Rick Barnum
President

Besides running the day-to-day operations at RBG, Rick is the driving force behind many of the agency’s most successful campaigns. His expertise includes strategy and analytics, creative review and alignment, account planning, and overall management of the account team. Rick’s executive level background includes: CEO of promoteam.com-an on-line marketing, print fulfillment, and corporate promotional products company: Senior Vice President of FMG Marketing-a full service, mid sized advertising agency where Rick founded the Health Care Practice; and VP of Sales and Marketing of Turner Corporation-a national consumer products manufacturing company. Rick’s client experience includes working with industry leaders such as Abbott Laboratories, Varian Medical Systems, Thermage, BriteSmile, Ocular Sciences, Sears, Chevron Texaco, Comcast, 24 Hour Fitness and Kelly-Moore Paints to name a few.


Raj Roychoudhury
Senior Vice President, Account Services

Raj has over 14 years of experience in marketing and advertising with an emphasis on healthcare and consumer products. He spent seven years with Kimberly Clark, where he worked on all aspects of branding and consumer marketing, including the successful re-launch of two of the most-recognized brands, Kotex and Scott. Raj was recruited to join KeraVision, where he successfully launched the first DTC campaign for a surgically implanted medical device. Raj joined Tyco Healthcare’s Respiratory division as Global Marketing Director and was responsible for the DTC launch of the Helios Personal Oxygen system, the first DTC program in the Sleep Apnea category and several new integrated HCP programs. Raj has a MBA in Marketing and Finance from Indiana University.


Dr. Susan Scher, M.D.
Medical Director

Dr. Scher provides very strong strategic analysis and first-hand understanding of the clinical environment to all the healthcare programs and campaigns at RBG. With over 15 years experience across the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and diagnostics spectrum, she has successfully directed numerous advertising campaigns, medical education programs, practice development programs, direct to consumer initiatives, symposia and more. Dr. Scher has a track record of developing advocacy among clinical opinion leaders and third-party groups and is extremely beneficial to the many RBG healthcare clients. Dr. Scher was previously vice president, and director of biotech communications, as well as medical editor at Burson-Marsteller, NY.


Brian Kearney, Phd.
Healthcare Editor

Brian is a former consultant to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Agency for International Development and also a research fellow for the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. Brian has authored many books in the healthcare field and was also a pre-med instructor at UC Berkeley with several outstanding teaching awards. His outstanding experience and background have built the perfect platform for his 20 years of successful healthcare writing. Brian has worked on major pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device campaigns for companies such as Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Genetech and many others.


Rory Phoenix
Creative Director

Rory is a multi-talented creative mind that has spent the last 25 years creating some of the most memorable advertising in television and print. He has won multiple awards in every advertising category and has rejuvenated brands into billion-dollar businesses. Rory is a health care expert and through his powerful words and concepts, has vaulted many brands to the forefront of market leadership, including Johnson & Johnson’s OneTouch blood glucose meters. For OneTouch, Rory started from the ground floor, developing the brand essence, tone of voice and communications platform which was subsequently translated through brochures, films, trade and web work – based around the tagline “OneTouch changes everything.” Rory created the engaging and award-winning television commercials featuring B.B. King and Patti Labelle, which drove tremendous results for J&J’s LifeScan division.


Kurt Ho
Associate Creative Director

Kurt Ho is an amazing artist who brings the unique combination of strategic vision and design excellence to each of his creative executions. Not only are Kurt’s designs impactfully beautiful and elegant, but they also are grounded with marketing purpose. Kurt has won many design awards in his 10 year career, and has worked with some of the world’s largest multi-national clients, including Abbott Diabetes Care, Mentor Corporation, Heineken Beer, Kelly-Moore Paints, Nestle’s, HSBC, 24-Hour Fitness and many other health care and retail clients. Kurt received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and did his post-graduate studies at the prestigious Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, California.


Jacob Meggers
Associate Creative Director

Jacob is a life-long artist who has been honing his award-winning design and illustration skills throughout his near 20-year career. Schooled in the traditional art-direction techniques of the pre-computer era, Jacob brings a fresh and unique perspective to every artistic challenge. Jacob’s approach to developing powerful communications embodies RBG’s impactful simplicity philosophy. His expertise includes executions for internationally renowned clients such as Hewlett Packard, UPS, Sony, BMG, Virgin, Kodak, Clairol, Paul Mitchell, Hyatt, Embassy Suites, Oral-B, and The Southland Corporation. Jacob’s many recognitions include over 50 design, illustration, advertising and packaging awards from trade, design and consumer press associations.


Wayne Curello
Director of Brand Strategy

Wayne has helped shape the global brands and communications of numerous industry giants such as: Abbott Laboratories, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Nestle, Frito-Lay, Kraft, Visa, and AT &T. Wayne’s strategic guidance, while at Ogilvy & Mather, McCann-Erickson, and Euro RSCG, has yielded seven EFFIE awards for marketing effectiveness. For the past several years, Wayne has been helping companies better position their offerings, target their prospects, and align their internal teams to better meet customer needs. Wayne has an MBA from New York University and a BA from Princeton University in the (oxymoronic) history of modernization. He lives in the East Bay with his wife and two children. He loves the challenge of climbing mountains on his bike as well as helping clients achieve peak performance.