"The art world has always been a major part of my life."
After attending the College of Marin for two years, Tina transferred to Sacramento State where she graduated with a BA in Journalism. During her senior year she interned at an advertising agency in Sacramento. That’s where she first met Debbie Augustine. It was at Gaylord & Hooper Advertising Agency where they both worked above the LaBries waterbeds store. Tina was there from 1984-89, and it was there that she ultimately decided to explore a career in advertising. At Gaylord she was an Account Manager where her accounts centered on real estate, medical and produce.
She then moved to the Monterey Bay area where she found a home at Matrix Communications, later called Full Steam. She was there from 1989 to 2001, as an Account Manager at first and then becoming Director of Client Services. Her primary account at Full Steam was Fresh Express. At the time, this was the very beginning of the whole packaged salad category—a very exciting time to be working on a product that is now a major player in the produce industry. Tina managed everything from package design, merchandising materials, trade shows, corporate parties, to coupons and promotions. The majority of her accounts featured produce, but she also worked on hospital, bakery and financial accounts.
In 2001 she left advertising and purchased a franchise called KidzArt, which she still operates today. The art world has always been a major part of Tina’s life; and KidzArt provided her the opportunity to share her passion for art with children. Today, she offers after-school art classes to elementary school kids. (For more information go to www.kidzart.com.)
What You Might Not Know…
Tina’s bilingual—she speaks German and English fluently, having been raised by German-speaking parents. She’s been married for almost 24 years and has two boys. One is a sophomore in high school and the other a high school senior. Growing up she spent most of her time riding her horse and competing in Gymkhana events. She was also on a horse-vaulting team that traveled to Austria to compete. Today she keeps busy with her boys; they’re very active in Scouts. Tina and her family like to travel as much as possible showing the boys the world (Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Hawaii, Costa Rica) and lots of camping around California. Her favorite past time is still art — watercolor, mixed media, and just recently the world of Artist Trading Cards. When Tina and her husband retire they plan to jump into an RV and travel around the states and explore.