Bios
Sarajane Sparks is the principal and founding member of SPARKS Consulting. For the past eight years, Sarajane has specialized in helping brands expand their presence in markets nationally through a variety of strategic marketing and public relations tactics such as: generating top-tier editorial placements in traditional media (TV, print, and online), creating and implementing effective viral marketing + social media campaigns, building relationships with compelling brand ambassadors, new retailer recruitment + implementation, and developing and executing innovative cross-promotional opportunities with synergistic brands. Sarajane received her MBA degree from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School with a focus in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and was awarded “1st Place in the World” in the Innovation Challenge 2007 (287 teams, 63 schools, 57 countries) and “2nd Place in the World” in 2006 (440 teams, 88 schools, 15 countries). Before business school, Sarajane spent five years in the entertainment, fashion and beauty industry as a reporter/market editor at People Magazine and a TV segment producer at NBC’s “Today Show,” Paramount’s “Entertainment Tonight,” and MTV. Aside from her MBA, Sarajane also has a Publishing Degree from Columbia University, and a B.A. from Georgetown University.
Colette Krahenbuhl has over 10 years of experience designing strategic marketing, public relations and social media campaigns for multi-million dollar global corporations to boutique family-owned businesses to nonprofit organizations. Over the course of her career, she has launched public relations and communications initiatives for renown luxury brands including OMEGA Watches, Ghurka Travel Bags, Calvin Klein, Bebe, TAHARI and Nicole Miller. She also has experience in the nonprofit sector, designing strategic awareness campaigns for Give Kids The World, an international nonprofit resort that provides weeklong, cost-free Orlando dream vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world. With expertise in media pitching and storytelling, Colette has secured placements for her clients in national outlets including: CNN.com, The TODAY SHOW, Marie Claire, GLAMOUR, PEOPLE, TIME Style & Design, SELF, Family Circle and the New York Times, among others. A self-proclaimed “news junkie” whose favorite shows include “CBS Sunday Morning,” “60 Minutes” and “The Today Show,” Colette has a journalist’s eye for crafting a great story and curiosity for life that allows her to design creative and effective campaigns that will increase awareness and revenue for your company.
Becky Borenstein brings a unique perspective to the SPARKS Consulting team. With seven years of fashion industry experience, her expertise spans from creative design to sales, marketing and business development. Her career began at Coach Leatherware in New York City where she was responsible for creating and executing the visual strategy for Coach’s domestic showrooms as well as for all external public relations events, such as Diffa Elle Décor. At Anthropologie, Becky was responsible for developing brand-wide visual strategies as well as for participating in a variety of special projects: including photographic duties for external publications as well as video production for company collateral. For fashion icon, Norma Kamali, Becky’s responsibilities spanned merchandising strategies, sales campaigns as well as planning and executing fashion shows and marketing events. Becky has developed and implemented a wide variety media campaigns and was instrumental in rolling out the use of Bar Code technology in a retail space. With a solid foundation of key contacts in the industry, Becky is constantly building relationships with compelling brand ambassadors, bloggers and industry influencers. Becky holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Columbia University in New York City.
Kayla Handy is the newest member of the SPARKS Consulting team and serves as the Public Relations + Marketing Assistant. New to the marketing industry, Kayla provides a fresh perspective on current clients by offering ideas and support. Kayla received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Presbyterian College, where she was also was also a four-year letter winner in softball. Kayla earned the Kenneth N. Cole scholarship for excellence in the business department and the John I. Smith scholarship for academic excellence and graduated cum laude. During her college career, Kayla fine-tuned her journalism skills by working at the local newspaper, The Clinton Chronicle, and the school’s newspaper, The Blue Stocking, as well as freelancing for several websites and editing textbooks for an assortment of companies. Additionally, she also worked at PC’s Writing Center as a tutor for other students, specifically catering to foreign exchange students. In the future, Kayla hopes to continue to grow with SPARKS Consulting and attend business school.
Julia Ruck brings a wealth of Public Relations experience to the SPARKS Consulting team from her publicity work in both corporate and nonprofit settings. Julia’s prior positions include spearheading Public Relations for Discovery Communications, where she coordinated the off-air publicity for Discovery Networks International, and as Account Executive at a Lifestyle PR firm in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she managed the publicity for large-scale events such as the South Florida Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the palmbeach3 art show. Julia has also enjoyed putting her PR/Communications skills to work to further the missions of the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, DC, and Colonial Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Virginia.
