Katalyst, a Solana Beach-based boutique public relations and social media agency, has named Dawn Seymour a partner. The announcement was made by Katherine Randall, Katalyst president and founder.
Seymour has been with Katalyst for nearly 10 years, first as a contractor starting in 2013, then as a full-time employee and managing director in 2018, followed by a promotion to VP in 2021 before becoming a partner.
“Since my first interaction with Katherine and over the years of working beside her, I’ve seen her passion and the possibilities of building Katalyst,” Seymour said in an email to Times of San Diego. “I’m honored and proud to continue our growth and invest in our team and our clients, while expanding our reach to new markets.”
A Katalyst statement said Seymour, who will be based in Santa Barbara, has played a huge role in doubling the agency staff from five to 10 employees and retaining and securing new clients.
“I truly couldn’t ask for a better business partner,” said Randall. “So much of Katalyst and how far we’ve come over the years is thanks to Dawn. Her relationships in the local community, her knowledge of the culinary industry and her overall kind, positive and hard working personality have taken Katalyst to the next level. I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years working together will bring.”
Seymour’s career includes working at magazines, including Modern Luxury, Surfing Magazine, Skateboarder Magazine and Riviera Magazine, as well as roles at Quartararo and Associates as a copy editor, J Public Relations as a senior publicist and account supervisor and Covet Public Relations as a director. She has a master’s degree in communication and journalism from American University.
Founded in 2010, Katalyst represents clients in the culinary, hospitality, lifestyle, consumer packaged goods and real estate industries. Culinary clients include Consortium Holding Projects, Puesto, Puffer Malarkey Restaurants and TRUST Restaurant Group. Hospitality brands include Intercontinental San Diego Hotel, Lakehouse Hotel & Resort and the Guild Hotel. Lifestyle clients include Belmont Park, One Paseo, Seaport Village and Visit Escondido. In 2020, Katalyst opened another office in Los Angeles.
New KIIS-FM Music Director Started Career in San Diego
iHeartMedia Southern California has announced the promotion of Sisanie Villaclara from music coordinator to music director at KIIS-FM 102.7 in Los Angeles. Vallaclara will continue her role as co-host of “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” the weekday morning show on KIIS-FM. She has been part of Seacrest’s show since October 2015. She goes by her first name on the radio.
Villaclara has spent her entire radio career with iHeartMedia. While attending college in 2004 in San Diego, she started as an intern at iHeart’s San Diego cluster. Following her graduation in July 2007, she joined KIIS-FM as a midday host. Her show also aired middays on San Diego’s KHTS-FM Channel 93.3 from 2008 to 2015.
From 2009 to 2015, she also hosted a syndicated show that aired on more than 100 iHeart stations during weekday overnights and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Her podcast is called “Winning with Sisanie.”
Villaclara succeeds Beata Murphy who was promoted to KIIS-FM program director.
“I couldn’t be more excited to promote Sisanie,” said Murphy. “Sisanie’s work ethic is unmatched and she is someone who I have relied on for years. She is an absolute rock star. Now, in addition to co-hosting our massive morning show, Sisanie will also be working closely with me to build stronger relationships with our record label partners, working on the music architecture of the station and the overall sound of this legendary station. KIIS is lucky to have Sisanie in the new elevated capacity.”
“My passion for music is something that is immeasurable,” said Villaclara in a statement. “Working for KIIS-FM, a station that I grew up listening to, has been a dream and officially becoming music director is the icing on the cake.”
SOCi Platform Selected by International Staffing Company
SOCi, a San Diego-based developer of social media and marketing tools that help multi-location brands, reports it has been selected by Express Employment Professionals, an international staffing company, as its multi-location marketing platform of record.
With SOCi tools, including SOCi Social, SOCi Reviews and SOCi Listings, the agreement will allow Express franchises to better manage and consolidate their digital marketing efforts in an efficient, time-saving manner, a statement said.
“Our franchisees utilizing SOCi have saved time, energy, and stress,” said Sheena Hollander, director of corporate communications, Express Employment Professionals. “Long gone are the days of worrying about what content to post, how to respond to reviews or engagements or how to track results. Now, our teams can focus on what they are best at, being experts in the staffing industry.
“We had a franchisee who was able to plan an entire month’s worth of organic content for two Express locations in eight total minutes, and the time that was saved allowed the franchisee to help people find meaningful employment.”
“Our ultimate goal at SOCi is to see our customers meet their marketing and business goals,” said Afif Khoury, CEO of SOCi. “Their success is our success, so I’m thrilled Express Employment Professionals is seeing a real impact as a result of using our platform.”
SOCi’s latest Series D round raised $80 million. Overall, the company has raised roughly $115 million from investors since its founding in 2012.
San Diego Journalism Groups Host Holiday Mixer
Three San Diego journalism professional groups, including the San Diego Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists San Diego Pro Chapter and San Diego Association of Black Journalists, will host a holiday mixer from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7, at The Church by the Lost Abbey, 1313 “J” St., in Downtown’s East Village. Admission is free. Pizza and dessert will be served. Drinks will be available for purchase at the bar. Parking is available in the Padres’ Tailgate Park. RSVPs are requested by Dec. 5. For more event information, visit www.spjsandiego.org.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.