KIM SHUGART

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Our CEO, Kim Rene Shugart, always says of his unexpected name, with a genuine smile on his face, “tough name to grow up with.” Because his name doesn’t seem to fit his magnetic personality and towering stature, he has become accustomed to repeating, and even spelling his name, a couple times for those hands he is shaking for the first time. But after those first-time clients hear what he has to say, they soon realize that this guy with a funny name could make a serious impression on their brand.

More than 25 years ago, Kim began his career in marketing and communications in a garage in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was a founding partner of Shugart Matson Marketing Communications and also a founder of the Internet Services firm, Clear Ink. His company soared from just a couple dudes (and their talented, dedicated spouses) into a $150 million merger between these two companies—boasting over 160 employees. Kim served as President and CEO of the new Clear Ink Corporation in Northern California, playing a significant part in advertising, marketing, communications, and online communities. Kim’s imagination is unparalleled, and clients are continually blown away by his creativity honed into their company’s vision.

Kim retired from Clear Ink in 2002 and he and his family relocated to Colorado Springs in 2003 to begin a new chapter in their lives. During this period Kim developed a successful consulting business working with a number of clients including Stellar Restaurant Solutions, Smart Choice Auto, Mr. Biggs, and others. In his role as CEO of WickedThink Marketing, Kim has provided strategic and creative direction to such companies as Autobytel, Magnum Shooting Center, Rocky Mountain Bank & Trust, SYNQ3, Wildwood Casino, Rocky Mountain Men’s Clinics, Vantage Homes, and many others. Kim is strongly committed to serving the community and has served on a number of non-profit boards as well as supporting many non-profits in both the Bay Area and the Front Range. These include The Children’s Literacy Center, Ronald McDonald House, America’s Family, Susan G. Komen, Cross Purpose, Parents Challenge, The Boys and Girls Clubs, Project Inform (one of the first HIV/AIDS organizations), The Bay Area Rescue Mission, Firehawks Basketball, The Oakland Rebels, and many others. Beyond this, Kim and Diane also ran and personally funded the Clear Ink Foundation which gave substantial donations to many worthy causes. Kim holds a B.S. in Marketing from San Francisco State University.

Charisma, charm, and impressive vision are some of his greatest qualities, and you’ll see all three as soon as you shake his hand. With a cigar pressed to his lips and wearing one of his signature crazy shirts… some of his best work is done in ultimate comfort: legs propped up in a lounger with, maybe, a little snort of Johnny Walker Black.

COLT HAUGEN

COO

Chief Operating Officer, Internet Strategist and our COO holds all the power to make our stuff rock in the online world. Colt Haugen brings considerable pay per click experience and search engine marketing to the WickedThink team. Colt began his career out of college at an online insurance lead generation organization, managing a multi-million-dollar annual budget and marketing auto insurance to consumers through their web-based platforms. During his tenure, Colt created a number of proprietary innovations, streamlined the user experience, and enhanced pay per click efficiencies. He did this all while developing his own personal methodology and approach to SEM (Search Engine Marketing).

Colt has always been interested in entrepreneurship. Prior to his work in the online insurance business, Colt founded three unique businesses while completing his college education. During that time, he received a Citizen of Distinction award (2008) from the city of Colorado Springs. He graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Communications.

Colt completed a number of training and equivalency courses in web marketing upon accepting the position of Chief Operating Officer at Wet Paint Marketing in 2010. His innovative outlook on old Internet problems gives WickedThink a leg up in the online marketing industry. A lifetime resident of Colorado Springs, Colt is committed to serving the youth in his city. He sits on the board of the Children’s Literacy Center, a Colorado Springs based nonprofit that provides one on one tutoring to children who read below grade level in low income areas. Colt enjoys spending time with his wife, his son, and his daughter. On the weekends, you can find him at his house in the mountains. He likes to go upland bird hunting, pretend to play golf, and suit-up for fly-fishing. He’s a true redneck who keeps goats, chickens, and cows on his farm… and refuses to wear SPF. He is generous with his fist-bumps and impassioned speeches. And on hot days, he might just burn the eyes in the office with his “skies out, thighs out” small shorts.

MIKE SHUGART

VP OF STRATEGY & TECHNOLOGY

Mike (more lovingly called Mikey) has stuck with this company since its inception, and we just can’t seem to shake him. Even though he’s never invited to the potlucks, he just doesn’t get the hint. And perhaps, after reading this, he will second-guess his request to have his little sister write his bio for him.

Alright, alright. I’ll speak to his true talents and impressive abilities. Mike has become an SEO Master…

BRIAN DONALDSON

PRESIDENT – WICKEDTHINK SOUTHEAST

This is Brian: one of our four fearless leaders. And we mean fearless. He’ll watch a scary movie, then walk right up the stairs with the lights off, no problem. He’ll slide down the big water slide before all those fraidy-cat kids. He’ll belt out Freddie Mercury on karaoke night, one beer in. He’ll order his Pad Thai noodles…Thai hot.

See what I mean? Fear. Less.

You may consider all this mediocre bravery, but we’re not talking about you.

Silly jokes aside (the bio writer is a cheeky fabulist for cheap laughs… and nobody double-checks her work), Brian’s personal life has been truly adventuresome. He lived in Singapore and Manila for seventeen years before moving to the U.S. permanently in 1985. He has sailed on the South China Sea, taught English in Japan, crewed on a commercial fishing boat out of Hawaii, and worked on a cattle ranch in Arizona. (What are you doing with your life?)

And he’s equally impressive professionally: Brian has over 20 years of marketing experience, all the while keeping up with ever-changing tools, platforms, techniques, and strategies. He’s worked for top-tier agencies in New York, Seattle, and San Francisco.

He is a hands-on marketing expert, digitally-savvy growth driver, and consistent top performer with a track record of building and leading teams, driving omni-channel demand generation, nurturing leads through to conversion, and positioning brands for maximum performance and bottom-line growth.

Throughout his career, Brian has been a key driver behind marketing and demand generation success for high-profile brands like Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Databricks, Juniper Networks, Cisco Systems, and PeopleSoft, among many others as in-house demand generation leader, agency Vice President/Partner, and marketing consultant. To break that down:

At Y&R Brands (Wunderman) he led multiple lines of the $100M Microsoft business, including Microsoft Azure, Skype, AdCenter, Windows Phone, Microsoft Office, MSN, and Bing.

His efforts helped Juniper Networks generate 126% lift in MQL volume, 3X average industry conversion rate, 900% increase in lead value, and two coveted Oracle Markie Awards.

He launched Salesforce.com as a go-to-partner to CEO, Mark Benioff — helping SFDC become the #1 SaaS solution by acquiring 2,500+ companies and 37,500 users within their first 18 months.

His hard work has resulted in multiple awards, including Addys, International ECHOs, the Lester Wunderman Award for Creative Leadership and Oracle Markie awards for Best Lead Management Program (2016) and Best Digital Ecosytem (2017).

Whew, we’re glad he’s on our side.

And if you’re reading this, you want him on your side too. His expertise (alongside the talents of the other Wickeds found on this page) can help drive your company forward, and increase its profitability exponentially. Your growth is our growth.

MANDI McNABB

MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

At the age of fifteen, Mandi made her first movie – a documentary detailing her obsession with Harry Potter, which was all kinds of crazy (the obsession and the documentary). She hasn’t turned away from video since. During her four years at The Art Institute of Colorado, earning her Bachelor’s in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production, Mandi won multiple awards for cinematography, outstanding achievement, and graduated summa cum laude in 2010. Mandi has worked full-time for Wet Paint Marketing, now WickedThink Marketing, since then.

Mandi has accumulated a massive portfolio during her time at WickedThink, as she is proficient in video production, audio engineering, and photography. She has worked with a myriad of clients, producing hundreds of commercials – both television and radio. She is the primary shooter, editor, and animator for WickedThink’s various multi-media projects. She is adept at portrait, lifestyle, and studio photography. She also occasionally lends a hand proof-reading and putting together WordPress websites. She is the full package. She is not humble.

Equipment-wise, Mandi enjoys shooting on her Canon 5D Mark IV, recording in her fully equipped sound studio, and editing in the Adobe Creative Suite.

In her spare time, Mandi runs a hobby business called Obnoxious Hats by Lady Woolthief where she makes beautiful, eccentric hats, works on cosplay photoshoots, and runs a craft blog. She is married to Adam, a cyber-security genius who is very supportive of all her endeavors and often assists on her shoots.

KIMY COPELAND

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kimy Copeland was hired for her exceptional talent in developing creative and refreshing copy no matter what the subject matter (checking accounts are interesting!). Using the power of words to tell a story, to explain, to inspire, to direct, or to intrigue is well within her range of talents. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication, and was quickly hired by Wet Paint Marketing to produce creative, search-engine-optimized content. While at Wet Paint, she developed web marketing skills and honed her talents through work with such clients as: FederalAutoLoan.com, SimplyRewards, FederalSolarSolutions.com, AIS, and others. She was then hired by the newly formed WickedThink Marketing as an associate creative director where her talents have been applied to such clients as Magnum Shooting Center, Rocky Mountain Men’s Clinic, SYNQ3, Wildwood Casino, Colorado Clothing/Soybu, NexAuto, AutoBytel, Rocky Mountain Bank & Trust, the Penkhus Automotive Group, and others.

She has a wealth of knowledge in managing a number of WickedThink clients, and has developed many online, video, and print communications. She also has a solid understanding of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.

Kimy is an advocate of the Oxford comma, overuse of the encouraging “thumbs up”, and of choosing ellipses for a slightly stronger pause (wait for it… wait for it). If all these talents aren’t impressive enough, she is also a mediocre crafter–emphasis on spray paint–and a pro dog mom. She has dreams of someday shoving her way across the rink as a Roller Derby Dame. Lastly, she is not a wine snob, but don’t touch her with that white stuff. Also, writing her own bio as though someone else had, left her feeling mildly uncomfortable…

Love a good pause.

CODY MARTIN

ACCOUNT COORDINATOR

Cody is a prodigal son of Colorado Springs, having grown up beneath the Rocky Mountains since birth, he has now returned after studying in the malicious heat of Phoenix, AZ for college.

Cody graduated from Grand Canyon University in 2017 with a double major in English Literature and Digital Film with an emphasis in Screenwriting. Soon after graduation, he went to work for Uber investigating the most severe reports by both Riders and Drivers. Missing family, friends, the mountains, and double-digit temperatures, Cody moved back to Colorado by transferring to Uber’s Denver office as a floor manager.

After some time back in-state, the bigger nerds at WickedThink lured Cody into their wacky office and there was no turning back.

While not writing copy, assisting with brand strategy, and generally fighting off general disorder for Wicked, Cody enjoys backpacking, reading and writing, cooking, and nerdy things that you don’t want in a written record.

ERIC HEASLEY

EMAIL MARKETING MANAGER

Eric is our master of all things email. From subject lines to spam traps, he guides our messaging from concept to completion.

After brief careers in education, cell phone sales, and local government (don’t ask … he doesn’t talk about it), Eric began tinkering with websites and thought it might be a good idea to make things on the internet instead of determining property tax values. With a few years of freelance web design and marketing consulting under his belt, Eric immersed himself in the world of email and has yet to return.

Eric comes to WickedThink after a long stint at a large non-profit where he helped manage several email lists totaling more than 2.5 million subscribers.

When not in the office, Eric’s life remains largely a mystery to us. He could be spending time with one (or all) of his three kids. He could be getting a little quality time in with the beautiful Colorado outdoors. He could be watching baseball. We’re not really sure …

ABBY JONES

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Abby Jones is a talented Account Executive at Wicked Think Marketing who can do it all. Not only is she a marketing whiz, but she’s also capable of bending space-time to her will – a skill that comes in handy when deadlines loom. She often recalls how she got the job at Wicked by comparing herself to a sponge in a witty cover letter… and by that, she means she is always ready and able to soak up any and all knowledge to hone her craft.

Abby is a graduate from the Apparel and Merchandising program at Colorado State University, and is a proud Ram who takes any opportunity to visit beautiful Fort Collins (even if it means crashing on her younger brother’s college house couch…). Her double minor in Business and Journalism don’t hurt in the world of marketing and advertising either.

When she’s not busy crushing it at work, Abby loves indulging in her passions outside of the office. Whether she’s traveling the world, jamming out to her favorite tunes or obsessing over vintage fashion, she always manages to find time to pursue her interests. She’s also never said no to a concert with friends, no matter who’s playin’!

Abby has also recently taken up residency in New York City after spending most of her years in Colorado. They now call her Gossip Girl… your one and only source into the happenings of Manhattan (if you know you know). Having the opportunity to live amongst the most powerful and driven people in the world gives her adrenaline and passion. Don’t pass up on her guides around the city, she might even join you for a cocktail!

With her out-of-this-world skills and love for marketing, Abby is a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Her unique blend of creativity, dedication, and humor make her a joy to work with and an invaluable asset to any team. Whether she’s launching a new campaign or keeping the various Wicked teams busy, Abby always puts her all into everything she does.

RILEY PEARCE

WEB DEVELOPER

Oh! Hello! I didn’t see you sitting there. Well, since I have your attention, let me tell you my life story. You don’t have time? Don’t worry, I’m only twenty-two years old, it can’t be that long of a story. See, I was born very young and didn’t have much experience then. However, twenty-two years has been plenty of time to learn a thing or two. I have lived in Colorado my whole life and have never thought of leaving this state. I attended Colorado Springs Christian Schools since Pre-kindergarten and stayed there all the way until I graduated high school with, what I’m choosing to call “average marks.” In those years, I took an interest in computers and have been tinkering and playing around with software, hardware, and any other “-ware” you can think of. It was in my sophomore year that I decided that I wanted to work in such a field and really focused on web development.

I have been working since I was fourteen, where I started as a ranch hand at a horse boarding company in Black Forest. I worked there for four years shoveling… well, you know, and learned a great work ethic. I also watered, fed, and cared for 18 horses almost every day. Then, I started working as a student employee with Josh Nicholson (you should give his bio a read if you’ve got the time) in the Web Services team at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs where I really got into web development and learned that I enjoyed the work and, most importantly, that I was good at it. This was short-lived, however, as I didn’t stay a student at UCCS for long and could not work in the department anymore. So, naturally, I became a logistics manager at a wholesale security supply company. Which was cool for a very short while, as it was a dead-end job with no room to grow, I started looking elsewhere. That’s when I found my friends at Wicked Think. Josh had reached out to me needing some freelance work done, and after that first project, I was all about Wicked Think and wanting to be a part of their incredible team. I have been here for a few weeks at the time of writing and have loved every minute of it.

Since I’m sure you were itching to know, my weekends usually consist of driving my Nitrous Blue Ford Focus RS around town, working on my Dungeons and Dragons campaign, competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments, playing Halo with my best friend Menoly, or building computers with my friend Michael to resell as part of my side business.

Well, there you have it. Since you didn’t have much time, I figured I would cut out the parts where I fell off my bike, got my heart broken, and cried over spilled milk. I hoped you enjoyed your time, and thank you for listening!

Stephen Davis

Graphic Designer

Stephen has been working as a professional graphic designer since 2012. Stephen, being raised in Colorado Springs studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College and is a second-generation graphic artist. He has worked as a professional graphic designer for in-house communications specialized marketing and design for churches, individual companies, and agency settings, as well as freelance for over seven years. Stephen has extensive experience with many aspects of graphic design, creative strategy, animation, web design, UX/UI design, and marketing.

ALLIE NIDEY

JR. MEDIA BUYER

Allie Nidey is a Junior Media Buyer at Wicked Think Marketing, where she brings a touch of her unique talents to the team. Not only is Allie a master at buying media, but she’s also one of the best solo cake bakers in Colorado (even though she won’t admit it). When she’s not busy saving the world with her media buying skills or baking up a storm, Allie can be found cozied up with her favorite movies.

Allie is the proud fur mom of two small dogs, Joe and Sloan, who are her constant companions. She also has a chameleon named Johnny Depp who she says is just as cool as his human counterpart. When it comes to food, Allie is a true lover of all things delicious, but she’s especially fond of Mexican cuisine and margaritas. Don’t be surprised if you find her at the nearest Mexican restaurant indulging in a little salsa and chips.

And, if you ever find yourself in need of a Kaiju tamer, Allie’s got you covered. With nothing more than a stick and half a banana, she can control the infamous Godzilla. So, if you ever see her with a stick and a banana, don’t worry, she’s just keeping the peace in the world of giant monsters.

Stan Nelson

PRODUCTION ARTIST

Stan Nelson has years of artistic experience under his paintbrush—in nearly every medium. After sophisticated scribbles and artsy hobbies weren’t enough, Stan launched his art career at a San Francisco Bay Area print house setting lead type, and printing leaflets and brochures. He even began selling a slew of extremely popular oil paintings at small galleries in the Castro District. Stan expanded his talents into comic book art just as the local comic scene exploded toward the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. Corporate advertising art came next as he went on to the California-based Nav-Lite Corporation, where he produced artwork for the company’s safety and emergency lighting ad campaigns using pen & ink, airbrush, and his first foray into digital art production—talents which are now tastefully gloat-worthy.

As the computer gaming industry grew in sophistication, he began designing package art and, later, texture art on 3D models for action-adventure game publishers such as RavenSoft, Valve, and Reload. As work dried up in California, he moved on to Colorado to work for his friend, Kim Shugart, at Mr. Biggs—one of the largest indoor amusement parks in the nation. There he designed many of the attractions and, with veteran artist, Paul Madson, helped to design the park’s widely recognized brand image. Since then, he has produced artwork for Mercedes-Benz of Colorado Springs, Coachman Energy Funds, BioPro Power, and The Compass Group.

As Senior Production Artist for WickedThink Marketing, he has done creative work for clients, Magnum Shooting, eAutoConnect, Wildwood Casino, AutoBytel, MainNerve, Rocky Mountain Men’s Clinic, and others.

A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, 1983 with a BA in English, minoring in etymology, he broke away from his interest in linguistics to pursue more artistic endeavors (doodles, rather than dialect, were his forte—though his syntax talents are ever present). When not producing art for customers, he produces art for personal enjoyment, continually expanding his skills in 2D, vector, and 3D art. An avid collector of miniatures, he paints models in striking detail adding one more layer to his love of art. An aficionado of heavy metal music, he plays bass guitar and has been exploring digital music as well using a Yamaha keyboard and midi software. His artistic talents are continually growing—as long as a swig of coffee is never too far away.