Meet the Team
Every agency is only as good as its employees. If that’s the case, we’re pretty awesome. This team is made up of seasoned agency professionals and emerging artist from both digital and traditional advertising bakgrounds, handpicked for their passion for solving problems and determination to bring ideas to life. Plus we’re really fun to work with.
Leadership
Hot Take:
Cilantro is ultimately what’s wrong with our world.
Sterling
Along with more than twenty years of account and strategy leadership, Sterling brings a “never been done before” mentality to the agency. Prior to Recreation, he was Director of Account Management at Splash Media, where he met his Rec co-founder, Rob Howe, and VP/Client Service Director at TracyLocke, where he lead strategic planning for accounts such as 7-Eleven, Samsung, Clorox, 24Hour Fitness, and Sony Playstation. He currently serves on Texas A&M’s Marketing Advisory Board.
Hot Take:
Humans are genetically superior to pugs in every way.
Rob Howe
//Co-founder/Managing Partner
Rob, a former professional athlete with the Harlem Globetrotters, has more than ten years of digital and social media marketing experience. Along with co-founding Recreation with Sterling Hayman, Rob founded Diabetics Doing Things: a podcast featuring inspirational interviews with other Type 1 Diabetics. He volunteers as a Board Member for JDRF Dallas, is a member of the BeyondType1 Leadership Council, and is a host and speaker for the American Diabetes Association.
Directors Cut
Hot Take:
Flip flops are for the pool, the beach, and nowhere else.
Krista McCrimmon
//Creative Director/Copywriter
Before joining Recreation, Krista was Group Creative Director at Johnson & Sekin for brands such as Baylor University, Fossil, Caliber Collision Centers, and Fuzzy’s Taco Shops. Prior to J&S, she worked on American Airlines, Nationwide Insurance and Texas Tourism at TM Advertising; she began her almost 20-year career at 22 Squared in Tampa, Florida. She has also served as an adjunct professor for the University of North Texas Communication Design department.
Extended Edition
Courtney Smith
Account Executive
Hot Take:
Taylor Swift is basic and boring.
Yuri Strain
Account Supervisor
Hot Take:
Movie first, book second.
Zach Smith
Content Strategist
Hot Take:
Pineapple is the best pizza topping.
Ken Cao
Art Director
Hot Take:
People were meant to walk on all fours.
Caitlin Critchow
Social Media Manager
Hot Take:
Home Alone is a terrible movie.
Cameron Ingram
Assistant Account Executive
Hot Take:
Pizza should never be eaten cold.
Ashley Bright
Office Manager/Copywriter
Hot Take:
Soup can be an entree.
Josh Barto
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
Hot Take:
Getting a passport should require tourist training.
Madison Copeland
Production Artist
Hot Take:
Whataburger is overhyped.
Andrew Plock
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
Hot Take:
We’ve already made contact with aliens.
Abigail Travis
Account Executive
Hot Take:
Most hot takes are lukewarm at best.
Natalie Garza
Art Director
Hot Take:
Boneless chicken wings are just chicken nuggets.
Lauryn Jones
Social Media Manager
Hot Take:
You can’t separate the art from the artists.
Laurel Tauben
Designer
Hot Take:
The most “adult” beverage is water.
Enzo
Canine Executive Officer
Hot Take:
Garbage is a delicacy.
Courtney Smith
Account Executive
Hot Take:
Taylor Swift is basic and boring.
Ken Cao
Art Director
Hot Take:
People were meant to walk on all fours.
Yuri Strain
Account Supervisor
Hot Take:
Movie first, book second.
Josh Barto
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
Hot Take:
Getting a passport should require tourist training.
Ashley Bright
Office Manager/Copywriter
Hot Take:
Soup can be an entree.
Zach Smith
Content Strategist
Hot Take:
Pineapple is the best pizza topping.
Cameron Ingram
Assistant Account Executive
Hot Take:
Pizza should never be eaten cold.
Abigail Travis
Account Executive
Hot Take:
Most hot takes are lukewarm at best.
Caitlin Critchow
Social Media Manager
Hot Take:
Home Alone is a terrible movie.
Natalie Garza
Art Director
Hot Take:
Boneless chicken wings are just chicken nuggets.
Madison Copeland
Production Artist
Hot Take:
Whataburger is overhyped.
Andrew Plock
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
Hot Take:
We’ve already made contact with aliens.
Lauryn Jones
Social Media Manager
Hot Take:
You can’t separate the art from the artists.
Laurel Tauben
Designer
Hot Take:
The most “adult” beverage is water.