Kathleen ‘Kat’ Formidoni founded Blast in 2000, and has been providing solid strategic counsel and creative direction across the client base ever since.

Previous to founding Blast, she was an early entrant to the internet and is considered an internet oldtimer. She was with Engage when they went public in the late 90’s and used it as a jumping point to found the agency in Raleigh NC.

Kat graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a BA in Zoology. She makes her home in the mountains of Santa Ynez CA. She owns and operates an animal rescue ranch and has saved countless horses, chickens, and dogs.

As Managing Partner, Don manages Blast’s operations, financial and technology initiatives.

Don is a 25+ year veteran of media and advertising strategy, marketing and business development. He was also an event organizer for several advertising conferences around the globe. Within this period, Don led an 18M digital marketing conference franchise, and launched countless business development deals.

Don’s passions include tinkering with and collecting vintage audio gear, motorcycles and wristwatches. Don currently operates the Blast San Francisco office, where he lives with his wife and 2 boys.

Matt is all things media here at Blast -- strategy, outreach, staffing meetings, especially in New York City, and training -- from one on one meetings to group sessions. He is directly involved in select accounts and provides guidance to all, as needed. In his spare time, Matt works on new business development.

Prior to joining Blast, he was recruited to oversee Yahoo! B2B PR at DKC Public Relations, where as vice president, he helped create LinkedIn Marketing Solutions PR and worked with companies large and small -- Criteo, Conduit, SapientNitro, Time Warner Cable Media, Viggle, and YANGAROO -- while being the agency’s go-to for all things advertising-related.

Matt holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in History from Binghamton University (SUNY). Since the late aughts, he has made regular appearances in the media -- TV, print, and online -- as a “person on the street” or as an expert “early adopter.” Matt, his wife, and daughter are foodies who have great tips on where to dine in New York City and he photographs almost everything he eats on Instagram.

Warren is VP Brand Strategy at Blast, working to define the agency’s identity and supporting branding and content initiatives for clients, as well as sharing industry insight and research.

Prior to Blast, Warren spent 25+ years in print and digital marketing and media. He was most recently content director for digital marketing and performance marketing events, and editorial lead for an ecommerce direct-to-customer sales online publication and in-person event.

Warren holds a bachelor’s degree in Technical Journalism from Colorado State University. As a native to Colorado, he enjoys spending time in the mountains, nature and wildlife photography, and fostering rescue kittens from the Navajo Nation. He lives with his veterinarian partner and two kids in northern Colorado.

Lorene Bagley-Kane is VP People & Culture, responsible for overseeing a team within the Content, Culture and Events departments at Blast PR.

After more than 20 years in tourism PR, Lorene joined the team of Blast in the fall of 2012. She quickly grew within the company, and was instrumental in starting the content creation department.

Lorene graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a B.A. in Communications. A Midwest native, she has made her home in the Teton Mountains for over 20 years. She alternates her passion for running and hiking in the summer with her love of downhill and nordic skiing in the long Rocky Mountain winters. She shares her passion for skiing and the outdoors with her husband, daughter and their Idaho shaggy dog, Corbet.

As Vice President, Lacy Talton listens to clients and is able to identify their business needs and deliver communication strategies that drive a positive impact on their bottom line. She regularly and proactively collaborates with media around trend stories and breaking news.

A boomerang Blaster, Lacy began with Blast PR in 2011. She quickly carved out a role for herself leading the efforts to elevate clients’ thought leadership profiles through speaking engagements and award wins. She has supported more than 60 clients in the digital media space throughout her career, including The Trade Desk’s successful IPO. Over her brief stint away, Lacy supported Syngenta communications during its $43B acquisition by ChemChina.

Lacy graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and Political Science. She is known amongst the team for her love of jam bands, especially Phish, and lives in Raleigh with her husband and their beagle.

Katie Sanders is a Executive Director of Content at Blast PR. She is an integral part of the Content, Culture and Events team and has worked alongside her colleague Lorene to establish an exceptional content creation department.

Prior to her work at Blast, Katie found joy as a teacher in preschool classrooms and working as a caregiver for children. She was eager to find her next challenge and PR was the calling she answered, with a cross-country move to help establish Blast’s west coast operations in 2010.

Katie has since relocated back to the East Coast with the Raleigh team, where, outside of work, she can be found tending to her garden, exploring the local food scene, or at home making cocktails with her husband Fernando and their dog, Soup. Katie graduated from East Carolina University with a BA in Theatre Arts and a minor in Sociology.

As Office Manager at Blast, Nancy keeps accounts, payroll, human resources and employee benefits in tip top shape. Leveraging her vast experience in personnel management, she keeps the internal machine running smoothly.

Earning her degree from UCLA, Nancy excelled in office management, with a number of New York companies. She later established her own business services firm.

Her love of travel takes her all over the world, but Oaxaca, Mexico holds a special place in her heart. She is a lover of the arts, and an avid reader in her spare time.

As a Senior PR Specialist, Kristen Frizzelle supports strategic plan execution for clients across the U.S. Kristen's core responsibilities include press list development and management, media pitching and relations, client timeline tracking, event and award submission creation as well as various research and reporting initiatives across multiple accounts.

Prior to Blast, Kristen served as an executive assistant at Vista Equity Partners, a market-leading investment firm focused on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, where she worked closely with multiple senior-level executives to ensure all administrative needs were met.

To carry on her family's legacy that spans across three generations, Kristen graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Public Relations and a Business Foundations Certificate. Outside of the office, you can find Kristen catching up on the latest episodes of her favorite reality TV shows, exploring Austin's newest cuisine with her husband and friends and maintaining an active lifestyle by attending various dance and fitness classes.

As PR Director at Blast, Caty Posey works directly with clients across the agency to oversee events and awards initiatives by developing content for speaking engagements and award nominations, supporting event sponsorships and advising on client hosted events.

Prior to joining Blast in 2012, Caty worked and interned at several nonprofits as well as large corporations in NY and VA. She was also a graduate teaching fellow while completing her master’s degree.

Caty holds a B.A in Communication with a minor in Business from Lynchburg College and a M.S in Corporate and Professional Communication from Radford University. Caty is a New York native, but now calls Virginia home. In her free time, Caty enjoys traveling, cooking, spending time with her husband, daughter and stepson, and of course her two dogs, Neville and Leia.

As a PR Coordinator, Kaitlyn DeSimone supports strategic plan execution for clients across the U.S. Kaitlyn’s core responsibilities include press list development and management, media pitching and relations, client timeline tracking and various research and reporting initiatives, as well as supporting event and award nominations across multiple accounts. She is also an essential member of the Content, Culture and Events team at Blast PR.

Prior to joining the team full-time, Kaitlyn was an intern at the Blast PR Raleigh office. Through Blast PR’s internship program, Kaitlyn found a passion for public relations.

Kaitlyn graduated with a BA in Fashion Merchandising as well as an MBA with a Certificate in Marketing. She is zealous for health and fitness and traveling to new locations. Outside of the office, Kaitlyn can be found exploring Raleigh or enjoying coffee on the front porch of her new home with her husband Mike and their Pomeranian Hollie Belle!

As a PR Coordinator, Stacee Collins supports strategic plan execution for clients across the U.S. Stacee’s core responsibilities include press list development and management, media relations, byline pitching, client timeline tracking, and various research and reporting initiatives across multiple accounts.

Following her success as an intern and part-time employee at Blast, Stacee was awarded a full-time role on the team in May 2019. She also interned at a variety of PR firms in Austin, including Mercom Communications and Paula Biehler PR.

She graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a B.S. in Public Relations. In her free time, Stacee enjoys discovering new music, playing the Super Nintendo and exploring Austin with her dog Odie.