PDMI University Faculty

Mary Ann Bautista is a YouTube strategist specializing in direct response marketing. She’s the co-founder of the agency TurboRank, which unlocks YouTube’s full potential to drive revenue. Why should your brand care about YouTube? Because it’s the second-largest search engine and the No. 1 place where consumers discover, research, and engage with brands. Bautista helps businesses turn YouTube into a powerful growth engine — boosting views, engagement, and conversions through organic optimization. With more than 23 years in direct response marketing, she’s scaled D2C brands by crafting data-driven strategies that get real results. When she’s not optimizing YouTube content, you’ll find Bautista enjoying great food, pilates, and a glass of wine.

Lindsey Carnett is the CEO and president of Marketing Maven. She founded the company in 2009, after leading integrated communications campaigns for firms and private industries across the world. With nearly two decades of experience in direct-to-consumer marketing, Carnett is a trusted public relations advisor to national and international organizations and has been named an Enterprising Women Award Winner, Top Woman in Public Relations by PR News, a Top Woman in Media, and featured in the Forbes Most Powerful Women Business Leader issue. Carnett has offered expert insight via news outlets like CNBC, TheStreet.com, National Public Radio (NPR), The Doctors, USA Today, PR Week, Forbes Woman, Medium, Gizmodo and Thrive Global. She also taught a social media content course and wrote curriculum for Academy of Art University. Named one of the Most Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur 360 Awards, and one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America by Inc. 5000 for two consecutive years, Marketing Maven specializes in international and domestic public relations, social media, reputation management, direct response marketing, U.S. product launches, SEO, event PR, and influencer marketing.

Linda Goldstein is a member of BakerHostetler’s Advertising, Marketing & Digital Media team. She provides advertising counsel and regulatory advice to leading Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. She represents clients in investigative and enforcement proceedings brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, district attorneys, and other federal and state agencies. Goldstein spends a considerable portion of her time advising clients on how to minimize the legal risks associated with mobile marketing, e-retail, social influencers, native advertising, email and telemarketing, and more. Goldstein’s commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC’s TODAY Show, Adweek, Advertising Age, and the National Law Journal.

Joseph Gray founded television's largest cost-per-action advertising network, REVShare, in 1989. One of his companies, Global Media Productions, was acquired by TelAmerica Media, now Cadent Networks, where he briefly served as president in 1987-1988. In 2007, Gray raised an equity round from The Carlyle Group and HIG Capital, forming Media Property Holdings and Lead Generation Technologies, which operated a pay-per-call lead exchange in various verticals including legal tort, debt, and tax. Gray exited Media Property Holdings in 2012. Too young to retire, he created DRMetrix in 2012 to provide much needed insights and competitive data to the direct-to-consumer television industry.

Beth Johnson has more than 25 years of performance media expertise spanning across categories including finance, healthcare, insurance, retail, DTC, and lead generation. In her current role as senior director of media at Omni Direct, she leads all multichannel media strategy, planning, analytics, and ROI performance for clients looking to reach the large and growing Hispanic market. With Johnson as part of the leadership team, Omni Direct has been recognized as a fastest-growing agency by Inc. 5000, Adweek and the South Florida Business Journal.Prior to joining Omni Direct, she spearheaded the formation of the Hispanic media division for Eicoff, an Ogilvy & Mather company, where she built and led the high-growth business for more than 12 years. Johnson enjoys being an integral marketing partner for her clients by identifying new market opportunities, relentlessly optimizing media, and extracting timely insights from data mining and attribution.

Lucio Maramba is CEO and owner of Maramba Insights Inc., which he founded in 2018. Leveraging more than 26 years of direct response experience, Maramba has built his career on his vast analytical skills grounded in his honesty and integrity. He began his DRTV career at Mercury Media in 1997, eventually rising to director of operations. In 2013, Maramba was recruited by call tracking pioneer Dial800 to create its first campaign performance group, catering to the firm’s strategic partners. He is also an experienced audio engineer and sound designer. Maramba continues to provide best in class analysis and campaign performance management for the DR industry and beyond.

Ranjit Mulgaonkar is the founder and CEO of Flatworld Group, a full-service Amazon Agency that helps product companies maximize the benefits of Amazon. He brings 25-plus years of senior executive management experience in online marketplaces, e-commerce, SAAS, internet, and digital imaging. Mulgaonkar has multifaceted leadership experience in general management, business development, corporate development, global partnerships, and international operations. His experience includes executive positions at Amazon, Avalara, Telebrands, DNA Response, Adobe (Aldus), and Xerox.

A brand creative architect specializing in content creation strategies and execution, Patrick Raymond — vice president of creative strategy and execution, West Coast — brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Bluewater as an award-winning TV director, filmmaker, executive creative director, executive producer, and writer. His footprint is seen in prestige beauty brands, including top-ranking campaigns for Luminess® Cosmetics and Conture® Skin Care. With experience collaborating with major film studios and beauty lines, he has delivered robust campaigns with the likes of Disney's The Lion King Limited Edition Collection and Beyonce's renowned celebrity makeup artist Sir John, as well as beauty and media moguls like Kathy Ireland, Kim Kardashian, and Kris Jenner. Beyond beauty, Raymond has led creative direction across multiple industries, from health and wellness to food and wine, working with Fortune 50 powerhouses like Johnson & Johnson® and featuring world-renowned chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and Fabio Viviani. His vast expertise spans linear TV, social, and digital platforms, consistently delivering groundbreaking, high-performance campaigns that has helped redefine industry standards.

Buck Robinson, CEO and co-founder of Retail + Response, is one of the most respected names in the performance advertising industry, especially as it pertains to radio and audio marketing. A serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in advertising, Robinson has founded media agencies that have been recognized by Inc. Magazine as some of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. for three consecutive years. He also was honored by Washington SmartCEO Magazine as both a “Future 50” winner (2009, 2010) and a recipient of their prestigious “Circle of Excellence” award. The son of television industry pioneer Frank Robinson, Buck Robinson first discovered the transactional promise of radio as the president of Guthy-Renker Radio, a joint venture between him and the well-known Direct Response TV giant Guthy-Renker. Robinson has created and/or overseen marketing campaigns that, in aggregate, have generated almost $750 million in directly attributable revenue for his clients. Robinson is widely regarded as the leading expert in direct response radio marketing and remains personally involved in every aspect of Retail + Response’s advertising process. He holds a degree in psychology from Bucknell University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He lives in Richmond, Va., with his wife Jenna, and three children. When he’s not working, he enjoys training for and competing in a variety of endurance sports. To date, he’s completed 15 marathons, four full Ironman triathlons, six half-Iron triathlons, and five ultra-marathons.

Randy Shaheen has more than 30 years of experience as an advertising attorney. A member of BakerHostetler's Advertising, Marketing and Digital Media team, he represents clients before a variety of regulatory agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), National Advertising Division (NAD) and state attorneys general, and he is sought after for his handling of multijurisdictional matters. Randy's background facilitates practical insight: He has a significant history with matters related to privacy and data security, marketing to children, "green" claims, dietary supplements, claims of weight loss and health and performance, comparative claims, the use of surveys and "Made in the USA" claims.

Ariel Brooks Benz is the CEO and founder of BB3 Advertising, an independent media and advertising agency recognized as one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America by Inc. 5000 in 2024. With two decades of industry experience, including roles as media director and director of new business at agencies in New York and Los Angeles, Brooks Benz has built and operated agencies across multiple continents, serving an international client base with a focus on performance media buying. Her global perspective and expertise in cross-cultural marketing have shaped BB3's success in delivering optimized campaigns across TV, CTV, social media, influencer marketing, and digital platforms. Under her leadership, BB3 integrates AI and machine learning to advance market research, analytics, and content creation, driving innovation and meaningful connections between brands and audiences.

Chris Foster is vice president, new business at Modern Postcard, a national direct marketing company that services business of all sizes and in all markets. As a marketing and branding executive, he understands how to help any-sized business better position and brand themselves and tell their most authentic story to engage their audience. In addition to leading the creation and execution of new business strategies at Modern, he has taught brand strategy at UCSD Extension since 2009. Chris is a contributing author for TargetMarketing Magazine and NonProfitPro and has presented at numerous professional conferences nationally.

​Leonard Gordon, co-chair of Venable’s Advertising and Marketing Group, is a skilled litigator who leverages his significant experience working for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help protect his clients’ interests and guide their business activity. Gordon regularly represents companies and individuals in investigations and litigation with the FTC, state attorneys general, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He also represents clients in business-to-business and class-action litigation involving both consumer protection and antitrust issues.

Kurt Hutchinson is an account executive at Paramount Advertising on the performance media team, based in New York. Hutchinson’s primary focus is the sale of Paramount’s national OTT TV and display inventory across news, sports, and entertainment.

Fern Lee, CEO of THOR Associates, is an award-winning marketing professional with a proven track record of creating and increasing brand awareness. A proud 2018 inductee to the Direct Response Hall of Fame, she has mastered the caveat of consumer engagement with each campaign, recognizing the “journey” to provide loyalty and asset values for multiple globally recognized brands. Lee is successful at applying direct response initiatives to the traditional and digital marketplaces with a unique expertise in branded-response omnichannel results. Earlier in her career, Lee was the head of direct response at Good Times Entertainment/Gaiam, bringing fitness hits Billy Blanks, THE FIRM, and Richard Simmons incredible success around the world. TurboCooker and GTXpress were also multi-million-dollar revenue generators in DTC and retail initiatives. For the past 14 years, Lee has dedicated her talents as CEO of THOR Associates, creating a premier omnichannel strategic marketing agency that implements dynamic lead generation resulting in multiple consumer transactions. Under the THOR Associates umbrella, Lee is proud to have provided services to select clients such as: MetLife, AIG, Humana, J&J, Mars, Balsam Hill, FocusFactor, KUMON, InventHelp, GalleryDirect.com, MedicareAdvantage.com, ClickNKids, Zestra, ReBloom, SmartSilk, and Migralex.

Marcelino Miyares has spent 30 years evolving the Hispanic marketspace. Known for his market intelligence and resourcefulness, he co-launched d2H Partners in 2014 to lead more "crossover" clients to their Hispanic consumer path-to-profit. Miyares truly believes that brands need to “Enculturate or Die!” His marketing experience includes DRTV (Great Health Works, InvenTel, Telebrands, Capital Brands, Hearthware, and others); branded DR, lead-generation and retail work (Matrix, Lincoln Heritage, Hulu, Citibank, AT&T, PepsiCo, American Stores, and McDonald’s); and traditional direct marketing (Oxford Health, Sirius XM, Toys”R”Us, Home Depot, and others). Miyares is a Cuban-American native of Chicago and currently lives in Santa Monica.

Jordan Pine is a writer, consultant, and founder. He has written and directed more than 150 DRTV commercials and helped launch several well-known brands during his 20-year career. He is also the author of The SciMark Report, a popular industry newsletter. Pine started his DR career at IdeaVillage, where he spent five years and rose to vice president of marketing. In 2008, he launched SciMark Corp., a marketing consulting firm for DRTV companies. As a consultant, he advised every major company in the short-form space, helping them improve their processes for evaluating new products and perfect their commercials and advertising strategies. As part of this work, he also co-pioneered the first system for predicting DRTV results using inexpensive, online testing. In 2010, Pine co-founded Paragon Products, a company that creates, validates, and then supplies successful products to the top distributors in the DRTV industry. Paragon’s most well-known success to date is the TAC line of tactical products that includes the TacLight, TacLantern, TacGlasses, and more than a dozen other best-selling items.

John Rinaldo’s role as general manager of specialized demand at DISH Media encompasses monetization strategy across political, local, and partnerships, as well as data partner sales enablement. Rinaldo is a seasoned media/ad tech executive with 15-plus years of experience in the advanced TV sales space. His experience includes more than 10 years of service at DISH Media, as well as various sales management roles at Samsung Ads. Rinaldo’s roles and background span DTC, multicultural, and brand/agency sales, with a focus in advanced TV monetization, sales strategy, and execution. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business, management, and economics at SUNY Empire State College and an executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business & Technology.

Allegro Response is a multichannel contact center that specializes in direct-to-consumer sales and customer service. However your customers want to communicate — whether it be through the phone, email, chat, or text — Allegro’s team is trained to take care of your customers. Its expertise in the direct response space helps clients improve campaign results while improving the key metrics necessary for success.

Kaitlin Stebbins is the performance media sales manager at Samsung Ads. In this role, she oversees a portfolio that includes performance agencies and advertisers. Before joining Samsung Ads, Stebbins served as the associate director of advertiser solutions at PubMatic, where she managed annual revenue goals of $130 million and maintained crucial relationships with prominent agencies such as IPG, Omnicom, Publicis, WPP, and Horizon Media.