Jeremy Benson
President

Benson founded the agency in 1997 and directs strategy and creative development. He speaks frequently at industry conferences and university seminars on PR, brand marketing and direct-to-consumer marketing. Among other roles, he serves as Executive Director of Free the Grapes!, the wine industry’s direct shipping coalition, is Steering Committee Chair for the 2007 Auction Napa Valley’s eAuction program, and is the former executive director of the Rutherford Dust Society, a community organization of vintners and growers.

Prior to starting Benson Marketing Group, he was brand manager and export sales manager at Franciscan Estates. Previously, he was marketing director for the Napa Valley Vintners Association which brought him from Los Angeles, where he managed PR campaigns for Domaine Chandon, Moet & Chandon, Hennessy Cognac, and Tanqueray.

He resides with wife and daughter in the Coombsville area of Napa Valley. Benson holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BA from Occidental College, both in Los Angeles.

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.

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.

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.

Ross Wassermann
Account Executive

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.

Nicholas Shoults
Senior Account Executive

Shoults' exacting programming skills and technical toolkit form the foundation of many client marketing campaigns and websites. He graduated from Napa's nationally-recognized New Technology High School and worked in Sebastiani's wine lab prior to joining the agency in 2000.  His strong technical background and tenure with the agency are valuable resources for our clients and for the agency.

Shoults’ wizardry for all things web, his analytical mindset and his process-driven approach keep client websites running smoothly and marketing campaigns humming.

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.

Beth Thurman
Account Coordinator

Thurman assists with e-mail campaign testing and distribution, as well as basic HTML changes to client websites. In addition, she researches new direct marketing technologies, creates client reports and acts as back up for IT duties. Thurman brings many skills to Benson Marketing Group with her years of experience in human resources, payroll, reporting systems, analytics, help desk and networks.

She holds a Masters degree in Computer Information Systems and a Bachelor degree in Journalism. For fun, Thurman went back to school and obtained an Associate degree in Multimedia. In addition, while residing in Georgia, she was a freelance graphic and traditional artist. Outside of work Thurman enjoys riding her motorcycle, enhancing her knowledge of the wine industry and keeping abreast of computer technology.

Thea Schlendorf
Account Coordinator

Schlendorf coordinates media outreach and story pitching projects. 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 portfolio. She also managed all updates to the company’s website. Schlendorf is a Certified Specialist of Wine, and graduated with a BA from Colgate University.

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.

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.