IT’S ALL ABOUT BRAND
There are no boring industries—only boring brands.
We’ve built an incredible team whose chief passion is to craft brands that immediately stand out in the sea of similarity that plagues every industry. Brands that draw people in like bugs to a light and make emotional connections based on authentic brand stories. Companies that work with Flying Hippo are looking to take their brand to the next level and to develop effective strategies to connect their brand with specific targets. We believe there is no such thing as a boring industry—there are only boring brands.
Flying Hippo +
Celsius Marketing Come Together
We are very excited to announce that we have merged with Celsius Marketing out of Fort Myers, Florida. This merger now positions us to greatly enhance our marketing capabilities as well as our branding footprint. The story of our merger actually began when Eric Groves and JP Smith first met as kids growing up together in Boone, Iowa. As fate would have it, their paths crossed again over 40 years later.
Hear Our Story
Meet the Team
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Eric Groves
Principal
Eric Groves
Principal
Lately Eric has been morphing into a cowboy. Not sure why. Probably a mid-life crisis — he’s at that age when guys like to change things up. One day he comes to the office looking all designerly and the next day it looks like he’s fixin’ to do chores on the back forty. Lots of funky western shirts with pearl buttons, occasional cowboy boots— haven’t seen a cowboy hat yet (thank goodness!), but we wouldn’t be shocked if he walked in one day sporting one. If he does, we’ll know the transformation is complete.
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Ryan Parlee
Principal
Ryan Parlee
Principal
Ryan has a brilliant mind…..most of the time. Yes, he’s as sharp as a tack when it comes to web architecture and he’s fluent in dozens of languages that only a computer chip could appreciate, but when it comes to every day, around-the-house smarts, well……not so much. You see, he once was teaching his young kids the intricacies of building smoke bombs and by the time he was done with his mini science experiment, half the kitchen was gone and six firetrucks came to visit the Parlee household. They did end up with a completely remodeled kitchen when all was said and done, and he claims it was all part of the plan.
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Scott Helms
Principal
Scott Helms
Principal
You probably recognize Scott from his performance in the movie “Whiteboyz.” No?! You’re kidding! Okay, it had a total box office draw of $33… but man, Scott really let his acting chops loose in this flick. The way he molded perfectly into the two-second background scene along with 35 other extras was impressive stuff! If they ever give an Oscar for best performance for a non-speaking, barely visible, leaning-against-a-wall, most-likely-never-to-be-noticed person in a terribly awful movie, the vote would have to go to Scott.
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JP Smith
President
JP Smith
President
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Nancy Monteith
Agency Director/Vice President
Nancy Monteith
Agency Director/Vice President
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Joel Barbosa
Creative Director/Vice President
Joel Barbosa
Creative Director/Vice President
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John Anderson
Creative Director
John Anderson
Creative Director
Despite having a name that Tom Cruise might use to check into a hotel – John Anderson as a person contradicts his generic moniker. John is an accomplished musician who writes and composes ditties that sound like they’re right out of the 80’s…on purpose. He also has serious acting chops and was awarded the Iowa High School All-State Actor of the Year in 2004! With those sort of accolades, John is almost famous! Come to think of it, maybe John Anderson isn’t his real name after all.
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Jesse Balmer
Videographer
Jesse Balmer
Videographer
There’s a shooter in the house, and we couldn’t be happier. Jesse, aka J-balm, is our video shooter with a right to carry. And boy, is this dude packin’ some heat. He honed his craft at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and then brought his artsy-fartsy talents back to Des Moines. Around here, J-balm is da bomb behind the camera and inside the editing suite where he cranks out killer commercials and brand videos faster than you can say viral. But wait, there’s more. Jesse is also a skilled jazz pianist. Listen closely and you’ll hear some of his keyboard mastery on our videos. This talented punk is our Thelonious Monk.
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Michele Bechtold
Project Manager
Michele Bechtold
Project Manager
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Meagan Bonesteel
Account Executive/Email Marketing Manager
Meagan Bonesteel
Account Executive/Email Marketing Manager
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Maria Cepero
Account Coordinator
Maria Cepero
Account Coordinator
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Sean Cox
SEO & Analytics Manager
Sean Cox
SEO & Analytics Manager
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Lynn Cutshall
Lead Developer
Lynn Cutshall
Lead Developer
Lynn lives for food. Seriously. We think the only reason he works is so that he can frequent the many fine dining establishments in the area. He’s developed a very sophisticated palette over the years and claims he can actually taste the difference between a chalupa and an enchilada from Taco John’s! Actually, he’s introduced our staff to a plethora of varied and interesting dining experience. If he could change careers he would love to be a critic of fine eateries and write a daily column for the Des Moines Register. He even came up with a snappy name for the column – “Lynn’s Guide for Avoiding Salmonella.” Hey, a man’s gotta dream!
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Brian Fiser
Director of Photography
Brian Fiser
Director of Photography
Brian, aka Mr. Flip-The-Switch, graces us everyday with the biggest of smiles and most friendliest of demeanors. There’s just something about his aura when he walks in that makes you want to give him a big hug. For fear of litigation, I’ll stop there… do NOT hug this man. The only hug you’ll get from this collegiate wrestler is the air-stopping grizzly bear variety. But, if you do say “Uncle” quick enough, be sure to ask him about his multiple Emmy awards and his biggest passion outside of family, the wrestling team he coaches. You should also ask to see a picture of him in his wrestling singlet. Talk about a pin-up!
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Nicola Foronda
Account Executive
Nicola Foronda
Account Executive
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Kate Frana
Graphic Designer
Kate Frana
Graphic Designer
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Aaron Greenfield
Digital Marketing Manager
Aaron Greenfield
Digital Marketing Manager
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Megan Halsch
Account Manager
Megan Halsch
Account Manager
Megan is confident she sings with a beautiful soprano voice. But from the vocals we’ve heard, we think she should sing tenor… fifteen miles away from us. However, Megan makes up for her lack of vocal ability with her strong work ethic, enthusiasm and personality.
She’s also an old soul when it comes to tunes. If you ever see a pretty girl driving around blaring ragtime music—it’s probably Megan! She does have a confession… *whisper voice*… She’s a closet Taylor Swift fan… *loud voice* … She just can’t shake it off, shake it off!
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Aaron Johnson
Director of Digital Marketing
Aaron Johnson
Director of Digital Marketing
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Kristin Kerr
Account Services Director
Kristin Kerr
Account Services Director
You know how sometimes you can tell what a person is like just by looking at them? Well, that is not the case with Kristin. By all appearances she’s a buttoned-up professional, but behind the petite, mild-mannered exterior lies a slightly twisted daredevil in heels. Let me paint the picture. She once felt the need to swim with sharks (yes, sharks…with pointy teeth!) Why, you ask? No, stinkin’ clue – I told you, she’s twisted. She also loves the horror flicks. “Slash and gore, give me more!” – that’s her mantra. Her favorite movie? “Jaws” of course.
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Henry Perez
Art Director
Henry Perez
Art Director
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Santaigo Quintero
Senior Account Executive
Santaigo Quintero
Senior Account Executive
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Denis Shchipov
Senior Account Executive
Denis Shchipov
Senior Account Executive
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Brandy Stewart
Graphic Designer
Brandy Stewart
Graphic Designer
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Jerry Stoner
Director of Brand Voice Development
Jerry Stoner
Director of Brand Voice Development
Weed be remiss if we didn’t mention Jerry Stoner’s stellar resume over his illustrious 20-plus year career. He’s written national ad campaigns for some heavy hitters such as McDonald’s, Chevrolet, Napa Auto Parts and Domino’s Pizza. On top of that, he acts, sings and plays guitar! What can’t he do? He truly smokes everyone when it comes to cranking out creative ideas that create buzz. But to be blunt, what Stoner wouldn’t appreciate that?
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Jessica Stout
Account Executive
Jessica Stout
Account Executive
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Lis Thompson
Senior Graphic Designer
Lis Thompson
Senior Graphic Designer
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David Warren
Web Developer
David Warren
Web Developer
This is the bio of David Warren
He grew up somewhere foreign
In a Russian town that’s hard to spell
And he’s been to ten countries, as well
But there’s more than meets the eye
Then just a web-development guy
He loves to write poetry
As you can probably see
He’s an accomplished theater actor
He admits his cooking is a disaster
He once told a story about his chili exploding
(He better just stick to coding)
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Kaitlan Zayas
Video Editor/Production Coordinator
Kaitlan Zayas
Video Editor/Production Coordinator
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Saulo Zayas
Director of Multimedia
Saulo Zayas
Director of Multimedia
