Sure, we have some gray hair, but we have red, brown, and blonde hair too.
One of the many reasons our clients love us is because of the smart group that runs the joint. The Barokas leadership team is comprised of great minds that come from diverse backgrounds, including media, global brand management, and in-house and agency PR.
Howie Barokas - Founder + CEO
Howie Barokas has been in the PR game for the past 20 years including “time served” at Waggener Edstrom on the Microsoft Windows and Office teams. Barokas was exposed to the world of PR while working on the morning show as Howdy the Cabin Boy at KISW-FM, Seattle’s Best Rock, where he spent nearly 10 years. Somewhere between Aerosmith and Zeppelin, Barokas had a vision of a PR agency that would embrace a can-do, rock ‘n’ roll spirit with a NO BS approach. Barokas Public Relations was born in 1998 and has served dozens of emerging technology and consumer companies including Cisco, Classmates, RealNetworks, Ericsson, WildTangent, Concur, and many more. Over that time he has built a reputation as a fearless, outside–the-box thinker who business leaders like Marc Andreessen, Michael Schutzler, and Martin Tobias have turned to again and again to help launch their start-ups. A Bellevue native (although not proud of that fact), Howie has a BA from the University of Washington.
Frances Bigley - VP
Frances has a 20-year background in high-tech communications both on the agency side and in-house. Prior to Barokas PR Frances served as the Director of PR for WatchGuard where she ushered the company through a highly successful launch and IPO. She has a passion for emerging technology, and developing winning PR strategies for clients that bring products to market in a powerful and meaningful way. One of her specialties is taking companies from stealth mode and working with executives to develop hard-hitting messages that resonate with industry analysts, media and customers. Areas of expertise include cloud computing, mobile and wireless, security and verticals including legal and marketing.
Karli Overmier - VP
Karli has almost 15 years experience in public relations spanning enterprise and consumer technology. She has managed comprehensive PR programs for companies including Apptio, Classmates.com, Ericsson, Opsware (acquired by HP) and Skytap, among numerous others. Karli has garnered top tier media placements for her clients in media outlets including 60 Minutes, Baseline, CIO Magazine, GigaOm, TechCrunch, US News & World Report, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. She is often described as the “glue” of the agency for her ability to bond her teams and clients together to produce successful outcomes. Karli graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in business. When she’s done putting in her 65 hours per week at Barokas she spends time with her adorable husband for whom she has just one word: marvelous.
Our A-Team
Don’t let the good looks fool you. We’re also pretty smart. There are no bench warmers or second-string players at Barokas PR. Everyone on our team is a gifted pitcher.
In the electronic age, communication has become a little too effortless. We recognize that you have to do some things the old fashioned way—like picking up the phone and telling a better, more relevant story than your competitors. And when you partner with us, there’s no bait and switch. The people you meet on Day 1 will be the same ones working on your account for the duration.
