Let’s talk shop.

talkStrategy is a woman-owned, full-service, independent communications agency.

Our experience runs deep and includes entrepreneurial small businesses, regional organizations, and international brands. We get shoulder to shoulder with municipalities, utilities, and causes, marching their issues to successful fruition. And we are ready at a moment’s notice to jump in on crisis communications whether you are an ISD, church, or business of any stripe.

Based on the specific needs and challenges of your organization, we bring any combination of:

  • Actionable Strategy
  • Public Relations and Public Affairs
  • Marketing and Advertising
  • Crisis Communications
    Advocacy and Cause Marketing
  • Digital and Social Prowess
  • Content Marketing
  • Websites that Work Hard
  • Partnership in Action

So are we a marketing agency?

Or a PR shop?

Or an advocacy and government affairs firm?

Or a digital, web, and social media company?

Yes. Yes, we are.

Meet the team

Girl talk.

Behind every strong woman there are more strong women. And a powerhouse team.

talkStrategy leadership is the superfecta of three accomplished communications mavens:

Anamaria Suescun-Fast

Chief Executive Officer, Owner

talkStrategy CEO and Owner, is bottled lightning and an all-around Jefa. Texas communications royalty, Anamaria has perfected the pursuit of perfection and throughout her career, she’s lived and breathed the details and minutiae that keeps clients coming back year after year. Always in-the-know, always on the job, and always thinking about the next big opportunity for our clients, Anamaria’s superpower is her knack for forging alliances and authentic relationship building. She will demolish a can of Pringles in one sitting, and is a serial dog rescuer with a bleeding heart of gold.

#SuitsWithSneakers

Laura Hotten

Chief Creative Officer, Chief Digital Officer

Duality and dexterity. Left brain, right brain. Multi-cultural and multi-talented. Laura has agency chops in spades yet she is more. More than a creative director, more than a digital expert, more than a web designer and programmer, more than a producer, more than a strategic thinker. Laura is more than talkStrategy's Chief Creative Officer or Chief Digital Officer, she’s “go ask Laura,” “Laura will know,” “run it by Laura;” a fearless feminista force. Creativity is in her marrow and flows into everything she does...even when she codes.

#HoodGoneGood

Kristine Smith

Chief Strategy Officer

If curiosity killed the cat, Kristine has nine lives. Our talkStrategy Chief Strategy Officer asks a lot of questions, poses countless “what ifs?” and never backs down from a “devil’s advocate” opportunity. She is driven by inquiry into what makes people tick, what’s important to consumers, and how to find real ways to connect with them. Her passion for people extends to her supervision of the account team, where she is coaching the next generation of talkStrategy staff and interns to take over her job and possibly the world.

#VintagePunk

Meet the team

Specialists and Virtuosos

They are single-minded in their vision––to do smart work every single day. 

Rachel Trevino

Director of Communications

Rachel puts the zest in strategic communications with a 360-perspective developed from more than a decade of agency, nonprofit, and client-side experience. She dares greatly, cares deeply, and leads confidently…unless spiders are involved. Hard pass.

University of Texas at San Antonio

Contemporary Collaborator
100%
Asana Aficionado
100%
Scare Qween
100%

Tina Dunk

Director of Digital Media

Tina’s love language is KPIs, GTM and CTR. An agency veteran with deep branding roots, her expertise in digital and social make her a natural at Integrated Marketing. She creates impactful work that gets results no matter the channel or industry.

St. Edwards University

Digital Strategery
100%
Social Media She-Ra
100%
Tik Tok Ya Don’t Stop
100%
Amy Zink

Amy Zink

Director of Communications

Amy is an accredited public relations professional (APR) who loves bringing together clients and colleagues to think outside of the box while developing integrated strategies. As an AP style purist, she is happy to use (or not use) the Oxford comma.

North Dakota State University (B.S.), Purdue University (M.S.)

Naps on Sundays
100%
Strategy, Strategy, Strategy
100%
Wants to Adopt a Pack of English Bulldogs
100%

Mariah Contreras

Account Supervisor

Mariah’s active listening skills, unfettered curiosity, and collaborative work style are the embodiment of integrated marketing. Whether working with clients or her team, she balances deadlines and deliverables with disarming calmness and confidence.

Texas Tech University

Deadline Management
100%
Client Service
100%
Strangely Enjoying Board Meetings
100%

Tori Johnson -Inimgba

Graphic Designer

Tori is a creative with a passion for multimedia art, seeing projects from a 360 degree perspective. An adept web designer and graphic artist, her commitment to life-long learning and creating impactful work makes her an invaluable team player.

The Art Institute of San Antonio

Graphic Design
100%
Website Wizardry
100%
Unironic Sincerity
100%
Jesse

Jesse Leyva

Art Director

Illustrator, designer, artist, Jesse is our go-to for wild imagination and boundless originality. His abundant creativity runs parallel to his curiosity around client brands and positivity about The Work. Jesse is a dedicated dog dad. #relationshipgoals

The Art Institute of San Antonio

Illustrations for Days
100%
Anthropology Nerd
100%
Positivity Powerhouse
100%

Kiki Marshall

Social Media Manager

Storytelling runs through Kiki's veins. Mix that with her love of mass media theory and you have her recipe for crafting content in the virtual world. Catch her at the cinema—or making Spotify playlists—when she's not slaying social media trends.

Texas Southern University

Twitter Refresh Rate
100%
Sudoku Superstar
100%
Advocate for Crying
100%

Kris Serold

Multimedia Specialist

Kris is a hands-on director, videographer and producer with an eye for creative solutions through a multimedia lens. When he’s not dabbling in AR, Interactive Projection, or Virtual World Building, he’s working on the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

The Art Institute of San Antonio

Digital Film and Video Production
100%
Tyrannosaurus Tech
100%
The Fifth TMNT
100%

Stefanie Arias

Senior Communications Strategist

With a background in journalism and content marketing, Stefanie loves telling stories that inform, engage and inspire. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her down an internet wormhole nerding out about [insert any random subject here].

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Word Nerd
100%
Real Talk
100%
Breakfast Any Time of Day
100%

Brian Silva

Graphic Designer

Whether he’s cooking up a design, cutting video animation, or baking one of his signature pastries, Brian is skilled in using every ingredient with precision and care, and adding dashes of innovation and daring to create something truly delicious.

San Antonio College

Thoughtful Designer
100%
Your Karaoke Partner
100%
Judging Your Font Choices
100%

Katie Garza-Umaña

Account Executive

Katie’s background in event planning has made her deadline dedicated, organization obsessed, and a detail devotee. She’s never met a project too complicated to pull off, a timeline she couldn’t tame, or a bridezilla she couldn’t win over.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Calm Under Pressure
100%
Love/Hate Relationship with Weather.com
100%
Running Out of Coffee
0%

Natasha Blackmore

Digital Media Manager

Natasha wears many hats drawing from her experience in: nonprofit and private sector, email and digital, creative and long-form writing, social and web. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, whether she’s crafting ad targets or throwing pottery.

Amherst College

Digital Diligence
100%
Analytic Fanatic
100%
Dogs (both the downward and poodle variety)
100%
Carson Beatty

Carson Beatty

Account Executive

Carson’s passions include (but are not limited to) fostering meaningful client relationships, building impactful campaigns, watching his favorite sports teams, and grilling the perfect steak. Fun fact: He can do all of the above simultaneously.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Death Before Disorganization
100%
Spurs Superfan
100%
Cooking Outside
100%

Cheryl Covey

Accounting and Operations Manager

Highly detail-oriented and efficient, Cheryl has been building her office management skills throughout her career. Highly creative and a maker at heart, Cheryl has been preparing to organize the herd of cats known as our team for her entire life.

San Antonio College

Organization
100%
Task Master
100%
Knowing When We Need Candy
100%

David Dunn

Account Coordinator

David relies on his attention to detail, dedication to quality control, and effective communication to ensure all-around client-satisfaction. Outside the office, he’s a culture sponge, hitting up museums, concerts, and new food finds.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Max Taskmaster
100%
Digi-Comms Devotee
100%
Movie Maven
100%

Erica Mendez

Production Coordinator

With deep agency experience, Erica loves working with teams to ensure projects come together seamlessly. Her passion for process and details also applies to traveling and reading—both of which she enjoyed as an English teacher in South Korea.

University of the Incarnate Word (B.A., M.A.A.)

Driven by Deadlines
100%
Scary Movie Fanatic
100%
Tea > Coffee
100%
Brady Phelps

Brady Phelps

Copywriter

A West Texas-raised writer, editor and occasional music maker, Brady is a purveyor of tone and timbre. Outside of obsessing over rhetoric, they’re often rummaging through record bins or reading the news with a furrowed brow.

University of Texas at San Antonio

Hankerin’ for Hyperbole
100%
Believes Wrestling is Real
100%
Crossword Completion Rate
0%

Karen Krause, PMP

Founder and President, Armogan Solutions

Our special partnership with Armogan Solutions can be summed up as symbiotic fangirling. Armogan Solutions shines a light on the root causes driving change, charting a path, a process, and a destination rooted in results. For organizations unsure of what to do before considering a communications campaign, Armogan Solutions can provide actionable guidance and direction.

Agency Interns

Kaitlyn McMillan

Intern, Marketing, Public Relations, and Digital

Baylor grad Kaitlyn is not playing. She’s here to soak up as much experience as she can before starting her Masters in Comms at UTSA this fall. Bucket list items: content creation, blogs, project management, learn learn learn, then learn more.

Baylor University, 2022

Active listening
100%
Deep Sea Fishing
100%
Retail Market Research (Shopping)
100%

Our certifications

Hispanic American Business Enterprise (HABE)
Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
Small Business Enterprise (SBE)
Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)

NAICS Codes

541613: MARKETING CONSULTING SERVICES
541810: ADVERTISING AGENCY CONSULTING SERVICES
541820: PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTING SERVICES
541910: MARKETING RESEARCH SERVICES

talkStrategy | San Antonio, Texas

Let's talk.

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