About

Aileen Abaya is a B2B tech, financial tech, and cryptocurrency communications goddess. Having worked extensively on both the client and agency sides—leading global PR and social strategy, but also crafting white papers, blog posts, case studies, and social copy—she’s an excellent fit for Content Bureau clients who want a single, extremely capable point of contact. We’re in love with her crystal-clear copy, expert project management skills, and passion for diving fearlessly into virtually any tech or fintech subvertical. Aileen holds a B.A. in mass communications and legal studies from UC Berkeley and an M.B.A. from UCLA. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lucy Anderton helps us show our clients how smart they really are. She is a swift, efficient, and creative editor who sees into the heart of a project and helps it emerge as an elegant bouquet of well-ordered words. A chief editor and translator for the SKEMA business school, Lucy holds an M.F.A. from the Warren Wilson M.F.A. Program for Writers and a B.A. in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music. Her poems and critical works have appeared in journals throughout the United States and France, and her book of poems, The Flung You, was released in 2012 by New Michigan Press. Lucy splits her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and a tiny village in Southern France.

Ruth Burk’s exceptional content and client service have earned our agency so many five-star Clutch reviews that we’re running out of superlatives for this 20+-year Content Bureau superstar! She’s a perennial favorite of our clients in tech, financial services, and consulting who need large volumes of high-quality industry marketing content. Queen of the 30-minute executive-level thought leadership interview, she transforms complex source content into elegant white papers, blog posts, infographics, and more. Ruth draws on her deep business experience as a former senior manager, consultant, and internal auditor at Accenture, Booz Allen & Hamilton, and Chevron, respectively. She holds a B.S. in accounting from Oregon State University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. Ruth lives near Portland, Oregon.

Michelle Burke enriches the Content Bureau’s work with her ability to simply visualize complicated branding strategy. She’s a fierce defender of our clients’ style guides, a crystal-clear communicator, and the ultimate professional in all aspects of her impeccable work. Michelle has created powerful PowerPoint presentations, infographics, trade show graphics, websites, and print collateral for many Content Bureau clients. She holds a B.F.A. in graphic design from Massachusetts College of Art. Michelle lives near Sacramento, California.

Michelle Chang is a true “dive into anything with gusto” force of nature—thanks to her cheerful can-do spirit and experience in big-name finance, consulting, marketing, and nonprofit management. She’s the perfect campaign lead, delivering ultra-smart, long-form thought leadership content, then writing the short stuff—blog posts, emails, social copy, banners, and more—that draws readers to our clients’ gated assets. Her educational achievements are, um, rather impressive as well. Michelle holds a B.S. in management science from MIT, an M.A. in international studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Wharton. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A passionate foodie, Janine Coughlin thinks like a chef: Content should be fresh, crisp, and easy to digest. Janine is an experienced storyteller across a wide range of mediums, including book publishing, digital media, print journalism, and television. She also brings to the Content Bureau an international perspective (and certified HSK 4 Chinese language proficiency), having lived in Beijing for more than 15 years. Janine excels at helping the Content Bureau’s multinational clients tell their stories to diverse global audiences. She holds a B.A. in English from State University of New York at Stony Brook, and now resides in Los Angeles.

Stacy Crinks founded the Content Bureau in 2000 and continues to lead the agency’s growth (occasionally sporting tiara and scepter). Prior to founding the Content Bureau, Stacy was a manager in the Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) Strategic Services practice. Before that, she did sales and technology project management for Trans Ocean/Transamerica Leasing. She began her career (and the tiara thing) on the Champs-Elysées, at the global headquarters of advertising agency Publicis. Stacy received a B.A. in political economy of industrial societies from UC Berkeley, an M.B.A. from Wharton, and an M.A. in international affairs and Spanish from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Brian Cronk is our editor extraordinaire for financial services, technology, and professional services clients. He turns the deepest, thorniest source content into elegant thought leadership copy, and provides expert editorial direction on the wide variety of marketing assets we produce—from articles to white papers and everything in between. Brian’s rock-solid credentials include both client-side and agency experience for companies including Charles Schwab and Dow Jones, along with a previous incarnation as a journalist at The Wall Street Journal. Brian holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Penina Goodman could run this entire agency with her eyes closed. In the meantime, we’re lucky to have her support on our marketing, ops, and special projects in ways that help us grow joyfully, thoughtfully, and sustainably. A steadfast follower of the design-thinking philosophy, Penina has led and inspired collaborative teams through hundreds of branding and marketing initiatives—from concept through execution—for clients including Michael Jordan, CDC Small Business Finance, W Hotel, Cymer Inc., Geppetto’s Toys, and Independent Financial Group. Penina holds a B.A. in psychology from University of Michigan, and an M.A. in graphic design from the Portfolio Center. A proud native Michigander, she now lives in San Diego, California.

Allie Hayase is a woman we’d love to clone. Her keen editorial perspective, great visual eye, experienced strategic outlook, and super-high quality bar make her the perfect partner for clients needing help with everything from content strategy to execution of expansive, multi-year, multi-asset projects. Allie brings 20+ years of marketing experience to the team, with stints in Accenture’s Communications and High Tech Strategy group, NEC Electronics semiconductor division, and the WNBA. She holds a B.A. in management/engineering from Claremont McKenna College, a B.S. in industrial engineering from Stanford University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. She lives in San Diego, California.

Dan Janzen knew early on that writing was what he did best and loved most. Since the first dot-com days, he’s produced expert copy for B2B companies in nearly every tech sector and vertical market. His content range is vast, extending from demand nurtures and sales cadences to customer stories, ebooks, executive speeches, infographics, research reports, white papers, and many, many blogs. Whatever the topic, Dan approaches each piece with a beginner’s mind and a few simple questions: Who are we talking to? What’s our point? Why should they care? What do we want them to do about it? And, of course: How soon do you need it? Dan holds an A.B. in history from Harvard University. A native Hoosier and former Californian, he now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Christine Kent has no trouble retaining her focused cool even when clients need thousands of words or an on-target thought leadership article at the eleventh hour. As an editor, writer, and journalist, she has composed and polished all types of content for B2B and consumer clients, finding just the right tone to tell the tale at hand. Chris has served as writing manager for Blanc & Otus Public Relations, and holds a B.A. in communications from American University. Chris works from the East Coast as well as a rosé-filled village in Southern France’s Languedoc region.

Lisa Klenner is like a glass of Veuve Clicquot—sparkly, refined perfection. A 10+-year Content Bureau special projects lead, Lisa excels at elegantly and proactively managing our technology and process-related projects, as well as many other initiatives requiring wicked smarts, creativity, tenacity, and diplomacy. She’s also led client support, stepping in to take care of our clients when needed. Lisa holds an M.A. in public administration from California State University and a B.A. in cultural anthropology from UC Berkeley. She lives outside San Diego, California.

Lizzy Kopple is a B2B marketer who understands how open finance is changing consumer behavior and impacting fintechs, banks, and embedded finance providers. She’s worked with a range of clients, including fintech aggregators and providers of cybersecurity, observability, and investment management tools. Our clients love her breadth of experience creating blog posts, case studies, email campaigns, product websites, and more. And we love her gorgeous, generous spirit—it’s the cherry on top! Lizzy holds a B.A. in history from UPenn and an M.B.A. from Wharton. She lives in Southern California.

Safiya Lawrence, SEO diva, is a powerful behind-the-scenes asset for our clients. Providing everything from site architecture recommendations to research and analysis to meta tags, copy development, and beyond, Safiya oversees each component of our clients’ custom SEO strategies. She is beloved by our writing and editing team, ensuring the content we deliver is highly effective for both humans and search engines. Safiya holds a B.A. in communications from Jacksonville University, a B.A. in public administration from Florida International University, and an M.S. in higher education administration from Southern New Hampshire University. She lives in New Jersey.

Tori Morales knows how to deliver on deadline. A committed and tenacious journalist, she brings to her Content Bureau writing a keen eye for detail and a passion for diving into new content areas, particularly in tech. Her work has appeared under her own byline in CNN, POLITICO Pro, and the New York Daily News—and she helps guide the pen for many happy Content Bureau clients. Tori is currently studying at New York University toward a B.A. in journalism and politics with minors in German and web programming. She writes from her New York City apartment with the help of two brilliant cats.

Todd Nocera, the Content Bureau’s in-house multimedia visionary and cool guy, gives the term “eclectic” new meaning. Beloved by Content Bureau clients across the globe, Todd delivers gorgeous creative work that flies through brand review. Before joining the Content Bureau, he worked in video, sound, web, and print for Saatchi & Saatchi, Cartoon Network, R/GA, Subaru, Hasbro, Mattel, Nestlé, and other heavy hitters in the advertising world. His other life as a musician keeps him busy in the off hours. Todd holds a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering and an M.A. in music composition from Tufts University. He lives in New York.

Réka Pigniczky is the Content Bureau’s extremely overqualified video lead. A celebrated documentary filmmaker and former television journalist with Duna TV and the Associated Press Television News, Réka puts her subjects at ease with her sparkling wit, then asks powerful questions that lead to the juiciest sound bites. She has filmed, produced, and edited innovative talking-head videos for the Content Bureau’s most discriminating clients. Réka holds a B.A. in political science from UC San Diego, an M.A. in political science from Central European University, and an M.A. in international relations and journalism/documentary filmmaking from Columbia University. She lives in Northern California and Budapest, Hungary.

Elizabeth Simins edited as a hobby before turning it into a career, so it’s no exaggeration to say she takes genuine delight in transforming good writing into great writing. An avowed and proud generalist, she brings her trademark enthusiasm, eye for detail, and curiosity to whatever her pen touches. Her hybrid background in the arts, financial services, and tech sectors helps her draw from a broad base of knowledge and experience that comes in handy with any Content Bureau client, format, or subject matter. Elizabeth holds a B.A. in history from Columbia University and an M.A. in critical theory/cultural studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She lives in the heart of Portland, Oregon.

Jasmine Smith is our ultra-talented surfer/yogi designer/client support lead—the perfect person to stretch our clients’ brand guidelines to their shiniest and most creative limits while delivering expert client service. She brings to the Content Bureau more than 20 years of experience as a graphic designer and art director, and has won multiple awards for her work in the publishing and media industry. Jasmine holds a degree in graphic design from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. She splits her time between the north shore of Maui, where she sources the waves for inspiration, and Southern California.

Kate Spears is a formidable generalist. A former Accenture associate partner and commercial litigator, Kate has been a Content Bureau champion since 2006. For every sort of corporate communications, she has yet to meet a subject she can’t write about (punk rock, perhaps?). Kate has supported C-level executives and teams in operations, sales, talent management, legal, and product development. And her legal training has paid off: Kate’s communications—from succinct web copy to original research reports to board-level presentations—are logical, forceful, and credible. She holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. in political science from Marquette University. Kate lives near Chicago, Illinois.

Alan Stacy goes way back with the Content Bureau. He’s an exceptional collaboration partner, both as a client and a team member. Throughout his lengthy career in B2B technology marketing, Alan has managed complex projects and teams as both VP of technical communications and managing editor of corporate publications. He has written hundreds of engaging B2B thought leadership articles, blog posts, case studies, white papers, and social media posts. Most recently, Alan spent nearly six years as a marketing and executive communications manager at Cisco Systems, producing external comms for senior engineering and product management leaders in enterprise and data center networking. Need a tech aficionado to write expert copy on networking and security, SaaS and cloud applications, fintech and enterprise applications, and the future of hybrid work? Alan’s the one! He lives in Monterey, California.

Maia Starling provides exceptional client support to some of the Content Bureau’s largest accounts. She works closely with our clients’ procurement, supplier diversity, and payables teams as well as our marketing clients needing quick proposals and budget updates. We’re in awe of Maia’s crystal-clear communications and impressive ability to crunch big numbers after 10pm, and grateful for the care and attention she provides our clients and teammates. Maia holds a B.A. in English Literature from Trinity College-Hartford. She lives in Orange County, California.