Jeff entered the world of advertising in 1990, helping clients like Lotus Development Corporation and Hyatt Hotels best spend their multimillion dollar media budgets. In the flood of media, audience and market data that came with those decisions, Jeff recognized opportunities for change. In 1996, he started the interactive division of Boston-based agency CGN to help national brands leverage this ‘new thing called The Web’ as a marketing channel. In 2002, with the support of his loving wife, he and Mike Connell started Small Army to take the lead in a transforming advertising industry. In 2007, following the birth of his two beautiful children (Josh and Julia), and the tragic loss of his business partner to cancer, new life perspectives caused him to start Small Army for a Cause (a 501c3) as a way to give back. Today, Jeff continues to provide perspective and insight to lead Small Army, its clients, his family and the community through never-ending change.

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Small agencies, medium agencies, big agencies—Allison Reilly has been there. Project management, relationship cultivation, new business development, advertising research, marketing development, copywriting—Allison is known for wearing many hats.

For Allison, her life story is about three ingredients: Change. Challenge. Growth. She is never comfortable when life gets too easy. Whatever you throw at her, she’ll find a way to figure it out, give it her all, and keep a focused attitude. Her career began working on clients such as John Hancock, AT&T, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Later, she was a partner in an advertising business fostering accounts such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Boston Convention Exhibition and Convention Center. Throughout her career, she has found that no matter what the client or industry, she is happiest when she is learning and being challenged – an attitude that is integral in helping carve out the most effective strategies and messaging for some of Small Army’s most notable accounts, such as GE.

With many Tuckerman’s Ravine ski trips, hikes up several of the 4,000+ foot mountains in New England, two Boston Marathons under her belt (one while pregnant), a long marriage to her college sweetheart, and four kids, Allison knows how to make sure her story stays interesting.

Chris grew up in Wayland, MA and was voted Most Likely to Get an Ulcer by his high school classmates. He went on to attend Colgate University, where he majored in psychology and minored in keg stands. Naturally, he ended up working in advertising.

Throughout his award-winning career, he’s developed breakthrough work for all sorts of clients. He was the first to turn YouTube content into a TV spot with two guys rapping about McNuggets and is responsible for the earworm, Gimme back that Filet-O-Fish, gimme that fiiiiish (Please don’t hold that one against him). He was also part of the creative team on the anti-Big Tobacco movement Truth, which was recently ranked one of the Top 15 Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century.

Chris currently lives in Boston’s South End, where he has successfully avoided getting ticketed or towed for nine years straight. He believes in the healing powers of yacht rock, that nothing beats a supermarket birthday cake (gold with white buttercream frosting) and that Downton Abbey episodes work just as well as Ambien.

He has yet to develop an ulcer.

Sree is from Chennai, India and has lived in 3 continents, but now a proud Bostonian for 18 years! She can’t survive without her coffee and her passion and support for rowing align with her commitment she brings to any group she gets involved with! With 20+ years of marketing technology experience with range of clients in fintech, healthcare, education and nonprofit, Sree has been at it for a bit. She loves to roll up her sleeves and deep dive into supporting and creating an impactful martech strategy. She is  passionate on building platforms for personalization, and scaling and sophistication of our marketing tech stack to improving engagement, and delivering on ROI through highly effective user experience.

Ashley is our VP, of Media & Engagement Strategy. Ashley loves hats. She also loves media buying and planning. And website design. And running. And her dog. But mostly hats. She wears hats on her head, and sometimes even her hats wear hats. Hatters gonna hat.

This is Meghan. This is Meghan. She likes dogs. She likes dogs. And parrots. And parrots.

Meghan is really good at managing production. Production. And also at running marathons. Marathons. We like Meghan. We like Meghan. And apparently so do parrots. Parrots.

Martha Echan (pronounced EEE-SHahhn, ’cause no one gets it right the first time) is from a little town in upstate New York.

She enjoys going to the Cape, reading, binge watching Netflix, being outdoors, rabbits and Bunny Yoga (but only the bunny part.) You can learn more about her and her bunnies when her Discovery Channel series, Hare Metal airs in late 2018. Hare Metal is a docudrama about her trained rabbits, whom perform daredevil acts to heavy metal music. Tour dates are coming soon.

Isabel grew up just outside of Portland, Maine, and decided to stick around Vacationland for college. While she thought she was destined to be a teacher, it was during her time at Colby College that she discovered the world of marketing and never turned back! She started her career at a small agency in Portland learning the ins and outs of client and business strategy for a broad range of industries, from nonprofits and education to liquor and financial institutions.

Despite loving her work, Maine was feeling a bit too small so she made the trek down I95 to move to Boston in 2019. Since then, she has worked with brands like Burger King, Cigna, and Century 21 before joining the Small Army team. When not managing relationships she takes advantage of Boston’s walkability and is on a mission to find the best bagel in the city.

11 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT BIANCA (A must-read!!!!!)

If you know media, you know Bianca. But do you know all this????? Probably not! Well, buckle your digital seatbelts. We’ve got the inside scoop for you.

1. Bianca leads our Paid Media Department
2. She’s responsible for media strategy, planning and buying, and partner relationships
3. She’s worked at some pretty big agencies on some pretty big brands
4. She likes lists
5. She grew up in the Philippines and co-founded BOSFilipinos
6. She knows sign language
7. She’s a food blogger and influencer
8. She was once a cast member on a Canadian TV show
9. She’s always thinking about dessert and bakes us delicious treats
10. We have no idea how she does it all.
11. Liked what you read?

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George brings more than 20 years’ experience bringing out the true voice of brands. A writer by trade, he prefers to think of himself as more of a problem solver, doing so for organizations like Dunkin’ Donuts, GE, the Boston Celtics, Flooring America, and Zildjian Cymbals. Recognition for his work includes an Emmy-nomination, as well as salutes from The One Show, The Hatch Awards, and the ADDYs. He was also named one of the top 100 creative influencers in Boston by the Ad Club. Oh, and World’s Best Dad by his children.

Work hard. Work harder, dammit. (That’s how the saying goes, right?) Organized chaos, endless cups of black coffee, and constant multitasking define Bri’s ideal ten-hour workday. With a little more PowerPoint involved than Mad Men lets on, the world of advertising suits her character perfectly, and Small Army’s dedication to unique storytelling and collaborative relationships parallels her own.

Bri has worked with a range of Clients in the industrial technology, healthcare, education, luxury real estate, and software industries to name a few—supporting brand strategy development, simplified messaging, and integrated campaigns. Her passion for discovery in all aspects of life is translated both in her work and personal interests—like traveling, live music, good beer and old-time hockey.

With a positive attitude and a little Irish wit, she’s always up for taking on a challenge. Bri is confident that the best chapters of her own story have yet to be written, but she’s certainly happy with the intro.

Mari was born and raised in the greater Boston area, and when it came to deciding where to go to school, she wanted something different and exciting.

So, of course, she ended up in a sleepy town in central Ohio to continue her education. Post-graduation, she moved back to her roots and kick-started her career at Small Army as an intern and then was promoted to Associate Relationship Manager.

Outside of work, you can find Mari on the ski/hiking trails of New England and in the kitchen, ignoring recipes and making up her own as she pleases. *Warning* Since Mari is a night owl, do not talk to her unless she has had her morning latte.

Jordan isn’t sure how he got here. One day he was happily journaling, reading sci-fi, and strumming his guitar on the banks of the Charles River, and the next day he woke up in a small, dark, windowless room, filled only with a standing desk, a 27-inch iMac blasting a Lofi JazzHop playlist, and a brief for an animated banner ad due by the end of the day. Upon exporting the completed video, the door behind him unlocked and he emerged to find himself in the Small Army office. Once he discovered the cookies in the pantry and just how comfortable the downstairs couch is, he decided to stick around. Since then, he has continued to flex his Premiere and After Effects prowess, and enjoys getting out of the edit suite when he can by taking stretch, walk, dance, and nap breaks.

Shannon was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware (Yes, it’s a state. The very first one actually). She escaped the suburbs and attended Boston University, where she graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and Advertising. She loves the beach and warm weather but has decided to give up her collection of 47 bathing suits to move back to Boston to work full-time as an Art Director at Small Army.

Shannon’s lifelong dream was to be the one less lonely girl at Justin Bieber’s concert. Unfortunately, he is now married, and this dream will never be a reality. Besides being a Belieber, Shannon enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, skiing, surfing, and thrift shopping. She even dabbled in synchronized swimming during her time at BU. Her newest hobby is flipping furniture, because she aspires to be Joanna Gains, but can’t afford houses. She loves everything bagels and espresso chip ice cream just as much as she hates baked beans and scoop-shaped tortilla chips.

After 17 years in the Boston design and marketing scene, he’s learned to make some highly functional things for some highly functional clients; like JetBlue, Google, Bank of America and IBM. During that time he was moonlighting as an entrepreneur, starting his own snowboard company, handbuilt right here in Boston.

Scott participates in the largest annual fly fishing tournament in North America. He has reeled in some hardware along the way, Hatch, Webby, Lion-shortlist, but he’s still chasing that trophy fish.

Mario attended Assumption University in Worcester, MA, close to his hometown of Shrewsbury. After graduation, he moved to West Palm Beach with a couple of friends and began his career in marketing. After spending some time in the sunshine state, he ventured back north and began working on the agency side of things. Mario has worked on a range of clients in the education, technology, healthcare, finance, sports, and real estate industries.

When not at work, Mario can be found on the golf course playing Bruce Springsteen or Avicii over the JBL. He is also a certified nutrition coach and also has his own garden.

Originally from Los Angeles, Lindsey Rosenblatt ditched her part-time mermaid lifestyle to experience seasons and eat lobstah rolls. She fell in love with Boston (and advertising) during her time at Boston University and is beginning her career in copywriting at Small Army. When she’s not writing and sipping overpriced iced coffee, you can find Lindsey gawking over the latest restaurants in Boston, baking chocolate chip cookies, skiing the slopes in Colorado, or re-watching New Girl.

Despite spending the first 21 years of her life in Maine, Katie has been camping just one time (when she had to as a mandatory part of Colby College’s orientation) and hasn’t skied in 10 years. However, she did take away a penchant for drinking iced coffee year round (is there any other way?) and a high standard for lobster rolls. While in Maine, Katie interned for a small agency in Portland that sparked her interest in marketing.

After college, Katie headed to Boston to continue drinking iced coffee in below freezing temps. After three years working in the arts, she found her way back to advertising and joined the Small Army Team as an Associate Relationship Manager (and was promoted soon after). In her free time, Katie can be found running on the esplanade, watching true crime documentaries, or taking on short-lived craft projects that never get finished.

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
AKA “Mad Dog Maddi”
Known for sticking up trains and coaches mostly. But seems to have a particular fancy for art direction & design of late. Last seen sauntering in and around the ol’ Small Army Saloon.

Otherwise known as Danny Shap, Danny Boy, and D-shap Miscellaneous, Dan has traversed many terrains on his journey to becoming Small Army’s Video Producer. After studying Film at McGill University, he set off on a winding hike up Mt. Career-amanjaro, juking through the sub-alpine football forests of the New England Patriots (as a video editor), sauntering up the switchbacks of Staples (as a graphic designer), crossing the rushing river of Healthcare (as a video producer), and meditating for a few years on the overlook of Content Strategy Canyon. Finally, in August of 2021, he reached our doors sweaty, sore, and ready for a new challenge. When not making videos or hiking, Dan can also be found draining three-pointers at the YMCA or writing songs in his home studio.

From the town known locally as a sleepy mill community where nothing happens, with a maximum-security prison, Max grew up with an appreciation for a paradox. And with parents who couldn’t have more different jobs — a lawyer-mom and Tye-Dye artist father (yes Tye-Dye artist) — some ask how did all this juxtaposition manifest in Max? Well, he’s positively unsure.

Max is a Mass native who spent 6 years in Philadelphia and returned to Boston to have better access to good seafood (also rumored to be near his family & enjoy his beloved New England fall.) He’s worked with brands including Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, Hood Dairy, and Gopuff. He’s always thinking about his next bagel and can be found in his free time sitting in Cape Cod traffic.

Amy has a very “colorful” background, but most recently she spent over 13 years as the Operations Manager for CA-based Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. (MDA), the inventors of Spinning®. With MDA, Amy worked closely with the executive team to develop and manage global marketing efforts; hire and manage a growing staff; participate in the development and coordination of global education material; manage trademark protection and policing; and take out the trash. She even helped open offices in the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland as the company experienced global expansion. Every day was different—an environment that she loves—as they introduced the products to new customers and emerging markets.

At Small Army, Amy keeps another fast-moving ship above water and heading in the right direction. From finance and human resources, to vendor management and information technology, Amy has her hands involved in everything that keeps the agency moving forward.

In her spare time, Amy loves spending time with her gem of a husband and two terrific kids. She keeps her sanity by running as the sun rises.

Joe is from just outside of Boston, from the town of Billerica. He ventured to the central Mass area where he attended Worcester State University to begin his marketing education. After college, Joe began utilizing his new-found knowledge at an advertising agency specializing in the education space. He has continued to grow his client experience and has worked in a range of other industries including banking, healthcare, technology, and more.

Outside of work, you can find Joe enjoying the outdoors playing a round of golf or skiing down a mountain in New Hampshire. He is also a huge fan of the show, The Office, so be prepared to hear a reference during almost every conversation you have with him.

Emma grew up on the Southern coast of Maine, where, from an early age, she started her love affair with the ocean. This made her decision to go to Connecticut College, located in a small coastal town, very easy.

Thanks to a longtime obsession with the movie Goodwill Hunting, Emma decided to ship up to Boston after college. After working at a local non-profit for a year, Emma joined the Small Army team as an Associate Relationship Manager.

On most weekends, you will find Emma roaming around the Museum of Fine Arts (or any museum for that fact), skiing the icy slopes of New Hampshire, or eating pad thai while watching (yes, you guessed it) Goodwill Hunting.