Monica Guzman Escobar
CEO
Monica has been a strategic PR and marketing advisor to CPG brands for almost 20 years. As CEO of Startr Co. she prioritizes people—both clients and teams—to deliver on a PR experience that is second to none. Acting as a resource for clients amidst meteoric growth, and providing high level strategy for all agency work, Monica is on a mission to provide inventive solutions that enable brands to reach their full potential.
Prior to coming on board at Startr Co., Monica was one of the founding members of Konnect Agency in 2009. Acting as COO of Konnect, she helped grow the business from a handful of clients, to more than 60, all while growing a team of 3 to more than 50. At Konnect, she was crucial in bringing on and leading campaigns for brands including Lyft, Dave & Buster’s, Rhythm Superfoods, The Goddard School, Nuna, Attune Foods, Nautica, and others. Previous to Konnect, Monica held positions with PMK•BNC and Rox United Public Relations (previously RLPR), where she supported campaigns for brands including Nike, Got Milk?, Cheerios, Delta and Heineken.
Monica is passionate about family, food, and travel. She loves meeting and connecting with budding brands and founders and uplifting underrepresented communities in any way she can. Monica is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she received a degree in Public Relations.
Monica Guzman Escobar
CEO
Monica has been a strategic PR and marketing advisor to CPG brands for almost 20 years. As CEO of Startr Co. she prioritizes people—both clients and teams—to deliver on a PR experience that is second to none. Acting as a resource for clients amidst meteoric growth, and providing high level strategy for all agency work, Monica is on a mission to provide inventive solutions that enable brands to reach their full potential.
Prior to coming on board at Startr Co., Monica was one of the founding members of Konnect Agency in 2009. Acting as COO of Konnect, she helped grow the business from a handful of clients, to more than 60, all while growing a team of 3 to more than 50. At Konnect, she was crucial in bringing on and leading campaigns for brands including Lyft, Dave & Buster’s, Rhythm Superfoods, The Goddard School, Nuna, Attune Foods, Nautica, and others. Previous to Konnect, Monica held positions with PMK•BNC and Rox United Public Relations (previously RLPR), where she supported campaigns for brands including Nike, Got Milk?, Cheerios, Delta and Heineken.
Monica is passionate about family, food, and travel. She loves meeting and connecting with budding brands and founders and uplifting underrepresented communities in any way she can. Monica is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she received a degree in Public Relations.
Ross Garner
VP
As VP, Ross utilizes over a decade of public relations and branding experience to help propel CPG brands forward. A leader with a knack for business development and a love of client relations, Ross guides teams to the creation and execution of dynamic campaigns that have true impact on Startr Co. clients.
Ross previously served as the Associate Vice President at Konnect Agency, Startr Co.'s sister agency. At Konnect, Ross worked to develop and implement campaigns for various better-for-you food and beverage, pet, and lifestyle brands. Ross has also served as the Chief Operating Officer at a New York based public relations and marketing firm. There he worked with countless brands in the family, lifestyle, beauty, and celebrity-product categories. His extensive work and knowledge among toy and family brands led him to cofound a kids toy line that was sold nationwide and received numerous accolades including, the coveted "Best Toy" award from Good Housekeeping.
Ross lives in New York with his husband Pat. He graduated from Elon University, where he received a degree in Strategic Communications and a minor in business management. When not working, Ross can be found enjoying his time playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Ross Garner
VP
As VP, Ross utilizes over a decade of public relations and branding experience to help propel CPG brands forward. A leader with a knack for business development and a love of client relations, Ross guides teams to the creation and execution of dynamic campaigns that have true impact on Startr Co. clients.
Ross previously served as the Associate Vice President at Konnect Agency, Startr Co.'s sister agency. At Konnect, Ross worked to develop and implement campaigns for various better-for-you food and beverage, pet, and lifestyle brands. Ross has also served as the Chief Operating Officer at a New York based public relations and marketing firm. There he worked with countless brands in the family, lifestyle, beauty, and celebrity-product categories. His extensive work and knowledge among toy and family brands led him to cofound a kids toy line that was sold nationwide and received numerous accolades including, the coveted "Best Toy" award from Good Housekeeping.
Ross lives in New York with his husband Pat. He graduated from Elon University, where he received a degree in Strategic Communications and a minor in business management. When not working, Ross can be found enjoying his time playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Kim Le Layon
VP
Kim brings more than 13 years of dynamic agency experience to the table as she counsels consumer brand executives on strategic marketing and public relations programming. As a creative and relationship-oriented professional, she works with an entrepreneurial mindset and has an unrelenting passion for impactful growth strategies. Kim understands what is needed to craft a strong communications plan, identifying challenges and opportunities at any stage of the business. Her ambitious and spirited work ethic has helped build a powerful foundation for the agency, and she continues to contribute to Startr Co.‘s year-over-year growth.
Previous to Startr Co., Kim developed and executed multi-pronged campaigns for lifestyle, franchise and family brands. including Sky Zone, The Goddard School, Nautica, Teletubbies, MGA Entertainment, Ergobaby, Nuna, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, Levi's®, Home Depot, Lakeshore Learning and more.
Kim graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. During her off-hours, she is on a continuous hunt for delicious cuisine, new workouts and fun activities. She was bit by the travel bug at an early age and has had the joy of visiting 24 countries thus far. She continues to satisfy her wanderlust spirit by traveling to foreign destinations on her ever-growing bucket list.
Kim Le Layon
VP
Kim brings more than 13 years of dynamic agency experience to the table as she counsels consumer brand executives on strategic marketing and public relations programming. As a creative and relationship-oriented professional, she works with an entrepreneurial mindset and has an unrelenting passion for impactful growth strategies. Kim understands what is needed to craft a strong communications plan, identifying challenges and opportunities at any stage of the business. Her ambitious and spirited work ethic has helped build a powerful foundation for the agency, and she continues to contribute to Startr Co.‘s year-over-year growth.
Previous to Startr Co., Kim developed and executed multi-pronged campaigns for lifestyle, franchise and family brands. including Sky Zone, The Goddard School, Nautica, Teletubbies, MGA Entertainment, Ergobaby, Nuna, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, Levi's®, Home Depot, Lakeshore Learning and more.
Kim graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Business Administration and Marketing. During her off-hours, she is on a continuous hunt for delicious cuisine, new workouts and fun activities. She was bit by the travel bug at an early age and has had the joy of visiting 24 countries thus far. She continues to satisfy her wanderlust spirit by traveling to foreign destinations on her ever-growing bucket list.
Jillian Wong
AVP
With almost a decade of PR experience under her belt, Jillian has strong expertise in advising clients in the consumer packaged goods, food & beverage, health & wellness, and lifestyle spaces. Her diverse background has allowed her to help develop and execute successful media relations campaigns, events, digital & social programming, and influencer partnerships for leading brands including KRAVE Jerky (Hershey), SweetLeaf Tea (Nestle Waters), Attune Foods (Post Holdings), Kodiak Cakes, Lyft, LELO, and NBA All-Star Weekend 2018.
At Startr Co., she is passionate about working closely with emerging brands and their teams to drive brand awareness and growth. Jillian does this by truly ingraining herself in the DNA of every client she works with, while staying current on industry news and trends that in turn allow her to provide valuable insights on best practices. She is humbled to be working with the mighty team at Startr Co. that strives to deliver measurable results every day.
Jillian is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine, where she received a degree in Business Economics with a minor in Management. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her loud and strong-willed Asian family, work out, try out new restaurants, juggle between different fad diets, enjoy the outdoors, and most recently, take time off of work to travel (HR likes to remind her of growing vacation hours).
Jillian Wong
AVP
With almost a decade of PR experience under her belt, Jillian has strong expertise in advising clients in the consumer packaged goods, food & beverage, health & wellness, and lifestyle spaces. Her diverse background has allowed her to help develop and execute successful media relations campaigns, events, digital & social programming, and influencer partnerships for leading brands including KRAVE Jerky (Hershey), SweetLeaf Tea (Nestle Waters), Attune Foods (Post Holdings), Kodiak Cakes, Lyft, LELO, and NBA All-Star Weekend 2018.
At Startr Co., she is passionate about working closely with emerging brands and their teams to drive brand awareness and growth. Jillian does this by truly ingraining herself in the DNA of every client she works with, while staying current on industry news and trends that in turn allow her to provide valuable insights on best practices. She is humbled to be working with the mighty team at Startr Co. that strives to deliver measurable results every day.
Jillian is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine, where she received a degree in Business Economics with a minor in Management. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her loud and strong-willed Asian family, work out, try out new restaurants, juggle between different fad diets, enjoy the outdoors, and most recently, take time off of work to travel (HR likes to remind her of growing vacation hours).