A fresh set of eyes — that’s what HEROfarm offers you. We aren’t here to tell you how to run your business. We’re here to give you a new perspective that may be hard to see while you’re in day-to-day operations. We are the extra arms and legs to free you up while we bring new ideas to the table.
HEROfarm is a marketing and public relations agency with a simple philosophy: Do great work for good people.™
Advertising can be beneficial and impactful for the viewer when it is paired with a client who has a good mission. We understand when you add value to a person’s everyday life you do more than just sell a product; you create a lasting relationship of goodwill and a connection that goes far beyond sell-buy-consume. Our goal is to help evolve advertising into something people don’t run from but applaud. Simply put, we want to do our part in making the world a better place. Join us on the journey.
The Farm
Reid Stone
CEO/Founder
Reid moved to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help with the rebuilding effort and be a part of one of the greatest comeback stories ever told. After earning stripes at an advertising agency while working with clients such as Louisiana Economic Development, New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Louisiana Superdome, he then marched his way through a nasty little recession with the mission of bringing marketing a little attitude and even some conscience.
With experience that includes two years of SEC football, a stint in New York and an exile in Panama, Reid is dedicated to bringing utility to advertising and actually providing value to customers on behalf of brands. The book he plans to publish in 2024 is tentatively titled Relevance is Elephants.
Shaun Walker
Creative Director/Founder
Shaun has fathered tons of imaginative ideas over the years. Thankfully none of them have asked for any monthly support. Born and raised in New Orleans, he returned to his hometown after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild and be part of a defining generation. He amassed his student loan debt at the University of Southern Mississippi where he obtained an expensive piece of paper declaring he had earned a degree in advertising.
Shaun is the pickiest person you’ll ever meet. Although that can sometimes cause problems like when deciding what to get him for lunch (turkey sandwich), it’s a quality that clients crave when seeking top-notch work. Shaun loves to write. He and the written word usually get along, though they sometimes fight, often disagreeing as to whether Y is really a vowel or not. He writes, the words help create, and together they make statements.
Jason Taix
Art Director
Jason attended Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana and later moved to the University of New Orleans where he perfected the ancient art of Design-Fu – an all-encompassing mind, body, and spirit approach to being wicked-awesome. His years of study and skills proved a godsend when HEROfarm came looking to expand their Guild of Marketing Mercenaries (the GuMMies).
Jason’s varied skill-set proved the perfect compliment to their unique and creative marketing and advertising team. Jason is a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan and caffeine addict who can be found drowning his design woes in his daily POT(s) of coffee. Never content with the status quo, he continues to widen his portfolio of super awesome skills with new technologies and design trends, always hoping that the next leap will be the leap home.
Edward Davis
Content Developer
Born and raised here in New Orleans, Edward’s love for his city is endless. From Mardi Gras to Jazz Fest, Edward simply refuses to miss out on a good ole fashion NOLA soiree. A modern-day renaissance man, Edward has worked in law firms, as a self-employed event coordinator and studies economics at Tulane University. After abandoning his childhood dream of becoming a Jedi master, Edward turned to more realistic pursuits. While setting up events at local businesses around the city, he realized he had a natural ability to market a product. He aims to become an outlaw of the business world, to work in an industry where outside the box thinking is not only accepted but encouraged.
When Edward isn’t preoccupied appeasing his eight (yes, EIGHT) siblings, you can find him intently watching the Saints. In the offseason, he spends his time eating ham and brie sandwiches from St. James Cheese Company (pressed of course), talking to anything that will listen or watching his extensive movie collection. Even though Edward is just beginning his life in the professional world, he is dead set on retiring to the South of France by the age 40.
The Guild
The Guild is a network of creative, socially-conscious people, groups, and companies who are connected to HEROfarm either as a Friend of the Farm or a Strategic Partner. This network forms the basis of our goal to work with like-minded people who also want to do their part in marking the world a better place. To find out more information about a Friend of the Farm or a Strategic Partner, email TheGuild@hero-farm.com. You can also join our #DoGood Network to connect with others who want to do their part in marking the world a better place.
Click on each person’s picture to find out more about our colleagues and friends.
Stephen is known by those closest to him (meaning himself) as the Incredible Schulk. Stephen has been meeting and greeting people his entire life, including when he handed a business card to the doctor who delivered him while also initiating a ribbon/umbilical cutting ceremony (with media coverage) to celebrate his arrival. Stephen knows more people than have actually lived on earth. I don’t know how that’s possible, but reincarnation may play a role. The Schulk is president of Schulkens Communications, a public relations firm.
Prior to establishing his own company, Stephen worked for The Ehrhardt group where he oversaw the entire direction, management, and planning for the marketing of The National World War II Museum. He also worked for the Audubon Nature Institute where he was instrumental in the dramatic turnaround of Audubon Zoo and the development, fundraising, marketing, opening and expansion of the world-renowned Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. Before that Schulkens worked as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Louisiana State Museum. Better yet, he can chew several pieces of gum at once.
Before his marketing and public relations career, Schulkens worked in TV as a producer, reporter, managing news editor and news assignment editor, including stops at WWL-TV, WVUE-TV, and WBRZ-TV. Schulkens graduated from Jesuit High School in 1978 and Loyola University New Orleans in 1982, where he majored in Communications and Political Science. In his next life, Stephen would like to take a breather. Maybe. Or be a weatherman.
Programming, Digital Media Specialist
Craig Zeller
Craig shares a lot in common with Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne. He is a highly intelligent, (wannabe) millionaire playboy with a multitude of technical gadgets at his disposal for the betterment of all mankind — not to mention he’s a snappy dresser. Craig is a born and bred New Orleans native who attended Tulane University, where he studied both technology and film. Currently, he juggles teaching high schoolers introductory video game, web programming and computer animation, along with managing the school’s entire network, and working with the New Orleans Academic Games League.
In his spare time (Ha!), Craig enjoys watching and collecting films (440+ legally obtained and counting). In his tool belt, Craig has everything from Adobe CS to Stop Motion Pro to Google Apps. He can quickly transform to pick up any new technology or programming language, but his true superpower is his ability to have electronic devices obey his every whim.
Alexis was born and raised on the Bestbank (Westbank) of New Orleans and is eager to find her voice as a writer. As she earns her stripes as a tiger at Louisiana State University, her goal of becoming a journalist quickly changed after her first introduction class. While her professor assigned structured stories, Alexis dreamed of creating her own. She stumbled upon the artistic world of advertising and found she could combine her passion for writing with having a creative say to make something great. Ever since Alexis began studying advertising, she’s found herself enjoying her work while eagerly learning about the field she now wishes to pursue and wants to find her special power to save the advertising world.
Alexis is a busy bee who does not like to have too much free time. Although she fills up her schedule, she will always find time to dance, no matter the place or occasion. She appreciates those who can go from listening to country, to Disney, to rap, and back to country with each change of song. This wide variety is seen not only on her Spotify playlist but also her genres of writing.
Marketing Specialist
Rebecca Bell
Rebecca, who studied at Tulane University, came to New Orleans to escape the freezing winters of Chicago. She can be found doing just about anything outdoors. From jumping in rain puddles to eating her way through food festivals, she is proud to call the Big Easy her home. She is known for her huge smile that radiates positive energy (…she swears she didn’t write this). After studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, her passion for travel knows no bounds. In just one year alone, she visited eight countries and over thirty cities and plans to backpack through Southeast Asia soon. Her love for meeting new people and experiencing different cultures gives her a unique perspective on life (oh, and on marketing strategies and problem-solving techniques, too).
Author, Photographer
Megan Braden-Perry
Writer
Liz Funk
Liz is an upstate New York-based freelance writer, author, and blogger. She’s written for USA Today, Newsday, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and AOL.com, and she writes frequently for inReads.com, where she works as the community manager. Her first book, “Supergirls Speak Out” was published by Simon and Schuster in 2009, and she published an ebook series, Coming of Age in a Crap Economy, that looks at how the US recession has impacted 20-somethings and how young people can create their own professional opportunities.
Liz harbors a nagging, quixotic fantasy of buying a farm, living off the land, forgoing cash and getting everything she needs by bartering/swapping. Before saying “I’ll take it!”, she quickly remembered she can’t wake up anywhere near early enough to milk cows, has a crippling phobia of field mice and really can’t farm in flouncy dresses and ballet flats (Liz hasn’t worn jeans since 2008). So, instead, she decided to stay a freelance media professional and play Farmville when the urge arises. She lives in New York with her pet collie.
Digital Marketing Specialist
Sabrina Mohsenin
While she does not recommend calling her in to examine suspicious packages, Sabrina’s passion is figuring out what makes people tick. As a Communications and Psychology graduate from Tulane University, there’s no better puzzle for her to solve than how to help connect people with what they love… except for the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. You’re on your own there.
A native of Nashville, Sabrina fell in love with New Orleans the moment she moved to the Crescent City. When she’s not adventuring around New Orleans, she enjoys puns (A good pun is its own reword), any and all things related to bacon, Googling pictures of sleeping koalas, and discovering new music. As a first-generation American, Sabrina dreams of exploring her homelands and traveling the world. Until then, exploring foreign foods, including the mysterious offerings in office fridges, will have to suffice.
Public Relations Specialist
Daniel Guevremont
Daniel is the son (Or Daniel-san for the sake of hilarity) of French-Canadian parents who moved to New Orleans when he was a child, giving him a unique perspective on the world. He first became interested in public relations when he saw how much good it could do when paired with a group looking to make a positive impact on the world. As he made his way in the business world, the PR side kept calling him… Those PR people can be persistent. So, he went back to Tulane University to pursue a new career and will graduate Cum Laude with a B.A. in Public Relations and Paralegal Studies in May of 2015.
Daniel enjoys the artistic side of life — which fuels his wild imagination and vivid dreams (other times it’s the five cans of Red Bull). He also believes that the key to life is doing something that not only makes you happy but sparks the feeling in others as well.
Marketing Specialist
Matt Luchinsky
Matt attended Tulane University where he studied Public Relations and Philosophy, combining two polar opposite disciplines he swears work together — or so he hopes. Originally from New Jersey (no, not that part), Matt has enjoyed his time living and playing in the Big Easy. Upon entering college, he decided to swipe right on the communications field, partly because of a heavyweight fight he experienced with math earlier in his life but mainly because he loves the psychology behind making connections.
A lifelong fan of the NBA’s cellar dweller team the Philadelphia 76ers, Matt has become accustomed to chronic disappointment but somehow still manages to stay positive in other aspects of life. In his free time, he enjoys reading. He also loves to play heated games of Madden on Xbox, which he says “boosts his creative thinking abilities”, though we think it really sharpens his reaction time because he can hit the reset button faster than anyone we’ve ever seen. Although he is just beginning to learn the ropes of his new career, Matt plans to one day become the boss and not have to wake up before noon on a daily basis (good luck!).
Social Media Specialist
Beverly Rafferty
Beverly’s motto was to “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” She soon realized she was lacking street cred, and that other people may offer her better advice than 50 Cent. Her new goal is to find success through happiness in her career. She hopes to use both her creativity and a good sense of humor in the public relations and advertising world. Beverly loves to make people laugh, but ironically has a fear of clowns.
Beverly has moved around a lot but now calls New Orleans her home. She graduated from Louisiana State University in public relations with a minor in business. Beverly’s favorite hobbies include singing, traveling, and most importantly watching Real Housewives of New Jersey. She likes to travel because she believes that it opens up the mind. Beverly just came to terms with the fact that she will probably never win the lottery or develop an app worth millions of dollars, so she has decided instead to do it big in marketing and PR.
