Gus Granger

Principal, Creative & Branding

Gus is Stratosphere Creative’s founding principal and oversees creative and branding. The start of Stratosphere Creative in the mid-2000s represented the fulfillment of a long-held career aspiration. From early on, it was always his plan to open an agency. His approach to strategically rooted creative was honed during his time at a number of great agencies, including Rapp Collins, DDB Needham, Group Baronet and VSA Partners.

Gus has always championed pushing Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) from buzzword to reality, seeking a deep understanding of each client’s business, audience and competition, prior to beginning the creative process. It’s this approach which brought about the agency's name and philosophy—starting each project from far above, understanding the landscape, it’s obstacles and opportunities, then moving to developing solutions.

His work has been recognized by a number of publications and organizations, including Adobe (formerly Macromedia), Architectural Digest, Communication Arts, The Dallas Society of Visual Communications, Graphis, as well as both the London and New York Flash Film Festivals.

Audrey Reed-Granger

Principal, Public Relations & Marketing

Audrey has 15 years of combined communication experience in both public relations and television news.

Prior to becoming Stratosphere Creative’s principal of public relations and marketing in April of 2009, Audrey held a series of high profile PR counseling positions on behalf of several consumer brands. Most recently, she served as director of public relations for the mass brand portfolio of Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s leading appliance manufacturer. While with Whirlpool, she was accountable for the entire PR and some marketing for the flagship Whirlpool brand, Maytag, Amana and Gladiator Garageworks.

Audrey thoroughly enjoyed the value Whirlpool’s marketing leadership placed on IMC and took full advantage of their openness to experimental marketing tactics. She was an early adopter of social media such as podcasts. She developed the marketing strategy for utilizing the American Family Podcast as a means to emotionally connect with Whirlpool brand’s key consumer. The initiative garnered many accolades including a PRSA Bronze Anvil and recognition via a Businessweek article about the emergence of corporate podcasting. Her marketing work at Whirlpool also led to the winning of a Golden SABRE for integrated marketing and communications and placed her as a Golden SABRE finalist for the development of marketing to women and customer loyalty program celebrating inventive moms. Audrey has been recognized by PRWeek as one of the Top 40 Under 40 PR professionals to watch. As with any success, she did not get there alone. She proudly proclaims working with leadership who demanded integration and teams who delighted in rising to the occasion. These collaborators included interactive, point-of-purchase, literature, advertising and promotions.

Before taking a stab at being the client, Audrey was a vice president at Golin Harris International overseeing the national Lowe’s account. She first exercised her do-it-yourself PR legs managing the Southwest Home Depot account on behalf of Edelman PR Worldwide.

Prior to the agency phase of Audrey’s PR career, she worked in-house for two different health care institutions as a media relations specialist. She credits her roles as a television news producer as enabling a seamless understanding of brand positioning and messaging.

Specialties

Public Relations pertaining to Marketing to Moms, Customer Loyalty, Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals, Home Building Materials and Consumer Goods/Durables

Areas of Expertise: Media Training, Brand Positioning, Brand Revitalization, Product Launches