The Team

Jennifer Bertetto

One word perfectly sums up Jennifer: Dedication. It’s there in every aspect of her life. Take, for example, her almost three decades of experience in media and publishing. She began as a stringer for the sports department at the Valley News Dispatch — while still in high school. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, she became a sales rep for the Tribune-Review’s burgeoning expansion into the Pittsburgh market in 1997. Jennifer’s dedication took her upward — from sales manager to majors accounts director, then advertising director, then Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In 2015, she became President and CEO of Trib Total Media. Yet, with every goal she completes, Jennifer continues to look ahead — and in 2016, she helped launch 535media.

As a board member for the News Media Alliance, representing over 2,000 news organizations and their multiplatform businesses around the world, Jennifer has her finger on the pulse of the digital evolution of the news industry — from finding ways clients can gain online revenue to developing alternative revenue streams and engaging audiences.

When she’s not helping clients uncover their company’s unique digital potential, Jennifer helps organizations like the National Aviary and Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley become even stronger. And you want dedication? How about the fact that Jennifer has exercised every single day for over 3,300 days. Now that’s dedication!

Joe Lawrence

Joe thinks big. Always has. Case in point: He drives a huge retired army vehicle to work. With nearly three decades of legal experience culled from banking, real estate, mergers & acquisitions, media and advertising, Joe’s business acumen is as big as his ride. Lucky for everyone, Joe decided to use his powers for good — and help create a strategic plan for a full-service digital media agency (535media) with unlimited growth opportunities. As a co-managing partner at Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky in Pittsburgh, Joe has scored success for his clients in just about every arena — from courtrooms to boardrooms.

Out of the office, Joe serves as a leader with the Boy Scouts of America and is an avid outdoorsman. As further proof of his resolve to get the job done, Joe helped envision and deliver on a $5.5 million fundraising effort to establish a charter high school for the arts (Westinghouse Arts Academy).

To top it off, while Joe was in law school he owned and operated Pennsylvania’s smallest licensed hotel, where he also worked the bar and kitchen. So, maybe you can get him to rustle you up something special.

Jennifer Walters

A graduate of Slippery Rock University, Jennifer began accumulating three decades of media and publishing savvy as the Financial Planning Manager for Philadelphia Newspapers. From there, she served on the Global Consolidation Team with Marconi Communications (now Ericsson). She began working for Trib Total Media in 2003 as Finance Manager, moving into other roles over the years, including Chief Strategic Planning Officer, Corporate Controller, and as CFO in 2011.

More than anything, Jennifer is committed to the teamwork and camaraderie it takes to piece together 535media’s myriad projects. Her penchant for problem solving allows her to uncover just the right plan to help clients succeed. She’s locked in on working creatively and efficiently to best meet the needs of her client.

When she’s not on the job, Jennifer enjoys relaxing with her family at home, where she’s an enthusiastic gardener. For more than 15 years, Jennifer has had the pleasure of serving as the Alumni Advisor to her college sorority — Delta Zeta.

Tony DeStefano

For Tony, it began on a Ligonier golf course. That’s where he launched his career as a marketing manager. While Tony still has a love for the links, what he loves more is helping clients market their business with cutting-edge digital data research. Over the past decade, more than 700 businesses have benefited from Tony’s ability to help them find their most likely customers and turn them into dollars. Talk about a hole in one!

Innovation is Tony’s calling card. From the data science-backed campaign strategies his team designs to the ever-expanding capacity created through 535media’s technology partners, Tony is relentless when it comes to finding the right solution.

Tony has honed his skills in digital marketing with various Pittsburgh companies. Tony’s strengths extend beyond the office, where he’s a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters and has served in a business-mentorship capacity with numerous non-profit organizations. Always one to be active, Tony enjoys long-distance running and still sports his love for the links.

Jessica L. Jones-Spithaler

With Jessica, it’s all about understanding. From understanding her clients’ needs and vision, to understanding the data behind winning marketing strategies, to understanding how to convey all of it in the most straightforward terms to her clients.

Understanding takes dedication. And Jessica has been dedicated to her mission since she began her career. She earned a degree in psychology from Allegheny College, and followed that with a master’s in marketing from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Business School.

She joined Trib Total Media in 2006 as a market research analyst, being quickly promoted to Assistant Director of Marketing and then to serve as the company’s Director of Research & Strategy. In 2016, she was part of 535media’s founding team as its Director of Marketing.

A DIY fan, Jessica dedicates her free time to home projects, exercising, and enjoying time with her husband and two sons.

Don Marinelli

Talk about a mind open to all possibilities, Don’s entire life has been themed around innovation. For more than four decades, the Brooklyn native has been challenging the standard with his uncanny ability to see possibilities and make them reality. Don understands better than anyone that interactive digital media is the theatre of the 21st century, and his knowledge and experience is irreplaceable to clients looking to take their businesses to the next level.

For three decades, Don was as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University — first with the School of Drama, then the School of Computer Science. In 1998, he founded (along with late Randy Pausch) the school’s world-class Entertainment Technology Center, a graduate school that melds the fields of entertainment and technology.

Don remains a vital part of the digital entertainment industry through his work with Inven Global — 535media’s partner in the video game and eSports arenas — and his roles as Visiting Senior Professor at Arizona State and Academic Director for Columbia University’s Entertainment Technology Management program.

Mark McConnell

You could say that Mark is in construction. His building materials? Computer codes and servers. His passion for digital technology has origins in his first computer — the Tandy 1000RL. It’s been upward and onward ever since, from his start in 2008 as a web designer for Trib Total Media to his current role leading 535media’s elite team of developers and designers on projects for a vast array of clients — from small, family-owned businesses to large enterprises. Together Mark’s team helps clients with everything from managing server infrastructure to designing, building and maintaining functional user friendly websites.

A graduate of Penn State University, Mark embraces the challenge of unlocking technology’s potential to take the client’s business to the next level.

When he’s not at a computer, Mark enjoys photography and kayaking. He’s also an avid video gamer with an interest in the growing world of eSports.

Troy Piekarski

Troy is a rock star among his peers in business. Forward thinking. Passionate. Enterprising. Hard working. Leads by example. That’s from those who have worked with him. Troy is among the best in working with clients to understand and visualize their needs and — most importantly — fulfill them. Troy’s knowledge of digital strategy allows him to create unique ideas that solve specific problems for his clients. When it comes to decoding digital marketing, Troy is unmatched at building a marketing campaign from conceptualization to planning to launch and beyond.

Troy graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006 with a degree in marketing. He’s led the digital sales divisions for several companies, including CLC Agency, iHeartMedia and #1 Cochran. As a leader for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s digital sales division, he helped create the company’s first digital agency.

Despite all his accolades and success, Troy remains most proud of the wonderful family he’s created with his wife and three amazing daughters. That the fact that he’s a regional cornhole champion who hasn’t lost a head-to-head matchup in the past five years. Like his co-workers say, people like Troy are a rare gem in the corporate world — and 535media’s got him!