Angelica Balderas is the Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing Solutions for Entravision Communications. She currently oversees all operations and sales for the Sacramento market, which include top-rated KXSE (Jose 104.3FM) and Tricolor 99.9FM as well as 101.9FM Wolf and Hot 103.5FM. Previously she was the Director of Sales for Adelante Media Group; in that role she oversaw all local, national, network, and digital sales. Before that she was National Sales Manager and worked with national advertisers and their agencies to execute advertising and promotional programs over Adelante Media Group’s nine markets. Prior to that she was the President/Principal of Aztec Media.
With over 10 years in the radio industry, Chantelle Crowhurst brings a wealth of experience, a track record of success, and a commitment to excellence to the Radio Masters Sales Summit. As a dynamic and accomplished professional, she contributes valuable insights and leadership to drive the summit’s mission of fostering growth and innovation in radio sales, as well as embodying the spirit of forward-thinking that drives the industry forward. Her current role as the Large Brand Partnership and Activation expert at Bonneville International showcases her dedication to fostering meaningful connections between brands and the dynamic world of radio and live events.
Dave “Chachi” Denes is President and Co-Founder of Benztown, a leading international radio imaging, production library, programming, podcasting, jingles, and voiceover services company with over 3,000 affiliations on six different continents. Denes co-founded Benztown in 2008 with international radio producers Andreas Sannemann and Oliver Klenk, both based in Stuttgart, Germany, and the company now has studios in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Stuttgart. Denes began his radio career in 1996 at KFMB (Star 100.7) in San Diego, as producer and on-air sidekick for Michael Steele and later as producer for Jagger and Kristi. Following a year as Rick Dees’ assistant producer at KIIS-FM in L.A., Denes joined L.A.’s KBIG and KOST-FM in 2001 as Operations Manager. In 2004 he was named Program Director for KBIG (MYfm). At the time, he was just 28 years old, making him the youngest PD in L.A. history. Denes currently serves on the board of the Library of American Broadcasting.
Michael Doyle is the “MD” of MDMediaSales. com. He has nearly 40 years’ experience as a radio salesperson, sales manager, general manager, and executive. He joined Entercom (now Audacy) in 2000, and from 2007 to 2021 served in executive management as regional VP, regional president, and finally as president of sales operations. He directly managed the development of Entercom’s SmartReach Digital sales initiative and grew that revenue by 30x in three years. As president of sales operations, he was responsible for training sellers and sales managers, developing and managing the AE compensation program, building and deploying over-the-air pricing, and revenue management software. Along with the revenue management team, he created a team of inside sales reps who set appointments for sellers across the company, developed inbound marketing efforts that led to sales exceeding $12 million annually, managed a data team to consolidate and build sales data into usable and reportable dashboards, and headed up the deployment and management of the company’s CRM. He retired from Entercom at the end of 2021 to open his consulting business.
Phil Forrester is Chief Success Officer at Ready For Social and a passionate leader with over 25 years in sales, management, and training in the telecommunications and technology industries. After beginning his career selling business long-distance services door-to-door, Forrester discovered his passion for inspiring growth and helping people succeed. His experience includes 17 years at AXIOM Sales Force Development (now AXIOM Sales Kinetics), where he rose to Vice President of Client Success. Later, as Corporate Director of Sales Enablement at NRG Media, he implemented and managed a sales productivity and effectiveness program for over six years.
Carolyn Gilbert is CEO and founder of NuVoodoo Media Services. She founded NuVoodoo in 2010 after a long career in media and corporate research and marketing. Gilbert built her first research company in 1981 with a single client; that company was acquired by Jacor Communications, where she served as VP/Research until 1985. The company was sold again and renamed Critical Mass Media, and ultimately became a division of Clear Channel Communications. She served as its manager and then COO through 2008. Under her leadership, it grew to the largest and most profitable company of its kind in the research-for-media space. In 2008, Gilbert went to Tribune Co. in Chicago, where she served as EVP/Research & Inside Sales with all research departments of both the publishing and television divisions of the company reporting to her, as well as the sales forces for Cars.com and CareerBuilder.com. During her tenure, she served as Tribune’s corporate representative to the Media Rating Council. She was responsible for the relationships between the divisions and vendors, including Ipsos, Kantar Media, AC Nielsen Company, Rentrak, Magid, and many others. Gilbert has been cited as one of Radio Ink’s Most Influential Women in Radio for the past 13 years.
Paul Jacobs is the Vice President/ General Manager of Jacobs Media, which for 38 years has provided programming, digital, and social media consulting and research to commercial, public, and Christian radio stations. Jacobs began his career on the sales and management side of the business, working at and running radio stations in Dallas and Detroit. In 1991, he joined his brothers Fred and Bill at Jacobs Media. He currently works with broadcasters on strategic development and revenue generation. In 2008, Jacobs also became president of a new mobile application development company started by Jacobs Media — jacapps. The company was formed to create mobile apps for radio stations, and has since broadened into multiple categories, including health care, real estate, and others. Jacobs has become a leading spokesperson for the radio industry regarding the changing in-car audio experience and the necessity for the digital transformation of the radio industry.
Dara Kalvort is VP of Digital Sales and Strategy for Digidea, the digital marketing solutions division of Spanish Broadcasting System. A seasoned multimedia professional with over 20 years of experience in the field, including broadcast TV, cable, radio, and streaming, she previously served as Audacy’s South Florida Regional Digital Director. As a leading authority on digital marketing, Kalvort has trained sellers, leaders, and advertisers on products and integrated solutions, sharing her knowledge and skills across a range of industries.
Deon Levingston has been an influential and innovative advertising and broadcast radio and television executive for more than two decades, managing some of the most successful radio stations in America. Levingston is a Regional Vice President for Radio One and was previously President of YMF Media. He currently serves on the boards of the Indianapolis Urban League, Conner Prairie, and HARLEMWEEK. Levingston has previously been a member of the boards of Indianapolis YMCA, The Little Red Door, Indianapolis Circle City Classic, Lawrence Township Schools Foundation, The Greater Harlem Chamber, and Harlem YMCA. He has received numerous honors, including being named one of the Best Major Market General Managers several times by Radio Ink Magazine.
Steve Newberry serves as CEO of Quu, Inc., which provides an enhanced listener experience and opportunities to monetize visual advertising through full control of the RDS/HD in-car visual display. Before joining Quu, Newberry was EVP/Industry Affairs and Strategic Planning for the National Association of Broadcasters, with primary leadership responsibility for NAB’s technology initiatives with the automotive industry. Newberry has also been an active NAB board member; over the years he served as the organization’s Radio Board Chair and NABPAC Chair, was twice elected to lead the association’s Joint Television and Radio Board, and was a recipient of the NAB’s National Radio Award. Newberry began his broadcast career at the age of 14 and owned his first radio station at 21. He is the founder and chairman of Commonwealth Broadcasting Corp., a radio broadcast group with facilities throughout his home state of Kentucky.
Kristi Nguyen is Director of Digital Sales & Campaign Management/Northwest at Audacy. With 17 years in the media industry, her passion and expertise has been focused on digital marketing and advertising for the past 12 years. Nguyen started her career at Cox Media Group, where she held various roles across sales, promotions, and digital within the radio and TV divisions. Her experience in media brings a wealth of knowledge to every part of the digital sales cycle. This has allowed her to understand and address the needs from a client, AE, and fulfillment perspective. In her current role at Audacy, Nguyen spearheads digital strategy development and revenue-driving initiatives, and ensures results for businesses. She also leads a team of digital campaign managers to provide client success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Paige Nienaber was raised by strict Mennonite parents on a potato farm on the barren plains of central Minnesota. His father, Olaf, a cruel disciplinarian, peddled his crop in twos to neighboring communities. One day Paige, cold and exhausted from digging potatoes from the frozen soil with his bare hands, said, “Papa, so many homes have more than two members … what if we sold potatoes in fours and called them Family Four Tots?” The following month he was working in the Promotions Department at WLOL in Minneapolis-St. Paul. He went on to work at stations in Charlotte and San Francisco and since 1992 has been consulting stations around the world on marketing and promotions. He’s written two books, The Encyclopedia of Radio Promotions and The Street Hackers Guide to the Universe. He also does a podcast, “Three Radio Promotions in Three Minutes.”.
Matt Sunshine is a Managing Partner at The Center for Sales Strategy, a sales performance company that helps sales organizations attract, retain, and develop the highest-performing salespeople. His areas of expertise include growing sales organizations, finding and developing sales superstars, sales process, lead generation, inbound marketing, and digital marketing, and he is a featured writer for one of the top sales blogs in America and a regular contributor to leading business blogs and magazines such as Inc., Sales and Marketing Management, Sales Hacker, and Entrepreneur. Sunshine also developed and launched LeadG2, an inbound marketing company that helps businesses establish thought leadership and lower lead costs. LeadG2 has earned Hubspot recognition as a Diamond Certified Partner. Sunshine is the author of “Getting Prospects to Raise Their Hand,” and Forbes magazine lists him as one of “20 Speakers You Shouldn’t Miss the Opportunity to See.”
Patti Taylor is the Vice President and Market Manager of Beasley Media Group Detroit. In that role she is responsible for sales and operations for a six-station radio cluster as well as a full-service digital agency. Prior to this role, Taylor served as the Director of Sales for Beasley Detroit. There, she won numerous awards, including DOS of the Year in 2021 for her role in helping Beasley rebound after the erosion of revenue in 2020. Taylor started her career at CBS Radio as an account executive and moved into management there before joining Beasley in 2013. Taylor is a purpose-driven leader who strives to create a culture of kindness and respect, shared goals, and open communication.
Katie Wheeless is Director of Online News Brands at Saga Communications, a company for which she has worked for the past 18 years. Previously, Wheeless served as President and General Manager of 5 Star Media Group, where she oversaw nine radio stations, and successfully launched an online news site, ClarksvilleNow, in 2010. This platform swiftly rose to become the go-to news source for the community while seamlessly integrating with local radio content. This business model would become the foundation for the launch of additional news sites inside Saga Communications. Since assuming her current role in October 2023, Wheeless has spearheaded the launch of 18 online news sites for Saga.
Dustin Wilson is an experienced digital strategist and advertising specialist. He is the Senior Director of Digital Strategy for Marketron, where he leads client development and onboarding/implementation operations. He is passionate about empowering local media sellers to succeed. Before Marketron, Wilson worked for Starcom Mediavest as the Senior Digital Investment Associate on the Samsung account, buying and strategizing national campaigns and one-of-a-kind experiential activations in New York City. He then relocated to Denver and worked for a local ad agency buying local broadcast and digital media.