Principals

Mike Shaw
Mike Shaw is a writer, and has owned, presided over and directed creative for three Atlanta-based marketing agencies over the past three decades:

NewsLettersPlus: Established in 1982 on the premise that with pertinent editorial and design integrity the corporate newsletter could be an effective marketing vehicle, NewsLetters Plus grew to 35 employees, primarily writers and graphic designers, and $8 million in annual revenues.

CI Marketing: Founded in 1995, CI developed and conducted marketing campaigns for business-to-business marketers of financial services, health care and technology products, as well as manufacturers of household furnishings and marketers of resort residential real estate.

Shade Communications: Founded with partner Sherman Wade in the summer of 2008, Shade provides its core services of strategic planning and editorial along with access to an exceptional and broad-based pool of creative talent. The company’s client base represents a wide range of businesses and industries, from manufacturing to financial services, from convention centers and tradeshows to corporate meetings and events.

Mike specializes in writing on complex issues and marketing the related products and services to professional audiences in those fields - financial services to bankers, medical devices to doctors, employee health plans to benefit managers. Previous to his agency work, Mike wrote for and held editorial positions for several magazines; his investigative work includes articles adapted for 60 Minutes and ABC 20/20 documentaries.

Sherman Wade is co-founder of Shade Communications. He was co-president and co-owner of Shepard Exposition Services (SES) from 1982 to 2002, overseeing the evolution of the company as it became a major player in its field and growing revenues from $2.8 million to $26 million. Since selling his share of SES in 2002, he has worked in new business development and as a marketing consultant to trade show organizers and suppliers to the convention and hospitality industries. Sherm came to Atlanta in July 1976 as director of sales for the Georgia World Congress Center, departing in 1982 as assistant director.

Creative Team

Tryon Rosser/Senior Art Director
A graduate of Savannah College of Art & Design in 1992, Tryon spent his formative design years working with Classic Games, Decorative Specialties, and Kragie Newell, followed by several years freelancing with the top ad agencies and design firms in Atlanta.

Over the years he has worked with such clients as Disney, Topps, Fleer, Serigraph, Snapper, NAPA, Blockbuster, Georgia Pacific, MilliCare, Interstate Truck Equipment, CibaVision, Porter-Cable, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Whirlpool, Peachtree Properties, Dogwood Brewing, NetZee and Major League Baseball.

His considerable talent in understanding and interpreting the key elements of a business category and distinguishing attributes of a particular business make him a strong player on the Shade team.

Sandra Moreland
An innovative public relations professional with 20-plus years of leadership in spearheading strategic, comprehensive programs for companies ranging in size from start-up to global corporations, Sandra possesses an excellent command of key business drivers and skills necessary to identify and implement programs that measurably impact company and executive visibility, create brand awareness and drive lead generation. Sandra was instrumental in the growth of technology public relations firm Alexander Communications and its subsequent acquisition by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, where she served as Managing Director of the Global Technology Practice. Her career also includes leadership positions as Vice President of ABOA/Shandwick Public Relations and Public Relations Manager for Callaway Gardens Resort.

Simeon Smith/Video Producer
Simeon has produced more than 300 corporate videos. Over the past 15 years, he has been a primary resource for communications firms, having overseen productions for AT&T Wireless, GTE, Cingular and AT&T Mobility. The work ranges from internal training to company-wide announcements to customer-oriented in-store productions. During 20 years as a television news reporter, Simeon won six Emmys for his features and documentaries, working for CNN and in a number of local markets including NBC affiliates in Cleveland and Atlanta.

Regina Nickles /IT Systems Analyst/ Web Developer
Over more than 20 years in information technology, Regina has mastered the languages of IT, from COBOL to XML. During her corporate stint, she worked for such notable companies as Fujitsu, Assurant, Siemens, Intercontinental Hotel Groups, MetLife, Fulton County Government, Information Systems of America and Coca-Cola.

Since 1998, Regina has concentrated on Web application development for small and medium-sized businesses. She is a cross-platform developer, adept at writing code as well as at using new Web technologies to help her clients solve their business problems in the easiest, most cost-effective ways.

Denise Rosser/Production Manager / Project Manager
Denise has 17 years experience in fast-paced, creative-driven environments, and has developed a unique talent for balancing the creative process with budgetary and time requirements for campaigns of all sizes. She is effective in managing all aspects of the creative process - concept, design, procurement of services, art buying, estimating, retouching, pre-press, production and distribution of materials - and in a wide range of media categories including collateral, direct mail, outdoor, transit, premium items, newspaper and national magazine ads, and in a wide range of business categories.

She has worked in a wide range of business categories and her experience extends to a long list of clients, including Wachovia, Emory University System of Healthcare, Johnston & Murphy, TBS, The United Way, Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Waffle House, The Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power, Durex, Srixon, Porter-Cable, Delta Machinery, Aruba, Southern Company, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Old Mutual and Earthlink.