Karen Raz
Karen has built communications programs for hundreds of clients, maintaining long-standing client and professional relationships—many over a decade. Together with a stellar in-house team, Karen has driven campaign efforts for leading technology and creative companies, including Amazon Studios, Amazon Web Services, Autodesk, AJA Video Systems, Epic Games, HP, NVIDIA and many more. Her work has been instrumental in forming internal and external messaging around high-profile M&A announcements including Autodesk’s acquisition of Alias, Amazon Web Services’ acquisition of Thinkbox Software, Tribeca Enterprises’ acquisition of production company m ss ng p eces, and many others. Having experienced radical evolutions in entertainment; the disruption of content streaming, opportunities unlocked via cloud computing, virtual production and beyond, Karen’s perspective helps clients approach news, events and crises with strategic insight. She began her career in entertainment technology on the PR team at ElectricImage Animation, and founded RazPR in 1997, attending too many AICP, GDC, IBC, NAB, Siggraph, SXSW, and VES events to count. Karen is a member of the Visual Effects Society (VES), and serves as a juror for both the VES Emerging Technology Award and the HPA Award for Creativity and Innovation.
Frances Ratliff
Fran excels at telling stories about emerging technology in content production. She has worked as a lead on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) account since its acquisition of Thinkbox Software in 2017, and has helped extend the scope of RazPR’s work across all of AWS for Media & Entertainment. She was active in the communications effort around Pixomondo’s work on the film Hugo which was awarded an Oscar for best VFX; and was overseeing RazPR's Deluxe Creative Services business when its subsidiary Method Studios won a VFX Emmy for its work on Game on Thrones. She also steered internal and external communications around the acquisition of Atomic Fiction by Deluxe and also managed communications efforts for Conductor Technologies from the company’s inception through to its 2023 acquisition by CoreWeave. Fran joined RazPR in 2011 from Bender Helper Impact/BHI (now part of 42 West) and is a graduate of UT Austin majoring in communications studies. She is a natural organizer, thrives on building order out of chaos, and does so masterfully both in her professional life and in her home life as a mom to three young kids.
Katie Weinberg
Katie joined RazPR as an intern in 2007 and quickly became an invaluable member of the team. With a perennially sunny disposition and media relations savvy, she goes above the call of duty to deliver impactful results for her clients. She has been working with AJA Video Systems and Autodesk since 2007 and has led the Broadsign adtech account since 2018. Katie has also been instrumental in expanding the scope of Amazon Web Services (AWS) client work, and has been a lead on the account since 2018. She is a skilled multi-tasker with strong media relations, writing, storytelling and planning experience. She has made RazPR clients shine through smart award strategies, trade show media relations, thought leadership programs, and sponsored content campaigns. With a background in debate, Katie is never short of carefully crafted statements and is a meticulous wordsmith. Based in Phoenix, AZ, she is the mother of two young children and holds a degree in communications studies with an emphasis in Rhetoric from Cal State Long Beach.
Shannon Deoul
Shannon joined RazPR in 2010 and has spent over a decade working with both creative production and technology clients. Her exceptional writing skills and extensive knowledge of creative technology help her capture each client’s unique voice and deliver impactful stories. She has helped to drive notable tech launches including for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine and NVIDIA’s Quadro GPU line, has crafted Ad Age A-List submissions for some of the most-awarded commercial production companies including Biscuit Filmworks and m ss ng p eces, and has successfully shepherded multiple panels to SXSW. Shannon has also worked with Tender Claws to launch their highly original VR game titles, securing features in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times. She has also written longform technical articles detailing the origin stories of open-source projects at the Academy Software Foundation, based on testimonies of VFX and computer graphics industry legends from ILM, Disney, WetaFX, Adobe, and more. Based in Los Angeles, Shannon is always on top of the latest movies and TV shows and ready to craft a personalized recommendation.
Tiffany Fordham
Tiffany joined the RazPR team in 2022 after working as a freelance writer while leading communications for a Los Angeles non-profit. For seven years before that, she led the in-house PR and marketing efforts at Furlined, where she championed both company leaders’ and illustrious directors’ careers through public relations, sales, and awards strategy. Tiffany has promoted huge campaigns and earned international accolades with her excellent writing skills and considerable industry knowledge, honed over close to 15 years. Her power to frame clients’ distinctive offerings and convey meaningful stories has secured top placement on global juries, the covers of leading industry trades, and speaking engagements at festivals and conferences. Her eclectic job experience, creative problem-solving, and professional organization have enabled her to produce large-scale events and support start-ups and the founding of nonprofits. Since joining RazPR she has worked on creative production accounts including Fela, Biscuit Filmworks, and m ss ng p eces. She is an avid traveler and a long-time activist and volunteer. She is a certified reiki practitioner and yoga instructor and she is based on the East Coast.
Susan Gerard
Susan joined RazPR in 2001. She is RazPR’s trusted head of finance and has a vivid childhood memory of spending Sunday evenings with her family sifting through coins from the church collection basket in search of wheat pennies and liberty dimes. She has been minding the piggy bank at RazPR nearly from the start bringing her good cents approach to all things financial. A voracious reader, Susan agrees with Rhyme and Reason (The Phantom Tollbooth) that numbers and words are equally valuable.