Ben Nitka brings his passion for multimedia production and storytelling to Social Spice Media. During his college years at UCSB, he worked as a freelance videographer for several local businesses and events. Ben was also a founding member and producer of the video team for UCSB’s newspaper, The Bottom Line. Ben graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and earned a Professional Writing Minor with an emphasis on Multimedia Communication.
Jason Dominguez is a California native and enjoys the beach – and the outdoors in general. He attended Stanford and UC Berkeley and enjoys travel and writing. Jason is fighting the growing wave of tv binge-watching and trying to keep current with his reading list, a struggle against all odds. He balances non-fiction with short stories and poetry.
Karen specializes in brand identity and print design. Her formula for success is twofold — keeping her client’s design needs in focus and making herself easily approachable. Karen has a degree in commercial art and studied both graphic design and fine art at Wesleyan University, Paier College of Art, and Sacred Heart University.
She has designed for many household brands, such as Nestlé, Citicorp, Pepsi, General Foods, Celestial Seasonings, Allegro Coffee and Google. When not designing, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and her sidekick, Mattie. Her other interests include; fine art painting, paddle boarding, snowboarding, vegan cooking, and being a strong voice for all animals in peril — especially for elephants trapped in the circus.
Matt Bendell is a freelance content/blog writer for Social Spice Media. He has more than 15 years of experience working in various media ranging from TV and radio production to print and digital content creation. He loves to tell stories and share positive messages that will encourage and grow audiences.
Matt graduated from the University of West Florida with a B.A in Communication Arts/Journalism and a minor in Marketing. Over the course of the past 15 years, he has worked in television programming, worked in fund development, and produced an internationally distributed radio program for a large non-profit organization.
When he is not working on media projects, he enjoys playing tennis, golfing, swimming and spending time outdoors with his wife and four children.
Brandon King has been working as one of Ventura County’s top photographers for 10 years. His goal is to create timeless, eye-catching photos and ensure that his anyone who finds themselves in front of his camera has fun. He is a true creative at heart, and is passionate about capturing moments to last a lifetime.
Cindy Amahan is an experienced administrative assistant at Social Spice Media, specializing in calendar management, meeting coordination, and email outreach. With nearly a decade of working as a virtual assistant, Cindy has honed her skills in providing efficient and organized support to ensure smooth operations within the company.
Kay is an experienced Controller at Social Spice Media with over 30 years of experience is all aspects of accounting. She started her professional career in Peoria, IL at a waste management company. She moved to Ventura, CA in 1992 & began working for a manufacturing company in Ojai, CA which later moved to Oxnard, CA. Throughout the last 30 years, she has played many roles within the manufacturing company including Staff Accountant, Controller, Chief Financial Officer & HR Administrator.
When she’s not “counting beans”, Kay enjoys going to music concerts, hanging out with friends & taking long walks while listening to audio books.
Samuel J. Ashe II, MBA, better known as Sammy, is an award-winning marketing leader with extensive experience in SEO, social media strategy, and content marketing. Holding an MBA from California Lutheran University and a BFA in Film & Video Production from City College of New York (CUNY), Sammy brings a unique blend of creative and analytical expertise to his new role as SEO & Social Media Manager at Social Spice Media.
With a background spanning various industries, he’s made an impact on companies like Black Women’s Blueprint, iWALKFree, and Yardi Systems to name a few. Sammy has developed a keen insight into brand growth, engagement, and strategy. Known for his omnidirectional approach to digital marketing, he is dedicated to driving brand visibility, enhancing online presence, and crafting the unique stories that resonate with diverse audiences.
Outside of work, Sammy is an avid foodie and travel enthusiast, indulging in every opportunity to explore new flavors and destinations domestically and abroad alongside his wife.
Summer Pansini is an experienced Project Manager at Social Spice Media with over 20 years of experience in design and art direction. She started her professional career on-camera in HGTV’s “Design on a Dime” and later moved behind the scenes where she worked as a freelance Art Director and Project Manager for the television commercial industry. Throughout the years, Summer has been part of dozens of highly successful commercial campaigns for clients including Netflix, MasterClass, the NFL, Target, eBay, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Moet, Disney, Toyota, Hyundai, and Chevy.
Jonathan Boring is a digital marketing expert with more than two decades of proven success in corporate branding, sales and communications. With an extensive background in marketing, sales, and technology, Jonathan has created and carried out digital marketing and branding campaigns that have resulted in greatly increased brand awareness, media attention, customer loyalty, and sales.
Jonathan founded Social Spice Media in 2012, with the vision of helping corporations bridge the interconnected and digital communications through a strategic use of technology combined with creative marketing solutions. His goal is to develop, improve, and maintain powerful social media integration programs in order to increase awareness, brand loyalty, website traffic, and sales. Jonathan has spent the past 15 years immersed in digital marketing with an emphasis in social media. He has been a speaker on the topic at several social media conferences, user groups, and industry groups.
Prior to founding Social Spice Media, Jonathan served as Director of Sales and Marketing at The California Wine Club (CWC). His role included all aspects of social media engagement and marketing, as well as business development. Under Jonathan’s direction, CWC sponsored the 2010 and 2011 Taste of Camarillo, Bryan Brother’s Foundation Tennis Fest, Camarillo Art Council, and World Council Affairs Dinner.
Jon is highly connected to the professional community, and he uses his extensive network to benefit his clients. As a respected member of the ProVisors professional network, Jon has access to a wealth of resources and expertise that he can tap into for his clients’ benefit.
