Stanton Bradford Smith
Chief Storyteller | Partner
Stanton Bradford Smith has built extensive Narrative Story, Digital Strategy, Public Affairs, and Communications Marketing experience through his involvement in the corporate, governmental, professional sports, and political arenas.
A veteran of private enterprise and charity involvement, Stan currently serves as a communications marketing and public affairs consultant with Smarter Story. He became a StoryBrand Certified Guide in 2019 and is active in the charitable arena as the Chairman Emeritus of the AT&T Jeb Bush Florida Classic, raising more than $10 million for Cystic Fibrosis since 1996.
Stan co-founded and serves as a board member for Thank You First Responder, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to recognizing and thanking First Responders and advancing the cause of Mental Health First Aid Education. He formerly headed up the conceptualization, brand creation, and media rollout of MyFlorida.com – the State of Florida’s Official Web portal now appearing on more than 30 million auto license plates.
Previously, he served from 1995 – 1999 as Director of Communications at Huizenga Holdings, Inc. (HHI), and personal spokesman and speech writer for H. Wayne Huizenga, the world- renowned entrepreneur who built three Fortune 500 companies: Waste Management, Blockbuster, and AutoNation. He handled media relations and internal communications among HHI and five NYSE public companies, various private companies, and the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers, and Florida Marlins professional sports franchises.
Prior to working for Mr. Huizenga, Stan held a number of positions in the public affairs arena, including Director of Communications for the Florida Department of State in 1995, and Press Secretary and spokesman for the Florida Republican Party from 1989 until 1992. He also served as Communications Field Advisor in 11 southeastern states for the Republican National Committee under then Chairman Lee Atwater in 1989 and played a lead role in the 1989 special election of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the first Cuban-American member elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Stan is a former Communications Director in Kentucky for George H.W. Bush’s 1988 successful campaign for President. Prior, he served as a writer, narrator, and publicist for Kentucky Educational Television and is a 1986 graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois. Stan received his first Associate Producer credit for a feature length film for “Fatboy the Movie” released in 2005 and is active in the Florida Association of Broadcasters.
Ronald L. Polito [AKA RonO]
Chief Convergence Officer | Partner
RonO’s vast experience in Production, Event Management, Advertising and Digital Convergence creates a dynamic combination that has helped him to earn recognition as one of the pioneers of today’s technology revolution.
As a respected member of the production, advertising and technology community, RonO has advised staff at Oprah’s Harpo Productions, about how to incorporate interactive media, future IT strategy, and Dconvergent technology into the various media channels of their business.
During the Presidential Campaign of 2000, the State of Florida hired RonO to produce the State of Technology address for Governor Jeb Bush. Through the use of interactive media, live webcasting and Dconvergent technology, this media event allowed the world to see why the State of Florida has become the leader in utilizing the latest in technology to run state government.
Before this event, Mr. Polito produced a full-scale public relations campaign, along with a national media event, that simultaneously, branded and launched MyFlorida.com as the official state portal for Florida’s citizens and state employees to interact with state government.
Over the years, RonO’s creative, technical and management skills are sought after by advertising agencies BBDO/Chicago, Chiat Day, DDB Needham, and others, to act as Producer to create commercials for McDonald’s, Kahlua, Chevy, Equal, KFC, Sears, and Sony, just to name a few.
Previously, RonO served as Executive Producer for Swell, where from 1988 until 1998, he guided a small business into a multimillion dollar enterprise. His leadership and innovation with marketing, facility management, and technology implementation, transformed Swell to become the leader of the post production community of Chicago.
In the early 1990s, before the concept of nonlinear editing was accepted and understood in the advertising and film community, RonO forged the trail with a company called AVID Technology, which is now the standard by which most films, music videos, commercials and television shows are creatively edited. Becoming one of the first to embrace and incorporate the idea of creatively editing commercials and films with a computer, Ron led the way to placing the technology into the mainstream of the Chicago production and advertising market.
Currently, RonO also serves as Chief Technology Officer for Be Strong, Executive Producer of RainUp and Pivotal Pictures in Chicago, Co-Founder of the Thank You First Responder Organization. He is also well-known in the music industry as a Tour, Production or Stage Manager for acts such as Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, The Redwalls, The Fray, Liz Phair, The Freddy Jones Band, Andrew Bird and The Whigs.
