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Team

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Meredith Emmanuel, President and Lead Strategist

Meredith Emmanuel founded EBComs, LLC (formerly Emmanuel Bates Communications) in 1998, with a vision of providing strategic, cost-effective public relations services to creative clients in the field of arts and sciences.

With more than 40 years experience in film, television, radio, music, and media; she has built an impressive network of valuable relationships. Focusing on behind-the-camera public relations, she has successfully executed numerous client award campaigns for the Academy Awards®, Creative Arts Emmys, and guild-specific awards. In addition, she has helped grow the careers of creative artists’ by highlighting their achievements and expanding their individual networks.

In 2019, she produced her first feature-length documentary, One More Orbit, about a Guinness and FAI World Record-breaking mission, directed by astronaut Col. Terry Virts, who she also manages.

Emmanuel has worked in Europe, Australasia, and the United States, with notable companies and clients including DDA Talent, Untitled Inc, Netflix, The Walt Disney Company, Amazon Studios, CBS, United Talent Agency, William Morris Agency and is a proud member of the Television Academy and Local 600 union, The Publicists Guild.

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Ranjinder Hans, Partner and VP of Talent Relations and Awards

Ranjinder Hans is VP of Talent Relations and Awards. From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and currently based in Los Angeles, CA. Being an Accounting & Finance graduate, she had a successful accounting career in IBM, before stepping into the world of Public Relations in 2009 and never looked back.

Ranjinder has a vast experience in PR & Event Management, having managed world class events such as Formula 1 Grand Prix, MotoGP, WTA, international concerts and many more. Her PR portfolio ranges from TV & Movies, Lifestyle & Entertainment, Fashion, Food, Sports and Leisure.

A true travel junkie, Ranjinder has travelled to 27 countries (and counting). This experience has given her a global understanding and appreciation towards different cultures and work ethics. She is also a yoga instructor, an avid animal lover, language enthusiast and passionate about life & spiritualism.

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Mackinley Sullivan, Partner and COO

Mackinley Sullivan is a public relations specialist and Chief Operating Officer at EBComs. Since joining the EBComs team in 2019, she has assisted with talent relations and management. In addition to leading several film and television award season campaigns, among other contributions.

An alumnus of Arizona State University’s Hugh Downs School of Human Communication and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications with an emphasis in Media Studies.

Based in Los Angeles, originally from the North Shore of Chicago, she is an avid lover of sitcoms and finds life on the West Coast to be “Pretty, pretty, pretty good...”

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Mary Keeler, Partner and CFO

Mary Keeler fell into bookkeeping when a colleague asked her to fill in for them back in the day. It was then she realised numbers were more fun than people, and she hasn't looked back since. Studying sociology with a focus on law at University of California, Riverside, Mary started her career as a publicist (with Meredith at EBComs!) before making the switch to bookkeeping. After five years as VP of Distribution and Accounting at Cinevolve Studios, Mary started her own company, MKK Bookkeeping, which she runs to this day and retains EBComs as a client.

While close friends call her Moose because of her clumsiness, Mary's interests include playing old videos games such as Super Mario Bros. and the like, as well as interrupting any conversations she may be in to say 'hello' to passing doggos.

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Catie Disabato, Director of Publicity

Catie Disabato is a PR, marketing, and events strategist with ten years experience representing production clients. She began her career at the talent agency DDA and spent four years working on behalf of Canon at the agency Sunshine Sachs and Associates. Disabato is thrilled to join the team at EBComs after years of mentorship from Meredith Emmanuel.

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Shana Kad, Publicity Coordinator and Media Trainer

Shana Kad is a media trainer and Certified Master NLP Life Coach. With over 10 years experience, she has an established career supporting and developing individuals achieve specific personal or professional goals and to strive towards making a positive difference in their lives.

Chosen as the preferred Life Coach, for three consecutive years, to deliver a Personal Breakthrough Programme for a Life Challenge competition in a leading media publication, Shana brings a wealth of media and life coaching knowledge to the EBComs team.

In addition, she is a neuro lingusitic programming practitioner, a certified master timeline therapy practitioner, a certified Innermetrix consultant, a stress bio-feedback practitioner, and a certified hypnotist.

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Holden Schlanger, Publicity Coordinator

Holden Schlanger is an aspiring filmmaker and communications coordinator for EBComs. When joining the company in 2019, he helped oversee news and reviews and database research, before transitioning into his new role.

Before joining the EBComs team, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Production with an emphasis in Directing from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts: School of Film, Dance, and Theater at Arizona State University.

Immersed in the behind-the-camera entertainment industry and based in Los Angeles, he is eager to grow his on-set film experience as a dedicated crew member.

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Kara Kitchell, Publicity Coordinator

Kara Kitchell is a Southern California native with an interest in music and all things pop culture. She began her career in healthcare before pursuing her dream of working in entertainment. Kara has prior experience working in publicity alongside musicians where she discovered her interest in PR. Prior to joining the EBComs team, she studied Communications with an emphasis in entertainment and tourism from California State University in Fullerton. In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts and taking her dog Penny to the beach.

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Danielle Bayard, Publicity Coordinator

Danielle Bayard has management experience in private business, government and the not for profit sectors, with key skills in development and partnership management, media and PR relationships, grant writing and stakeholder relationships. Danielle holds a Master’s of Primary Health Care (majoring in Indigenous Health), and tertiary qualifications in Leadership, Proofreading and Editing, and Disability. Danielle resides in South Australia and runs an online veterinary pharmacy with her equine veterinarian husband, has her own grant writing consultancy, and works as a publicist with EBComs. In her spare time, she does early morning bootcamp/running, walks her greyhound Bonny on the beach, travels and has a dip in the ocean at every opportunity.

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Katelyn Milligan, Publicity and Social Media Coordinator

Katelyn Milligan is a public relations and social media specialist based in Sydney, Australia. Having joined EBComs, LLC in 2021, Katelyn runs point on Australian-based projects and all things related to EBComs’ social media.

Currently studying a Bachelor of Communications, with a major in Journalism and Public Relations, Katelyn is an emerging digital journalist and works as a freelance writer for local media outlets. In 2022 she won the Australian Press Council Undergraduate Prize for Excellence in Student Journalism. She additionally works as a social media manager for several small businesses in Sydney.

As an avid traveler, Katelyn studied abroad in Chile and solo backpacked South America for six months. She has a deep passion for learning and sharing individual’s unique stories.

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Carol Palomino, Communications, Database and Research Coordinator

Carol Palomino is a Bolivian-American born and raised in Los Angeles. Carol earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Cal State Northridge and is proud to be a first generation college graduate. She has always had an avid interest in music, pop culture, and entertainment. Carol enjoys writing and blogging about women of color in media and popular culture while also spotlighting their achievements and telling their stories.

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Autumn Peterson Florez, Executive Assistant

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Autumn Peterson Florez is proud of her native American Apache heritage. She loves holistic healing and remedies. She is a certified CAMTC massage therapist, so she’s a very hands on kind of gal who seeks to nurture and support others.

PA work in the entertainment Industry is second nature to Autumn as she grew up doing print modelling from ages 3-14, yet she was always more intrigued by the people behind the camera who make all the magic happen on set. She enjoys bringing order to chaos, while alleviating everyday stresses by offering a helping hand. Autumn spends her spare time bonding with her animals and chasing sunsets in the desert with her partner.

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Rachel Aberly, Consultant

Rachel Aberly is a public relations/marketing specialist with experience in a broad swath of campaigns, international and domestic. Her work includes awards, festivals, personal and corporate outreach, expertise in all aspects film, television and streaming publicity, from production through release. She started as an assistant at Tri-Star Pictures and went on to become a unit publicist, a team leader at PMKBNC and 42 West and an in-demand Awards expert with a focus on the behind-the-scenes artists, directors, screenwriters and showrunners. She considers her 20+ years as a unit publicist her film “school” and it sparked her interest in and affection for the crew. This led to her creation of a new publicity field, the celebration and promotion of the behind the camera artists. In 2020, Local 600 recognized her accomplishments with the inaugural Publicist of the Year Award.

Her awards campaign collaborations have led to 25 Oscar wins, many guild nominations and several Emmy nominations across the board – showrunners, directors, crew – and several key Emmy wins for artisans. In 2020, Emmy campaign efforts helped to garner 19 nominations.

Originally from Detroit, Aberly finally graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Psychology. Not a fan of snow and known to skip high school to watch classic movies, it was only a matter of time before Aberly landed in sunny California to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She is eternally grateful to mentors and friends for guiding her along her path.

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Steve James, Consultant

Steve James is a former state of Victoria police inspector who was responsible for Australia’s Drug Policy, advising government at the highest levels. He is a highly qualified detective and prosecutor who has an eye for detail. For more than a decade, he has been immersed in the world of public relations, primarily for production artists in the film and entertainment industry. Steve is also a volunteer fire fighter. He has invaluable experience in managing crisis situations. He is also an accomplished martial artist and has been known to rescue clients from crowds of adoring fans.

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