Team Leader Profiles
Stephen Barker, President & Lead Developer
Stephen Barker founded Digital Frontiers Media in 2007 to provide cost-effective excellence to web and interactive multimedia clients. Stephen was named one of Biz941 magazine’s “25 People to Watch” in July 2010. Stephen holds a Master's degree from 2006 for his work in Augmented Reality (AR) and Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) and has over 5 years of experience in these technologies, along with building physical computing systems using sensors, video analysis, servos, and other novel input-output devices.
Chris Laney, Director of Communications
Chris Laney is an expert in marketing, digital strategies, and digital communication. After spending the last decade working in marketing and new media for companies like Chick-Fil-A, Verizon Wireless and The Joy FM, Chris has had a long history of success. Chris spent two years developing one of the top radio marketing companies in Christian music before joining Digital Frontiers Media in 2012. Chris studied Advertising Design at Savannah College of Art & Design and is known as one of the youngest emerging new media experts in the country.
Team Members
Dave Kopecek, Senior Drupal Developer
Dave has been working with the powerful Drupal development environment for over six years. In that time, he has developed and hosted over 100 Drupal based websites. Dave started programming in the hospitality industry with companies like Summerfield Suites and Wyndham International before starting his own company in 2000. Today, Dave owns and operates many Internet based companies including condoEngine, INC that markets vacation rentals. Dave has been part of the Digital Frontiers Media team since 2009.
Chris Colwell, Drupal Developer
Chris started his time as a developer when he worked as Production Assistant for Duke University. After becoming a independent developer, he worked with companies such as Frito-Lay/Tostitos and Gatorade doing maintenance and custom HTML/CSS. After discovering the robust system of Drupal, he developed custom Drupal modules for companies like Quaker, Celebrity Cruises and Zicam. Chris has been part of the Digital Frontiers Media team for over four years.
Nicole Apostle, Production Manager/Junior Developer
Nicole specializes in graphic design, social media marketing, content writing, and website management. Nicole has owned a small marketing firm since 2004, and has worked on several ADDY-award winning projects in her years in marketing and communications at The Out-of-Door Academy, as well as Visit Sarasota County. She is currently attending the University of South Florida, pursuing a Master's in Business Administration with emphasis in Digital Marketing. She holds an Associate's Degree in Graphic Design Technology from the State College of Florida and a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of South Florida, Tampa.
Vicki Reinebach, Drupal Developer/Office Manager
Vicki has been working in design and development for over ten years. After spending her first eight years with the McClatchy Company (Bradenton Herald) as a print designer, she went back to school to study web interactivity. She has won FNAME awards and Florida Press Association awards for her designs. She holds an Associate's Degree in Graphic Design Technology from the State College of Florida. She has been a part of the Digital Frontiers Media team, working in XHTML, CSS, Flash, and Drupal, for over two years.
Brian Jackson, Assistant Developer
Brian started learning web development as a hobby that would help complement his college courses in Business and Marketing, but later decided that development was the industry he wanted to work in. Brian describes himself as an enthusiast turned professional. He has been working in web design and development for over two years. His skills set consist of PHP, MySQL, Object Oriented Programming, HTML, JavaScript and CSS.
Phoebe Bishop, Accounting
Phoebe has been with DFM since the very beginning. She is the wizard of the financials. Phoebe works part-time at DFM as she balances her full-time job at ROBRADY design as Marketing Director and Controller. Phoebe is a great asset to the DFM team with her extensive education background in Art History and Financial Management, great track record of excellence with every organization she has worked with and her hardworking can-do attitude.
Strategic Partners for Brand Management, Creative Direction, and Design
Christine Koch, Design Director
Christine has over 20 years of experience as an Art Director and Design Director for regional and national clients. She has extensive experience in the technology and educational sectors, developing publications, print marketing collateral, and advertising campaigns. Christine is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and a recipient of CASE Awards (educational publishing) Gold and Silver medals for design excellence and a 2012 Addy Award winner for publication design.
Steve Boris, Brand Manager/Creative Director
Steve has over 30 years experience as a Creative Director developing corporate branding, identities, taglines, packaging, product development, tradeshow and display design, illustration, and marketing collateral for customers in a variety of industries in the U.S., Hong Kong, Canada and Australia. Steve takes pride in his ability to meet tight deadlines and in his proficiency with a host of design capabilities. This allows for total control of key project elements and eliminates waiting on other sources, which can threaten deadlines and compromise design.
Fritz Chaleff, Communications Strategist
Fritz specializes in socio-political communications, a form of communications that helps people understand and agree with new ideas as they develop within communities. Fritz is best-known for his time as the communications director for two Members of the United States House of Representatives. Also during his time on Capitol Hill, Fritz was the communications director for a House Member Caucus in which he coordinated national communications to move policy debates from the extreme partisanship of the past to a debate on ideas, policies and actions on which both parties could find common ground. Using his background and experience in communications and political theory, Fritz was able to elevate a rearely-seen Member of Congress to one of the national prominece of the issues of health care, immigration and renewable energy, helping Congressman Brian Bilbray become one of the national leaders on green energy in the 111th Congress. In addition, he is known for being one of the creators of congressional open-source content creation for social media in his collaboration with the U.S. House Committee on Oversign and Government Reform.
