About Us

All goat.
  No sheep.

Our CEO owns a few goats on his farm, which got us thinking.  

We want to be like goats. They’re curious, nimble, inquisitive and pretty darn smart.   

At Cronin, we embrace those qualities, while also doubling down on creativity. We call it a “force multiplier.” It sounded a little militaristic at first, but now we dig it. We subscribe to creativity because we know it’s the only sure-fire way to get results and ROI.  

Most of our leadership were clients in their former lives. But we never act like we have fancy MBAs from Harvard (although some of us do). And we honestly believe being in Connecticut is a huge advantage. We bring lots of big-city experience – from brilliant strategy to precision media to PR to innovative production to that creative “force multiplier” thing – wrapped up in small-town attention.  

By the way, did you know goats climb trees? Mind. Blown. 

About Us

The Work


The Team

Sean Folan

Agency Ops & All-Around Good Guy

Sean was on hand to see Kirk Gibson’s iconic pinch-hit, walk-off home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 1 of the 1988 World Series, one of the most pivotal moments in modern sports. Today, Sean is almost always on hand to help clients find pivotal moments and connections that promote brand growth.​

As the key executive overseeing Cronin’s day-to-day business operations, Sean plays a vital role in ensuring successful long-term client relationships fueled by smooth intra-agency operations. He loves rolling up his sleeves to help build integrated, omni-channel marketing campaigns that leverage his deep functional expertise and broad industry experience, including branding, growth strategy, market research, and product management across healthcare, consumer products, financial services, hospitality, business services, and aerospace.

Sean is currently involved in a number of community organizations that serve those in need, including the Harvard Business School Community Partners and the Knights of Columbus. In his spare time, Sean enjoys the outdoors: walking, hiking, swimming, biking. And his love of new places and cultures has led him to visit over 20 countries.​

While attending the University of Virginia, Sean served as chairperson of the school’s vaunted Honor System. We weren’t sure exactly where to put this in his bio but felt it was impressive!

Elizabeth Proctor

Head of Account Service

On any given Saturday in the fall, you can probably find Cronin’s Head of Account Service, cheering wildly as she watches her beloved Alabama Crimson Tide on the football field. The only weird thing about this is that Elizabeth actually attended the University of Georgia. When Elizabeth isn’t busy betraying her school by rooting for its arch-rival, she’s usually helping to build blue-chip brands at Cronin like she has for ATT, Bank of America, Capital One and Toyota at various agencies over the past 20 years. Elizabeth believes her true calling is connecting brands with culture. Over her career, she’s been part of impressive sponsorship opportunities with American Idol, MLB, PGA and the US Open. All we can say is “Roll Tide.”

Birch

Chief Motivating Officer

Mark owns a nearby farm with, at last count, 5 goats on it. One of them is Birch. She wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth; it was actually a tin can. Birch was brought in to Cronin to remind us that we’re all goats, not sheep. And to inspire us to be more agile, curious, independent and adventurous. Birch is truly the G.O.A.T. and we’re darn lucky to have her.

Mark Demuro

Chairman & CEO

Mark sees life as one giant Super Bowl and his starters at Cronin as the team that’s going to win it all.  A graduate of University of Pennsylvania, Mark’s had stints as a CMO, a strategy consultant and Head of Growth and Development at a global research company. Mark’s been a force on the field his entire career. And, at the risk of extending this metaphor too far, Mark continues to pace the sideline, guiding his agency on their drive through an ever-changing consumer landscape. As the proud father of a doctor and a paramedic with a record of client success stories, Mark knows how to inspire both businesses and people to play ‘til the whistle every time. We know a great coach when we see one and Bill Belichick’s got nothing on this guy.

Tracy Klimkoski

Head of Media & Analytics

In her personal life, Tracy subscribes to JOMO or the Joy of Missing Out.  Which loosely translated means she’d rather spend a cozy evening at home with her English Bulldog than almost anything else in the world. At Cronin, our Head of Media & Analytics doesn’t miss out on doing whatever it takes to put our clients in their best possible scenarios for success every chance she gets. Tracy always likes to visualize herself in her client’s position and imagine what she’d do with their media dollars.

Ann Robertson

Executive Creative Director

After abandoning her dream of becoming a chanteuse in a smoky piano bar, Ann rechanneled her creative energy into entertaining audiences with her love of advertising. She started her career writing for Kraft Foods and has been humming along ever since on clients such as Mercedes-Benz, McAfee and Serena Williams Jewelry. Bilingual and born of Cuban immigrants, Ann’s work for the Spanish market has made her grandmother proud, as did her graduation from Boston College and Miami Ad School.

Lester Ayala

Head of Production

As an all-time top ten scorer in Quinnipiac University’s basketball program, Lester knew what it took to light up a scoreboard. As Head of Production, Lester knows what it takes to light up an entire room. That’s because when it comes to digital and broadcast production, Lester is just an all-out baller. From collaborating with renowned directors like Bennet Miller and Wally Pfister to shepherding work strong enough to be recognized by Shoot Magazine, AICP and Cannes, Lester is still at the top of his game.  A team leader who firmly believes that an idea is only as good as its execution, Lester always comes through in the clutch.

AnnMarie Kemp

Head of Communications

As a diehard Yankees fan married to a diehard Red Sox fan, AnnMarie knows a thing or two about overcoming challenges. As Cronin’s Head of Communications, AnnMarie has made a career of meeting PR challenges head on, including spearheading the McDonald’s business for 17 years. She has also overseen a host of other iconic brands, like Dunkin’, Loctite, Xerox, and Konica Minolta. AnnMarie has built a formidable team at Cronin that continues to push the limits of what’s possible in public relations, social media and content marketing. Just like her Yankees, AnnMarie keeps swinging for the fences all season long.

Jon Krevolin

Head of Let's Go!

After graduating from Yale with a degree in art history, Jon made the obvious choice - he became a stand-up comedian. But soon the dark and alluring world of advertising called. A world where he could touch the hearts and minds of millions without a two-drink minimum. He developed his craft at BBDO, where he won his first Cannes Lion for Pepsi. Next at JWT, he helped win the Domino’s account and oversaw its transformation into the leading pizza delivery company, while being nominated for an Emmy. He then went back to BBDO to lead the agency’s second largest account, Gillette.  Next, he honed his digital chops at hot shops 360i and R/GA. At Doner, Jon focused on retail, winning the national McDonald’s Field Activation work, as well as leading Cox Communications, the third largest U.S. cable provider, and the UPS Store.  And now Jon is taking his big agency experience to help fuel Cronin’s growth with small agency attention. Along the way, he’s won every top award from Cannes to One Show, Clios, Webbys, Effies and more. Jon would also like to add that his mom really is named Evelyn Krevolin.

Ron Szymanski

Data Science & Analytics Leader

Ron is a highly skilled digital team leader and an optimistic problem solver who is inspired by how data and technology are converging to push our industry forward. With global experience in e-commerce, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, web development, customer relationship management, email marketing, and digital analytics, Ron is a guy you want working on and thinking about your business. Clients and colleagues value Ron's partnership for what he knows and how he mentors teams, works collaboratively to develop data-driven strategies, and ensures the agency's work is aligned with real business objectives.

Katharine Laban

People & Culture Leader

When the great Katharine Hepburn offered a shivering Coast Guardsmen a cup of tea, it impressed him. So much in fact, that he named his first-born daughter after her. And that’s how the woman we call the world’s best People & Culture Leader got her name.  Over the years, Katharine has built Cronin’s HR department from the ground up, bringing in the diverse group of free-thinkers and initiating the programs that make our agency such a fun place to work. When Katharine’s not fostering the perfect creative environment at Cronin, she’s quite the foodie and enjoys cooking and eating cuisine from around the world. Katharine likes to say that “kindness always wins.”  Have a cup of tea with her sometime, and you’ll see what she means.

Maria Ciriello

AVP, Account Service

For 25 years, Maria has partnered with some of today's largest global brands across a wide range of verticals – CPG, healthcare, food service, retail, higher education, financial services, and entertainment. Brands include PepsiCo, Hershey, and Subway. She is skilled at building strategically-sound, engaging content and fully-integrated marketing campaigns that illuminate a brand story and deliver results. Having spent over half her career working for agencies, both large and small, Maria is at ease building superior client partnerships. She has also held senior client roles. Having seen both agency and client life provides Maria with a unique perspective that allows her to deliver a seamless, collaborative end-to-end client experience.

Paul Catanese

Executive Creative Director

“A wizard who conjures up the right words to an audience mesmerized and eager to find out more.”  No this isn’t a plot line from one of Paul’s ten published children’s fantasy novels, it’s actually a pretty accurate description of how this skillful copywriter goes about his craft. Paul has been with Cronin for more than two decades, putting out crowd-pleasing work for clients from Amica to Fred Hutch to Dartmouth Health.  A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Paul is a home-grown talent with just the right magic your brand needs.

Janika Morales

Chief Hospitality Officer

Our Chief Hospitality Officer Janika Morales majored in criminal justice in college. Which might explain why we’re all guilty of believing she’s such a difference-maker at Cronin. As the first voice anyone who contacts our agency hears and one of our leading workplace problem solvers, Janika has an uncanny knack for making things happen around here. When she isn’t at work you can find her cheering for her beloved Yankees, being supermom to three girls (including identical twins) or binge-watching her favorite reality TV shows. Say hello next time you visit or call.

Our Clients
Our Clients