Shine United is pleased to announce the promotions of three outstanding employees, Megan Ciurczak to planning supervisor, Aleah Kidd to social media strategist and Callie Watry to media buyer. Founded in 2001, Shine United is a 44-person full-service advertising, design and digital agency based in Madison, Wisconsin. Shine’s portfolio of client work includes Harley-Davidson, Wisconsin Cheese, GORE-TEX® Running Shoes, LaCrosse Footwear and Amazon.com.

As a leader in the planning department, Megan Ciurczak has worked closely with agency accounts and creative staff for the last six years to help develop high-impact marketing plans and brand strategies. Megan’s expertise has benefited clients from LaCrosse Footwear and GORE-TEX to Wisconsin Cheese and one of Shine’s newest clients, Festival Foods.

“From brand positioning to marketing investment to consumer insights — and in the myriad nooks and crannies in between — Megan has a tremendous ability to identify big opportunities for our clients,” said Curt Hanke, founder and chief strategist. “This leads to rich, powerful strategic platforms that help guide activities, drive outcomes and fuel big creative thinking.”

Aleah Kidd develops integrated campaign strategies and manages social content on behalf of clients like Wisconsin Cheese, Moral Code and Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop. Aleah’s strategic insights and national campaign concepts are both compelling and responsible for gaining millions of engagements and hundreds of thousands of followers across various social platforms.

“Aleah does an amazing job of keeping her finger on the pulse of social media,” said John Krull, principal, VP and creative director. “Her social strategies are on point and are very mindful of how today’s users consume media.”

Callie Watry plays a key role in Shine’s ever-growing media department. She plans and buys media for a variety of clients including Veridian Homes, Park Bank, HuHot Mongolian Grill Restaurants and more. She brings with her an understanding of both traditional and digital media and is always eager to learn about the latest industry trends. She’s smart, motivated and always ready for the next challenge.

“Over the past year and a half, Callie has grown exponentially in her skills,” said Ginny Stuesser, media director. “Her attention to detail and media research skills are great assets.”