Industries Clearpoint Serves
AI, foodtech, medtech, Saas, data services, telematics, ecommerce, robitics +
Financial planning, wealth management, banks, credit unions, fintech, financial data +
Value-based healthcare, precision medicine, telemedicine, genomics, CROs +
Logistics and Manufacturing
A.I., last-mile, B2B, consumer goods, medical devices +
VC and PE Firms
Venture capital and angel investment funds, private equity firms, alternative investing
International Companies
Companies launching in the U.S., global markets PR +
Real Estate
Architecture, co-working, commercial and residential real estate
Consumer Products and Services
Wine, spirits, craft beer, pets, personal care products, nation-wide services +
Some say it’s about chemistry. Well, we do, too.
Meet the Clearpoint team
Bonnie D. Shaw
President
Bonnie has led award-winning brand positioning, messaging, and PR strategies for companies such as Airspace, Beyond Meat, Caravan Health (a Signify Health co), Eddie Bauer, Meatable, Toshiba, USD’s Angel Conference, Zodiac, and dozens of companies in healthcare, technology, financial services, life sciences, real estate, and consumer goods. She uses her broad experience to craft objective-driven comms strategies and create an authentic voice for clients that differentiates, engages target audiences, and builds trust.
She previously was a PR account supervisor for McQuerterGroup, leading PR teams for tech brands. Prior to that, she led marketing and partnerships for the MS Society in Southern California and worked at San Diego Magazine.
Bonnie is often a featured speaker and guest author on PR strategy, social media and connecting with audiences. She and her teams have been recognized with 30+ awards of excellence for PR and marcomm. Very relationship focused, Bonnie often consults with clients on how to forge strategic partnerships that meet goals, grow audiences and expand budgets. Bonnie earned a BS in Journalism/Public Relations from Cal Poly SLO, where she was part of the team to launch the university’s first television station, CPTV.
Beth Walsh
Vice President
Co-founder of Clearpoint Agency, Beth is an expert at developing targeted messaging and communications strategies that generate brand awareness and growth for clients.
Beth has multiple years of experience, in the agency and corporate worlds on both the East and West coasts, producing strategic media relations, content campaigns, and successful events for clients in manufacturing, tech, biotech and life sciences, as well as financial services and consumer products. A confident and well-versed speaker, she has taught marketing and PR classes in several college extension programs in and around San Diego. Prior to Clearpoint Agency, Beth was senior vice president of public relations at McQuerterGroup, where she managed the client services and public relations operations of the integrated, high tech-focused agency.
A former co-chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ PR committee, Beth is a strong proponent of mentoring young people, especially women, to achieve success in business. Beth has won more than 15 awards for excellence in public relations personally and Clearpoint has received more than 30 Bernays and other peer-reviewed awards as well. In 2012, Beth was awarded the Otto Bos Lifetime Achievement Award from the Public Relations Society of America, San Diego/Imperial Chapter.
Hilary McCarthy
Public Relations and Content Director
Hilary McCarthy draws on 20 years of experience in media and analyst relations, as well as marketing strategy, content creation and development, crisis communications, and social media.
In addition to having worked at agencies and in-house at technology companies, she has also worked in television news and radio.
Hilary’s knowledge of editorial needs has resulted in coverage in leading outlets including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Fox & Friends, CNBC, CBS, MSN, Reuters, AP, Consumer Reports, Time, Tech Crunch, Fortune, Forbes, Inc., ABC World News and numerous technology and trade magazines. She has also written and placed articles for clients in trade publications.
Passionate about connecting with clients to determine their needs and conveying their key messages, she loves seeing the positive impact of marketing and PR campaigns on clients' bottom lines.
Hilary graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a Master of Science degree in Journalism and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Assumption College. She has written articles for American Marketing Association, Marketing Profs, Smart Briefs, Chief Marketer, Ragan’s Health Care Communications News, Expert PR, PRSA’s PR Strategy.
Rachel Ford Hutman
Public Relations and Earned Media Strategist
Rachel Ford Hutman has 15+ years of communications experience at leading global PR agencies and a senior comms role at IBM. She has worked with clients ranging from venture-backed startups to large cap public companies. Rachel started her career as a reporter and excels at working with the media to bring life science stories to life while still making them accessible to stakeholders.
Rachel has led communications for the world’s biggest therapies and medical technologies, including first RNAi therapy (Alnylam’s ONPATTRO), first technology to personalize insulin 24 hrs. a day (Medtronic’s MiniMed 670G), IBM’s AI launch into healthcare (Watson Health), first therapy for DMD (Sarepta’s EXONDYS 51), and Google’s sister life science company (Verily). She has counseled prominent health/tech organizations and developed PR strategies for brands including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Best Buy and others.
Rachel leverages her long-standing relationships with global reporters on behalf of clients including CNBC, BBC, AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, Newsweek, Financial Times, Fast Company, TIME, Wired, Forbes, WSJ, NYT, and key health trades like Modern Healthcare, Becker’s Hospital Review, Digital Health Journal, GenomeWeb, BioWorld, Tech Republic, FierceBiotech, Endpoints, Drug Discovery Today and many more.
Rachel holds an MA in communications and media studies at San Diego State University and her BA in English/ History from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has presented on communications strategy to PR News, PR Week, and The International PR Research Conference.
Dave Oates
Crisis Communications Specialist
Dave possesses nearly 30 years of strategic public relations experience dealing with a wide array of adverse public events. Starting as a U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer and later as a Corporate Chief Marketing Officer and Non-Profit President, he excels in expertly addressing a myriad of crises that span sports/entertainment, non-profit, military, government, corporate, education, charity, and start-up environments.
His Crisis Communications experiences include handling contentious matters involving highly visible employee and executive misconduct, cybersecurity attacks, product recalls, mass layoffs, large-scale accidents, criminal investigations, and civil litigation matters.
A sought-after speaker, Dave served as a lecturing professor teaching the semester-long PR Media & Messaging course to upper-division undergraduates at San Diego State University.
Dave is an accredited PR specialist (APR) who received his MBA from San Diego State University in 2004 and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1991.
Lisa Bergum
Researcher and Account Coordinator
Since 2007, Lisa has been supporting client accounts through: competitor research, media and tradeshow research, list development, award and speaking engagement investigation, maintaining clip logs, drafting social media content and monitoring social channels for clients.
Prior to Clearpoint she worked with Mambo Communications, Chereskin Communications, Caton Marketing and Moore Media Relations gaining valuable industry experience. Lisa also worked in the retail sector as a marketing coordinator, buyer, territory and visual merchandising manager for more than six years. Lisa received a bachelor’s degree in consumer science from Montana State University and professional certificate in marketing from University of California, San Diego. Lisa enjoys spending time with her husband, Dave, and chasing after their three children. She has been involved with San Diego Alumnae Panhellenic as a volunteer, JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and is a certified Zumba instructor.
Julie Smith-Taylor
Senior Content Specialist
Julie Smith-Taylor, APR is a nationally accredited public relations and marketing consultant with more than 25 years of experience. She helps clients reach their communication goals through strategic planning, creative action strategies and content writing.
Julie especially enjoys helping clients build their brands through the power of storytelling. She recently developed a highly effective formula called the “PR Spotlight System” that leverages existing creative assets with powerful content over a variety of platforms.
Dedicated to her profession, Julie has been an active member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for almost three decades. She has served the society at the local, regional and national levels in various leadership roles and currently serves on the local board of directors as the Ethics Chair.
Julie earned a BA in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and often acts as a mentor to students and young professionals. In her spare time, she plays the alto saxophone in a community band, volunteers at her church and enjoys kayaking, traveling, gardening and painting. She and her husband live in Oceanside, CA and have two grown daughters.
Troy Brajkovich
Visual Creative Director & Cinematographer
Troy specializes in HD video/film cinematography and editing, and still photography. He has traveled the world creating compelling content to express the human condition and unearth universal truths in a modern mythological form. Using proven methods of storytelling and principals of traditional art, Troy uses contemporary technology to tell the stories in today's ever changing world.
Troy graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Film, Television and New Media Arts, and studied in music and anthropology in New Zealand. Today Troy lives in Encinitas and is an avid musician, surfer, traveler and artist.
Tessa Mitchell
Director of Integrated Strategies
Tessa Mitchell is a strategic marketing expert with a 15-year proven track record of building strong brands, launching new products, and delivering profitable market share growth.
She has in-depth experience developing and executing strategic plans, establishing brand voice and architecture, leading creative strategy and advertising initiatives, large- and small-scale event programs, content marketing, public relations, research and segmentation, and has an innate ability to build and retain successful, loyal, and highly productive teams. Previously, Tessa held high-level leadership roles at global and domestic companies ranging from $100M-$1B in annual revenues. She has a wealth of brand, product marketing and operations experience, most recently serving as Director of Global Marketing for Sound-United, a San Diego-based consumer electronics company that markets under the Polk Audio and Definitive Technology brands, and previously served as Director of Marketing for Zodiac Pool Systems, a leading global manufacturer of pool and spa products. In each role she spearheaded B2B and B2C marketing and PR initiatives, which contributed to substantial topline sales growth and market share gain.
We like to win and we win often.
Check out the awards we’ve garnered for ourselves and our clients.
