Tom Mooney

CEO + Executive Creative Director

A proven leader in brand strategy and creative direction, Tom has spearheaded powerful creative campaigns for a range of national, high-profile clients. He has focused his decades-long career on pushing boundaries well past what’s expected, on cultivating a sense of curiosity and constant learning, and on delivering creative that gets results. As the founder of FourthIdea, Tom leads a talented and nimble team of brand professionals who produce award-winning work for a roster of destination clients that have put FourthIdea on the map.

• Makes a fantastic butternut squash soup

• Grew up vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains

• Avid downhill skier

• First concert: Journey in 1982, Rochester, NY

Monish Bhattacharyya

Partner + Creative Director

Monish has one simple belief that has driven his passion for this business for more than 25 years: Every brand has a story to tell. From innovative technology to emerging media, there has never been a greater opportunity to engage consumers in a truly relevant and meaningful manner. During his lengthy sojourn through the ad world, Monish has made stops at agencies in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Ft. Lauderdale and New York City before finally making his way home to Buffalo. He’s had the opportunity to write for world-class companies and to collaborate with like-minded people to build compelling stories for brands across the spectrum.

• Acts in and directs professional regional theater

• Favorite trip was to Lake Lausanne, Switzerland

• Appeared as an extra in Sharknado 2

• Has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do

Kirstin Hawayek

CFO + Account Executive

With more than 20 years of project management experience, Kirstin has managed multi-million-dollar projects in the engineering industry both internationally and stateside. She has lent this expertise toward managing both the financial operations and some of our most valued client accounts at FourthIdea since April 2011. In addition to her professional experience, Kirstin is an effortless traveler and has served as the president of the board of directors of a non-profit youth organization for over seven years.

• Mother of a winter Olympian

• Chipping away at the Adirondack 46ers

• Makes a killer almond buttercream frosting

• Volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club

Jake Buganski, CDME

Vice President of Client Engagement

As an accomplished destination management professional, Jake brings nearly 20 years of travel and tourism industry experience to his role at FourthIdea. He has held chief executive positions at tourism organizations throughout the U.S., including serving as New Jersey’s state tourism director. Jake also served as Vice President of Strategy at Tempest, a digital marketing agency and CRM software provider for the travel and tourism industry.

• Freemason

• Early riser

• Parent to Theo the Shih Tzu

• Sings in the Destinations International House Band

Joe Conti

Associate Creative Director

Joe has honed his skills as an art director, graphic designer, illustrator, motion designer, and video editor in his backyard of Buffalo, NY for more than 10 years. In that time, he has lent this variety of skills to both in-house marketing teams and full-service advertising agencies alike and has worked with brands across a spectrum of industries. Joe welcomes opportunities to learn new skills, techniques and technologies to add to his creative arsenal, and believes that good creative is equal parts design and function: If it looks good, it better also be effective.

• Raises chickens

• Was a competitive gymnast

• Wants to write and illustrate a children’s book

• Favorite trip was his time spent in southern Ireland

Phil Redfield

Senior Art Director

Phil is an Art Director who graduated from Buffalo State College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a concentration in communication design. He is a Rochester, NY native who became interested in a design career after working in the Wegmans grocery store sign shop. As an art director, he loves working with travel and tourism clients and enjoys opportunities to use illustration in advertising.

• First job was dressing as Spiderman for kids’ birthday parties

• Spends a lot of time in the Adirondacks

• Thinks chili is a soup

• Stands on a boards sideways for fun

Heather Stahlman

Art Director

Heather is an art director that thrives in the conceptualization phase of projects. She graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design and a minor in Advertising + Public Relations, and has nearly three years of professional graphic design and art direction experience under her belt. Heather is constantly trying to push the boundaries of design and create the unexpected, all the while ensuring that the message remains clear and effective.

• Nicknames: HStahlz, DJ Stahlz

• Spends her free time cooking, sketching, painting, being active outdoors

• Favorite trip destination (so far): Puerto Rico

• Guilty pleasure food is pad thai, stinger subs, and cookie dough ice cream

Jenny Kavinski

Graphic Designer + Production Specialist

Jenny is a graphic designer who graduated from Buffalo State College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a concentration in communication design. She grew up in Buffalo, NY and enjoyed working retail before realizing she needed to pursue graphic design. Jenny enjoys music as well as art, and plays drums in a taiko group when she’s not designing.

• Was a 200m sprinter in track & field

• Enjoys learning languages

• Grew up hating seafood, now loves seafood

• Office Plant Mama

Devon Dams-O’Connor

Senior Copywriter

Half veteran copywriter, half feature journalist, and equal parts left- and right-brained, Devon has delved deep into the weeds and emerged with the golden nugget of a genuine story for more brands and subjects than she can count. She has spent the last 20 years partnering with clients to craft language that speaks directly to the heart of the matter.

• Deadlifts 300 pounds

• Pickles all the veggies

• No middle name

• Loves traveling solo

Geenamarie Shuttleworth

Senior Account Executive

Geenamarie’s 14 years of account service expertise span a wide range of clients and industries. From brand launches to event production and everything in between, Geena brings a high level of intelligence and energy to the table. Her incredible attention to detail and grace under fire keep our projects on strategy, on schedule and on budget.

• Perfected the Irish Exit

• Loves people-watching

• Has Cocomelon stuck in her head

• Ran Boston and Chicago Marathons (NYC is next)

Sophia Watson

Account Coordinator + Social Media Specialist

Sophie is a firm believer in the fast-paced future of digital marketing and in storytelling as a powerful tool to spark desire among travelers to explore a new destination. She lends her positive energy, creative thinking and traveler’s eye to FourthIdea’s digital strategy, content creation, and social media approach serving all of our clients and brands.

• Family owns a chocolate company

• Finds cool furniture on Facebook Marketplace

• Spirit emoji is 🌱

• Wants to start a podcast

Sarah Bohn

Special Projects Manager

Sarah graduated from University at Buffalo with a Bachelor’s degree in communication and concentrations in advertising and Mandarin Chinese. Originally from Buffalo, NY, she relocated to Beijing, China in 2008. For 8 years, she worked as a senior account executive at a Chinese event company specializing in large-scale marketing events for global automotive brands. In 2017 Sarah returned to Buffalo to be closer to family. In her Spare time she enjoys fitness, experimenting with cooking new dishes, and playing with her beloved dog, Gold Bar. 

• Co-founder of FIG™ Buffalo

• Speaks Mandarin Chinese

• Loves Christmas music