franciscan Estates) following Constellation Wines’ purchase of Robert Mondavi Corporation. At Robert Mondavi Corporation, she ran PR programs for Woodbridge and Papio, and was the brand management liaison on their "New Brands" program. She launched the Woodbridge 187 minis, handled the "Annie and Margrit" cookbook publicity tour, launched Golden Vine Winery at Disney’s California Adventure™, and coordinated media tours in the U.S. and Chile with leading edge Chilean winemakers.

Sean Carroll
Senior Account Executive

Carroll grew up in Napa but has spent his professional career generating press coverage for high-tech companies.

He labored in the trenches of San Francisco, during the dot.bomb era, placing his clients in print, TV and radio interviews. Carroll's ear for good stories, attention to detail, and tenacity put him leagues ahead of most PR professionals. His ability to peg his client's products to current events helps him place wine clients in the non-wine media, including business, news, and lifestyle press. He resides in Fairfield and holds a BA from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.

Jessica Engel
Account Coordinator

Engel assists the Napa and New York-based PR team in many areas including story research, creative writing, pitching and monitoring. She also works on event planning.

Engel joined Benson Marketing Group’s New York office in 2009 from Eagle Eye Imports in Michigan. Working as on-premise sales consultant, Engel worked closely with top restaurants to build creative wine lists as well as organize and promote wine events. Engel is obtaining a Masters degree in International Marketing and Management in the Wine Sector from the University of Paris X Nanterre/OIV (Organization International de la Vigne et du Vin). Before that, she taught English in the small town of Tain l’Hermitage along the Rhone River in France. She is a graduate of Boston University with a BA in Political Science.

Michelle Fleming
Account Coordinator

Fleming conducts story research, writing and pitching for the agency’s PR clients. She brings more than a decade of wine industry PR and direct marketing experience to the agency, most recently at Jackson Family Estates and Kendall-Jackson Winery. She has also managed and coordinated tasting room teams and special events at wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

Fleming is a native of Northern California’s wine country and resides in Santa Rosa. She is a graduate of Sonoma State University with BA degrees in Communication Studies and Sociology.

Brandy Hauman
Account Coordinator

Hauman joined Benson in 2009, bringing 15 years of experience in broadcast media and information technology to the agency's digital campaigns and client solutions.

Her background spans sales, marketing and research, primarily in cable TV. As a research systems manager for seven years at ESPN in New York City, Hauman combined data analysis and brand marketing skills to help ESPN's clients achieve their advertising goals. She left to pursue wine, joining PJ Wine, one of Manhattan's largest wine retailers, to learn more about the industry. While there, she created email campaigns, managing the retailer's website and helped consumers find the perfect bottle.

In addition to a BS in Public Relations from Suffolk University, Hauman holds a WSET Advanced certification.

Sarah Jones
Account Supervisor

Thinking like an editor, Jones has a gift for developing appealing storylines that resonate with writers and result in ink for the agency's clients. Armed with knowledge of the wine industry and the writers who cover it, Jones' pitches are researched and targeted to achieve the best results.

Prior to joining the agency, Jones worked for Robert Mondavi Corporation's headquarters in Napa where she coordinated media campaigns, reporting, and wrote press materials for the company's wine brands. She graduated from Boston College and resides in Napa.

Toni Lizotte
Account Coordinator/Office Manager

Toni coordinates special events, print projects, press activities, and other related marketing activities for the agency's clients. Additionally, she works closely with organizers of major U.S. wine events, and ensures the smooth operation of a busy agency with two offices.

She brings a wide range of industry experience to the agency, including sales support. She began her career in the wine industry with Beringer Blass Wine Estates, as sales assistant for the vice president of Channel Sales. Prior to joining the agency, Lizotte held positions at COPIA: the American Center For Wine, Food & The Arts and Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines.

She graduated from Cal Poly State University and resides in Napa.

Thea Schlendorf
Account Coordinator

Schlendorf coordinates media outreach and story pitching projects, as well as events and social media campaigns. She joined Benson’s New York office from Winebow, a successful wine importer and distributor located in New York. Working in the research department, Schlendorf developed training materials to help the sales team and buyers better understand and sell the company’s broad portfolio of Italian brands, as well as the firm’s new Spanish and Portuguese portfolios. She also managed all updates to the company’s website. Schlendorf is a Certified Specialist of Wine, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, and graduated with a BA from Colgate University.

Sherry Stolar
Account Coordinator

Leaving behind a career in the financial services industry, Stolar joined the agency in 2010 to pursue her true passion: wine. She assists both the Napa and New York teams on publicity campaigns, media relations and marketing communications.

Previously, Stolar was in the communications department of UBS Investment Bank, first in London and then New York City. She interned for ABC-TV in New York City as well as for NBC-TV at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. Meanwhile, she also worked nights and weekends at wine merchants in London and New York to better understand the industry. Stolar holds an advanced WSET certificate, and graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Communication and Applied Economics and Management.

Brett Van Emst
Account Executive

Brett Van Emst’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 marketing strategy and execution, ensuring seamless delivery of creative, consistent messages across print and digital media. 

Before joining Benson in 2009, Van Emst spent 12 years in advertising and marketing. 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 ad agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners where he was Senior Project Manager for clients including Greyhound, Sun Microsystems, Priceline.com, and RadioShack. A graduate of Michigan State University, Brett resides in Petaluma with his wife.

Ross Wassermann
Account Supervisor

A native New Yorker, former chef and restaurateur (with an award for his wine list from Wine Spectator) and all around gastronome, Wassermann is the agency's eyes and ears in the media capital of the U.S. He works closely with the Napa-based PR team on story pitching, especially to the lifestyle, food and business press that call New York home.

Prior to joining the agency in 2005, Wassermann worked with wine and gourmet food brands at a New York PR agency. 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 was part of a team that ran publicity and events for clients including D'Artagnan organic game and poultry, premium loose-leaf tea company, SerendipiTea, and the annual Chocolate Show in New York.