Services
Where Alignment meets Expertise.
Services
Tony Maro
VP + Creative Director
Tony’s passion for the arts stems from his uncanny ability to take the visions of others and bring them to life. For over 15 years Tony has successfully led creative teams for brands such as HBO, NetJets, Grey Goose, United Airlines, and Maserati.
Prior to being a founding partner at COACT, Tony worked on many different award-winning restaurants and nightclub concepts under the Rockit Ranch Productions umbrella. A thought leader in design, photography, and illustration he has been a presenter at many college and design conferences including the acclaimed Seek Conference.
Billy Dec
CEO
2-time Emmy Award Winning Entertainment TV Personality, Producer, Actor, Attorney, Entrepreneur and Creative.
A leader in the premier hospitality + entertainment space for decades, creating, marketing + operating award-winning restaurants, bars + nightclubs. Regularly featured on NBC’s TODAY Show, hosting + acting on TV + Film.
A Harvard Business School Alum, Dec served as a Presidential appointee for 5 years focusing on Racial Equity + Bullying Prevention Issues, and supports several diverse community service boards + advisory groups.
Nick Grant
Executive Director
Nick Grant is an entrepreneurial, growth-oriented digital agency executive with 23 years of experience elevating brands through best-in-class creative and digital solutions. He is best known for his expertise in project management, problem-solving, and strategic direction to help businesses of all sizes realize sustainable growth—from emerging small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
Nick’s digital career has been focused on leading an award-winning digital agency specializing in applications, websites, and brand development, which he grew into a $8.5M enterprise with 65 employees across three U.S. markets. As CEO for six years, he established a strong work culture by emphasizing relationship-building and cross-departmental collaboration.
Under Nick’s leadership, his previous agency earned more than 185 industry awards and the designation as one of the “Top Five Firms” by the Boston Business Journal. These accolades are a testament to the collective efforts of the team Nick built from the ground up, his steadfast commitment to white glove client service, and the agency’s worthy philanthropic endeavors that supported local communities. While under his leadership, Nick also spearheaded the design and construction of a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot headquarters facility to cultivate a high-performing team of professionals with a shared mission of boosting client brand presence.
Nick is a collaborative and supportive leader who thrives when challenged with roles and projects that require aligning the skills of UX engineers, designers, writers, strategists, and marketing experts to conceptualize and execute game-changing digital solutions for clients. He can successfully leverage team members’ individual skills to deliver winning client solutions that level up their businesses.
Nick also excels in the areas of culture building, vendor/client relationship building, and cross-departmental unity. He brings strong business acumen to any role, with deep knowledge across all business functions, including marketing, creative, digital, human resources, and finance.
Nick’s professional history is complemented by degrees in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Boston and the University of York (England). He holds a PMP IS/IT Master Certification from Villanova University and is certified as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member.
Lisa Hall
Director of Operations
Lisa was a key member of the senior management team that grew a 4-person regional boutique event marketing agency into a national powerhouse in the culinary event space. Lisa opened and managed the agency’s NY office and was promoted to partner and COO of the company. While at the helm, Lisa helped the company grow into a full-service Event Management, Corporate Sponsorship and Strategic Marketing Agency over the past few years, while also overseeing some of the most prestigious culinary events and tours in the country.
Lisa has been recognized as an innovator and thought leader in the hospitality and entertainment industry.
AJ Calvin
Director of Development
AJ’s journey began with a whirlwind tour alongside Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, igniting his global passion within the music and entertainment realm. He then stepped into the Director of Marketing and Promotions role at Big Machine Records, working with legends like Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Carley Pearce, and many more. His trail continued as Creative Director at LabeLive, where he championed immersive events that fostered genuine connections. This tapestry of experience seamlessly wove together when AJ embraced his role as Partner and Director of Development at COACT. With a wealth of expertise spanning from international stages to strategic branding, AJ is a driving force behind our dynamic evolution and continued success.
Stacey Efstathiou
Community Director
Marketing and creative professional with over ten years experience working alongside companies such as Lettuce Entertain You, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Roti Mediterranean Grill, and Rockit Ranch Productions. Areas of expertise range from social strategy and implementation, event coordination and execution and overall project management for executives.
Connecting people and providing unique experiences is a passion of hers – as is pretending to be a classically trained chef.
Mariah Pollet
Art Director
As a multifaceted Designer, Art Director, and Project Manager, Mariah has experience supporting global brands, local businesses, and everything in between.
From conceptually and strategically dreaming up campaigns for clients to collecting and creating an entire museum of pasta, Mariah’s on-demand talents and interests are broad and diverse. Never stepping down from a challenge, she rather thrives on new experiences (which explains why she’s also a licensed real estate agent and a notary public). An ideal day for her is working next to people that she is inspired by and learning about topics she didn’t know existed.
When she’s not behind the screen, Mariah can almost always be found cooking more food than she can eat by herself.
Joanna Basile
Account Executive
Joanna Basile has gained marketing experience in private aviation, nightlife, mental health, and music. Out of the gate, she managed a world-class recording studio in Chicago - while simultaneously studying PR, film, and broadcasting. Her coordination, creativity, and communication have been invaluable ever since. And whether developing artists or producing podcasts, she never backs down from a challenge. Basile’s tenacity and resilience were apparent as a semi-pro Muay Thai fighter based in Las Vegas.
Basile has over 25 years of experience helping brands and bands succeed. She spent time as a regional manager at the Recording Academy/The GRAMMY’S, directed and marketed the Live Nation app, and was a Sr. Marketing Director at ROAR. Her marketing mind has set her apart, as does her background in psychology. After earning a counseling certificate with distinction from UCLA, she started a successful private practice in the LA area. Basile was able to help creatives in a new and fulfilling way. Basile continues anticipating the needs of creative and corporate clients alike.
In addition to working with artists and musicians, Basile currently manages the key accounts for COACT. She also produces and hosts Unrehearsed with Joanna Basile, a podcast dedicated to helping people that, much like her career, always seems to have a music thread.
Laura Rowland
Art Director
Laura’s career began in the humble days of Microsoft Publisher but has blossomed into a decade+ career as an award-winning designer and art director.
Before joining COACT, Laura established successful relationships with leading government, higher education, and luxury teams. She has a record of exceeding expectations and driving brands to grow beyond potential in both aesthetic and visual storytelling. Laura prides her claim to design fame on her Louisiana culture and education. Not only is she a fierce and driven creative, but she also makes a mean pot of gumbo.
