“Austin is the oil that makes the machinery work. His ability to navigate complex project challenges is beyond comparison. Despite client layers and challenging schedules, Austin always succeeded in getting the best out of everybody to eventually deliver an A+ product.”

—Rasmus Blaesbjerg, Founder & Design Director, SLRP
(At Time of Recommend: Creative Director & Co-Founder, HAUS)

“Here’s the thing – Austin insists on working in a bullshit-free zone, which happens to be the place creatives do their best work. With a remarkable understanding of all things digital, Austin not only recognizes great creative, he supports it with blatant disregard for agency politics or the arc of his career path. If you’re putting yourself on the line for a great idea, he’s right there with you. With intelligence, disarming honesty and a genuinely sick sense of humor, Austin is great at his game. And inspires you to be great at yours.”

—Jeff Gelberg, Senior Copywriter, Freelance

“Austin always came through with interesting ideas in a professional manner. I look forward to getting the opportunity to work together in the near future!”

—Robert Danhi, Founder & Executive Chef, Chef Danhi & Co.

“Austin is the genuine article, a bullshit free champion of the work and the brands he works on. The thing about Austin you’ll immediately get is a sense of trust. Day and night and into the next day, you can count on him to be there. His expertise in the digital marketing space is rare and while others are pushing shiny objects to clients, Austin looks at the bigger picture and stands up for what works.”

—Ken Chan, Director Digital Strategy, TBWA\Chiat\Day

“Austin and I had the opportunity to work collaboratively on a couple of pitches at Chiat. Tireless, sincere, and thoughtful are words that spring to mind as I think about Austin’s contributions. He’s a straight-shooting, hard-working, collaborative leader who’s unafraid to speak with honesty and integrity.”

—Jeremiah Knight, Director Digital Strategy, TBWA\Chiat\Day

“Austin is a personable guy who gets the job done. He’s trustworthy and drove all the many details of our large projects. I enjoy working with him and hope our paths will cross again.”

—Laurel (Zovko) Geisbush, Global CRM Marketing Manager, Microsoft
(At Time of Recommend: Senior Marketing Manager of CRM & Analytics, Microsoft Premium Mobile Experiences)

“Austin is multidimensional and adds value. He came through for us at Y&R on a variety of fronts. He helped set up our Microsoft teams in Irvine and Seattle focusing on CRM and digital marketing, and also helped lead implementation on a new brand campaign for Hilton. He’s a true digital marketing evangelist.”

—David Murphy, Managing Partner – North America, Young & Rubicam Brands
(At Time of Recommend: Co-President and Director of Brand Innovation, Barrie D’Rozario Murphy)

“Austin is a pioneer in digital, but is not restricted in his thinking in anyway. His track record and passion for pioneering advertising is rooted in the late 90′s, but like many fellow pioneer his thinking is always forward reaching. First time I talked to the man I could tell he got it, that he understood the structures, strategies and levers of great marketing, but his head was way out ahead of many of his peers. As a creative he was a great partner as he is like all great talents in this industry, creative down to his soul. I always looked to his opinion, as it was quick clear and insightful. And I loved that when he believed in what the team had he was tenacious in helping to make it a success. Hopefully we work together again, or more likely all work for him.”

—Glen Sheehan, Digital Creative Director – North America, Young & Rubicam Brands
(At Time of Recommend: VP Group Creative Director, T-3)

“Austin ran multiple digital projects for me at Y&R, as well as setting up and managing several complex third party deals with vendors for our clients. He did both with maximum efficiency and a minimum of fuss, usually while practicing line drives with a baseball bat in his cubicle. I tried to hire him back 3 years after he left us, and will probably try again in better economic times.”

—Julian Sandy, SVP, Young & Rubicam Brands

“I enjoyed having Austin as my Account Manager as he always had a friendly, positive attitude. We worked together on several product launches and he is a trustworthy individual, very responsive and adept at managing the numerous requests made by my team. I hope to work with him again in the future.”

—Jennifer Daniels, Associate Brand Manager, Activision
(At Time of Recommend: Senior Marketing Manager Digital Media, Disney ABC Television Group)

“Austin was an important part of the expansion of Ignited Minds’ commitment to customer care. It’s simple to be an order taker when it comes to Account Management. That’s not Austin. He goes out of his way to assure his clients that he understands their needs, their consumer and their competition. As we were building our relationship with Loyola Marymount’s Sports Department, when we pitched the Atlanta Braves on TBS, when we went after a piece of Nike’s business, it would have been great to have Austin on the business. He always brought his best game to each account, but it was obvious that in the realm of Sports Marketing he would truly shine. Add to this that, even after being in the business as long as he has he’s a genuinely nice person.”

—Ron Gould, Executive Creative Director, Ignited Minds
(At Time of Recommend: Executive Creative Director & Consultant, Whole Heads)

“I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Austin as we were preparing to launch Business.com, the premier source for business information on the web. The company was at a critical inflection point as we attempted to launch a new, highly anticipated and hyped web property and Austin was truly the glue that held the launch project together as well as the driving force to ensure all the critical milestones associated with the launch were met. Over the next two years, it was an absolute pleasure to work with Austin. Austin is at the top of the list of internet marketing and project mgmt professionals I have worked with – he is highly strategic but without losing site of the critical details. He is adept at managing both complex projects and complex constituents – all with a positive attitude and great sense of humor. I highly recommend Austin, he is a talented internet professional and a colleague you can count on to deliver!”

—Will Hunsinger, VP Business Development & Product Management, Business.com
(At Time of Recommend: Entrepreneur in Residence, Maveron LLC)

“Austin is a passionate, committed professional. He digs deeply into the projects he manages, ensuring that he is the domain expert of the team. This is especially true if the project runs to his love of sports or technology. Austin is a great collaborator that gets branding and marketing through years of experience.”

—J.D. Swartz, Account Director, CKS Partners
(At Time of Recommend: Director Business Development, AKQA)

“It’s been a number of years since I’ve had the pleasure of working with Austin – but his influence still stays with me. He quite simply made me a better manager. All of the people I work with managing interactive clients have to measure up to the bar that Austin set when we worked together at USWeb (later marchFirst). Austin is one of the true professionals – and has an innate sense of the balance required for celebrity-driven and high profile projects. He understands technology without becoming swallowed by it, and ensures harmony among the team. He’s one of the most detailed managers I’ve known – but understands how to step back and make strategic decisions without becoming mired in the details. Now he does, unfortunately, have uniquely bad taste in food and sports teams – but for that he must be forgiven because it’s balanced by his love for Star Trek. In short, anywhere I go – I always try and find a place for Austin. Any interactive organization looking for someone to manage high profile clients will be lucky to have him on their team.”

—Rob Rose, Associate Partner, USWeb/CKS
(At Time of Recommend: VP Marketing & Strategy, CrownPeak)

“Austin was a highly strategic thinker who’s passion for the digital business was evident in the high caliber work he did. Great guy and a definite asset for any team.”

—Jon Raj, Account Management, CKS Partners
(At Time of Recommend: Chief Digital Officer, Omnicom Media Group)