DKY has added to its roster this summer. Megan Elliott has been hired as a Creative Director and is set to lead creative strategy, multi-channel promotion and brand storytelling for the agency’s expanding brand work with long-time recreational vehicle client Winnebago. Katie Fitzpatrick has joined the team as the Director of Content and Public Relations. She will serve existing client engagements and help continue building an integrated department comprised of PR, content and social media capabilities for the agency.
Current Vice President of Content and Public Relations Holly Donato is retiring at the end of September. Since 2016, Holly has grown the PR, content and social capabilities of DKY and brought greater visibility to the agency’s clients, working closely with the larger DKY Digital team. She will be greatly remembered and sorely missed. As a veteran in PR, though, Katie is well equipped to step into her big shoes. In fact, over the past two months, Katie has already assumed large projects from Holly while thoroughly learning the clients and industries we serve.
Creative Category Expertise – Megan Elliott
Elliott is no stranger to outdoor lifestyle brands. She comes to DKY with 15 years of experience serving Mathews Archery, a premier outdoor brand that makes high-end gear for bowhunting and archery enthusiasts. She helped move the brand from a traditional marketing engine to a robust, dynamic content marketer that increased website traffic, sales and social media engagement with its targeted audiences.
One of her most successful strategies was to curate a group of brand ambassadors who were uniquely skilled at creating high-quality, original content that championed the archery lifestyle and inspired their followers to engage with the brand and their products. This approach increased the frequency and effectiveness of content posts, elevated the brand and enhanced customer loyalty. Now more than ever, outdoor lifestyle brands are impacting people’s lives and Elliott thrives on helping bring these products to individuals and families who are prioritizing outside time to stay active, healthy and safe.
“Megan brings invaluable creative management experience to DKY and our client teams,” said Joe Peterson, Vice President of Account Services at DKY. “Plus, her knowledge of the outdoor recreation industry helped set her apart. She will enable us to take our work in this space to the next level and bring fresh thinking to our clients. She has already hit the ground running and is leading the charge on a major initiative set to launch this fall.”
Early in her career, Elliott worked for a radio group where she developed advertising plans and coordinated on-air promotions and broadcasts for client sponsorships. She earned a B.A. in Strategic Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism. While there, she worked in the ad department for The Badger Herald and on the events team at the Kohl Center, the athletic center on campus.
B2B PR and Content Experience – Katie Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick comes to DKY with a strong track record in the local agency scene, most recently spending nearly a decade at Weber Shandwick, where she was promoted to Account Director in the financial services and corporate practice groups. There, she honed her strategic communications skills serving several multi-national clients in the financial services, industrial and technology sectors, including John Hancock, State Farm, Honeywell and Envestnet.
She led account teams and frequently developed and executed media relations strategies for new product launches, go-to-market programs, executive visibility plans and acquisition announcements. She also knows the importance of multi-channel, integrated marketing programs to drive reach and value for clients. Fueling these programs is strong storytelling to grow awareness, foster engagement, generate leads and build advocates among key audiences. As a part of Fitzpatrick’s role, she will write and edit content for DKY clients and agency marketing efforts. Her content development experience ranges from media materials and contributed trade articles, to video scripts, social media copy and turnkey communications toolkits.
“Katie is an excellent fit with our B2B clients in complex industries like industrial filtration and agribusiness, but she’s also experienced in creative consumer campaigns,” said Brian Dahl, President at DKY. “Her versatile communications skills, along with team leadership, is ideal for heading up and growing our disciplines in PR, content marketing and social media. She’s already involved in major roll-outs for our key clients.”
Fitzpatrick started her career at Himle Horner, a former public affairs firm that tackled major transportation, healthcare and education issues. She later joined the national promotions team at Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) and spent five years at Maccabee Group in Minneapolis, where she developed her strategic communications and media relations skills. Fitzpatrick graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a B.A. in English and Public Relations and she has volunteered for the Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
