Founded in 1992, our team's significant expertise in hospitality and tourism, from client and agency perspectives, enables us to provide objective and insightful strategic recommendations for your marketing communications programs. Our boutique operation offers clients exceptional personal attention and outstanding know-how in brand development, strategic marketing planning, advertising, public relations and promotions in both traditional and interactive environments.
Steve Schindler, President & Creative Director
Steve was fortunate to have landed in the hospitality industry after the completion of his marketing and public relations university degrees in 1982. With 24 years of tourism-focused marketing experience, he provides his clients with a proven ability to facilitate successful marketing plans and activities.
A California native, Steve has worked in the hospitality communities of Orange County, Las Vegas, the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego. He has also been involved in marketing hotels, resorts and DMOs throughout the United States and Mexico and has worked on assignment in London, England developing US inbound tour programs. Few other agency principals possess Steve's first-hand knowledge of the tourism industry.
Steve is an outdoor enthusiast and amateur bicycle racer. We never know what’s going to be strapped to his car when he rolls out of the office. But regardless of the adventure, you can bet that his children, Ari and Alex, will be at his side.
Steve served on the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau′s Community Relations Committee and is an active member of the California Travel Industry Association and San Diego Hotel-Motel Association.
Juan Santiago, Interactive Services
Juan co-founded santex-net, a Schindler Marketing Group strategic partner, in 1999 with a dedication to share his business concepts and experience with other companies in order to help them grow and succeed on the Internet.
Juan heads our interactive team. His understanding of the application of information technology to marketing and business processes brings a strategic focus to every project, ensuring our solutions achieve their objectives and meet, if not exceed, client expectations. Juan attended Business and Law School at the National University of Cordoba in Argentina.
We can’t tell you what he does with his free time, because Juan’s workaholic condition is pretty severe. However, several times a year you’ll find Juan on a ski lift at 10,000 feet. He is one of the most generous people you’ll ever meet. But never ask to borrow his snowboard.
Malani Shubin, Account Planning/Media Services
Malani Nani, as we like to call her, brings a touch of Island hospitality to everything she does. We’re not exactly sure why. She’s from Fresno.
Malani knows the challenges and opportunities facing hospitality industry marketers and recognizes the need for strong branding and innovative communication. She works closely with media vendors to ensure our clients gain the greatest exposure possible at the most efficient rate. Malani’s wonderful ability to work through complex problems and negotiations with a positive flair has earned her the agency’s “Killing them with kindness” award.
Malani earned her bachelor’s degree from Cal State Fresno in Mass Communications and Business all the while maintaining her Dean’s List credentials.
Dawna L. Robertson, Director of Public Relations
A hospitality industry public relations veteran, Dawna had her first taste of the industry as a copywriter with an ad agency servicing the Oklahoma Tourism account in 1978. Enjoying that field but realizing it just had to be much more dynamic and fulfilling in Hawaii, she wisely headed west.
For over 25 years, Dawna was involved with promotions, advertising, public relations, marketing and feature writing in the Hawaiian Islands. For ten years, she served as Director of Advertising for Hawaiiana Resorts, a hotel and vacation condominium management company with properties on five islands. When Hawaiiana ceased its hospitality operations in the mid-90s, Dawna found herself switching gears from a part-time to full-time freelance feature writer for a variety of West Coast-based travel trade, meetings and metropolitan magazines.
An opportunity to write for a Mexico tourism newsletter published on-line by a major travel trade further fueled Dawna's interest in that market. Ready to expand her opportunities, she found San Diego as a logical move. Plus, she likes the weather here. While she hesitates to switch her Hawaiian wardrobe of board shorts for "casual business attire," she's giving it a shot. In what little spare time she has, Dawna trains for and runs the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon and Honolulu Marathon.
She is an honors graduate of the University of Oklahoma, holding a Degree
in
Advertising Journalism.