BREE BARTON / Chief Creative Officer
Before becoming Chief Creative Officer of BusinessGhost, Bree Barton collaborated on more than thirty fiction and nonfiction books. Her ghostwriting projects include numerous bestselling memoirs and business books, as well as a novel whose TV rights were recently optioned by ABC. Under her own byline, she’s published work in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Cape Cod Today, and Providence Journal. Her articles and short fiction have appeared in McSweeney’s, Flashquake, Skirt!, Chronogram, and The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging. Bree writes with a natural rhythm and flair, adeptly capturing the subtle nuances of your unique voice. According to John Siniff, executive forum editor of USA Today, “Bree has a gift that can’t be taught. She’s the real deal.”
SARA STRATTON / Office Manager & Sales
Orange County native, Sara Stratton attended University of California, Irvine and earned her degree in Literary Journalism and Broadcast Media with a minor in Women’s Studies. Sara Stratton has been featured in the New U University Times, on the radio, and is continuing to follow her dreams of becoming a writer. She was the host of her own original radio show, “Your Key to the OC…Discovering Orange County,” which aired once a week for an hour on 88.9 KUCI. Before coming to BusinessGhost, Sara worked as a full-time intern at National Geographic in Washington, D.C., where she held a position in the International Business Affairs and Kids Magazine Production department. Now back in Orange County, Sara plays a role at BusinessGhost as office manager to Michael Levin, and she oversees the day-to-day of the company as well as providing support to the writing department, production team, and client interactions.
DIANA VO / Executive Assistant
Diana Vo graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Services. Her interest in helping others developed into a true passion during her internship at The Raise Foundation, Orange County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council. Diana has years of volunteer experience in various non-profit organizations ranging from domestic violence emergency shelters to mentoring children from low-income families. At BusinessGhost, Diana’s nature to help and interact with others is applied in her position as Executive Office Assistant as she offers reinforcement to daily operations.
RANDY HAMMON / Director of Sales & Financial Publishing
After 11 years playing professional baseball, Randy Hammon hung up his cleats and joined a prestigious Wall Street firm. Since then Randy has spent over 30 years as a tax and retirement planning strategist. He created the Safe Money System to protect individuals and families from investment strategies that put their retirement savings at risk. Randy’s shares his system in his book, The Safe Money System: Uncommon Wisdom to Secure Your Retirement, Without Wall Street’s Risk! As the founder of My Retirement Coach, he put together an outstanding nationwide network of endorsed retirement coaches who implement the strategies that have secured the retirement dreams of his clients for over thirty years. Randy received his business degree from Loyola University of Los Angeles, where he also did his MBA work. He lives in Laguna Niguel, California, with his wife, Crystal, and is the father of four grown sons.
JENN SALCIDO / Senior Writer
Jenn Salcido is a Rhode Island-based writer and editor. Her editing clients have included Mirrorball Entertainment, Vibram USA, and Wolters-Kluwer Health among others. Her journalism work has appeared in The Kent County Daily Times, Southern Rhode Island’s Timeout, Providence Business News, Options Newsmagazine, and The Sun Chronicle. She holds a B.A. cum laude in English from Amherst College, and prior to joining the BusinessGhost Team served as the Assistant Director of Marketing and PR at Trinity Repertory Company, a Tony Award-winning regional theater. She was awarded the Peter Burnett Howe Prize for excellence in prose fiction for her novella, Sonora, as a senior at Amherst. She is currently working on her first novel.
NICOLE M. TAYLOR / Senior Writer
Nicole M. Taylor is a recent transplant from the vast, frozen wastes of mid-Michigan. She relishes the sunshine and vibrant creative community that Los Angeles has to offer. Nicole got her BA in English and Creative Writing from Michigan State University in 2010 and has been publishing creative work steadily since then. Her short stories have appeared in more than a dozen of literary and speculative markets and she’s currently hard at work on a novel. In the meantime, she is enjoying the challenges and delights of collaborative work at BusinessGhost.
JENNY SOMMERFELD / Senior Writer
Wielding both fiction and nonfiction literary prowess, Jenny has been published in LA Stage Magazine, Palaver, and Angelingo Literary Journal. Raised in the Midwest, she moved to the coast to receive training from the University of Southern California’s renowned writing department, headed by best-selling author T.C. Boyle and Pulitzer Prize finalist Mariann Wiggins. She graduated cum laude with a degree in English and minor in Theatre. In addition to her writing, she has produced critically acclaimed works for the stage such as “Killer Joe,” by Tracy Letts, and other original pieces by up-and-coming artists.
HANNAH TODD / Senior Writer
Hannah received her BA in Literature and Theatre from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Following her studies, Hannah completed professional internships at Portland Stage Company in Maine and Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC. Since then, she has assistant directed at Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, and Studio Theatre. Hannah has also directed several productions in DC, including adapting for the radio A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest for Lean & Hungry Theatre/WAMU 88.5. Most recently, Hannah adapted and directed a critically acclaimed production of Hamlet for her company, We Happy Few Productions, as part of the 2012 Capital Fringe Festival. Hannah has, to date, ghostwritten four books for BusinessGhost, along with numerous editing and revision projects. Hannah’s writing has a natural creativity and flow born of a deep, life-long love of language and literature. She is excited to continue putting that love to good use for the BusinessGhost team.
AMY CLAIRE SPAHN / Typist
As an independent typist and editor, Amy has had the privilege of working with clients on all forms of writing, from full-length manuscripts to marketing proposals. She studied at the University of California, Irvine and graduated magna cum laude with honors in dramatic literature. Her hobbies include cooking and practicing martial arts, but not at the same time. For more information, visit www.PhraseFixer.com.
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