Bios
Lane Buschel, President
Lane Buschel, president of SeisMK and a vice president at The Morris + King Company (MKC), brings more than a decade of public relations and marketing experience with an emphasis on media, entertainment, technology and B2B clients. He has spearheaded MKC’s tech group for the past three years, and since the mid-90s has been an acknowledged expert in online marketing, holding top account positions with Peppercom and Dan Klores Communications. He has advised clients including such companies as Glam Media, Heavy.com, TheFunded, Jajah, AdBrite, Special Ops Media, frogdesign, CartoonNetwork.com, VerticalNet (and IPO) and UGO Networks.
Mr. Buschel is the recipient of several awards for outstanding public relations programs, including: Entertainment Weekly's Best of the Internet, two Creativity in Public Relations Awards (CIPRA) and multiple commendations from PRWeek magazine.
Prior to moving to New York, Mr. Buschel was based in Washington, DC, where he managed in-house public relations and marketing campaigns for RAS Records, Source Theatre Company and the Studio Theatre.
Mr. Buschel holds a J.D. from New York Law School, where he specialized in Intellectual Property law. He was a Founding Producer of the annual State of Play: Law, Games and Virtual Worlds' conference, currently co-sponsored by The MacArthur Foundation and the USC Annenberg School for Communication; a Summer Fellow at the Institute for Information Law and Policy, and a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Asia Pacific Technology and Legal Policy, in Singapore. Lane was also a research assistant for then-ACLU President Nadine Strossen, and for Beth Noveck. He earned his B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Lane Buschel is a native of the northeast corridor and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, where he co-founded Wiimbledon, the world’s first Wii tennis tournament.
Please feel free to contact Lane at lane.buschel@seismk.com, @lanebuschel on Twitter or on LinkedIn.
Justin Kazmark, Vice President
Justin Kazmark, a vice president with MKC, has wide-ranging experience in communications. He has provided media strategy and public relations counsel to a diverse roster of clients across a variety of corporate and nonprofit sectors, including: AOL, eMusic, GOOD Worldwide, IDG, National Voting Rights Institute (NVRI), Personal Democracy Forum (PdF), Public Education Needs Civic Involvement in Learning (PENCIL), Stardoll and Wikimedia.
Mr. Kazmark first joined MKC in 2002 as an intern. In 2003, as a Junior Account Executive, he took a two-year sabbatical to teach math to 6th graders in East Harlem and the Lower East Side of Manhattan as a New York City Teaching Fellow. While still a teacher Mr. Kazmark worked as a communications consultant at Columbia University's Teachers College and as a research assistant to Professors Stuart and Elizabeth Ewen during the completion of their book exploring the history of stereotyping-Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality. Since returning to MKC in 2005 to assume his current responsibilities, Mr. Kazmark has occasionally contributed to Flavorpill Network's monthly book reviews-Boldtype.
Mr. Kazmark earned a B.A. in semiotics from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he was a co-captain of the varsity volleyball team. Mr. Kazmark also received an M.S.Ed. in childhood education from City University of New York.
Justin Kazmark, a competitive Wallyball and Scrabble player, lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Katie Smith-Adair, Senior Account Executive
Katie Smith-Adair is a Senior Account Executive at SeisMK, a division of The Morris + King Company, working with digital media and consumer technology accounts. Her responsibilities in this role have included providing public relations counsel to key agency accounts emortal.com, Evri, Glam Media, pingg and more, as well as the development and implementation of media strategy plans.
Prior to joining The Morris + King Company, Ms. Smith-Adair was a member of the Microsoft PR team at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide where she responsible for driving PR initiatives and managing projects for Microsoft's online services business. Prior to that, she worked in film publicity for numerous motion picture studios, including Disney, DreamWorks and Universal.
Ms. Smith-Adair earned a B.S. in Marketing from Arizona State University's School of Business in Tempe, AZ. A transplant from Portland, OR, she has fully adapted to life in Manhattan. Her interests include Jeopardy, performance fabrics and portmanteaus.
Feel free to connect on LinkedIn or follow her up-to-the-minute on Twitter @katiesmithadair.
Patrick Durkin, Senior Account Executive
Patrick Durkin is a Senior Account Executive at SeisMK, the digital division of The Morris + King Company. He works with digital, media and tech accounts. In his role, Mr. Durkin provides counsel on media strategies and speaking opportunities for clients including IDG, Thumbplay and LBi Icon Nicholson. In addition, he develops digital strategies and tactics and helps to bring his clients to the forefront of social media. He also coordinates and helps secure speaking opportunities at conferences for all of SeisMK’s clients.
Prior to joining The Morris + King Company, Mr. Durkin worked extensively in digital and consumer marketing at both Kaplow Communications and MS&L Worldwide. He was a founding member of Kaplow’s digital group K:drive, and has helped launch numerous products including Heineken Light and Nike Shox.
Mr. Durkin earned a B.A. in Media Studies and Communication from Fordham University and a M.A. in Communications from Auburn University. He lives and dies with his Auburn Tigers and Baltimore Ravens and frustrates his New York buddies with his steadfast refusal to adopt any of their sports teams. Fittingly, Patrick's Twitter handle is @patrickauburn.
Andy Morris
Co-Founder and Partner/Principal, MKC
Of Counsel, SeisMK
Andy Morris, co-founder and partner/principal of MKC, specializes in developing groundbreaking public relations campaigns and innovative branding programs for clients. He has direct responsibility for numerous client relationships and is an acknowledged expert in providing crisis management counseling to high-profile individuals and companies. Mr. Morris also plays a key role in the firm's overall strategic planning efforts.
An outstanding public relations and marketing executive with more than 15 years of experience, Mr. Morris has led communications campaigns for companies in media, arts and entertainment, healthcare, the Internet and various corporate sectors. His wide-ranging client list includes such companies as the National Geographic Channel, Pfizer, Heavy.com, The Orchard, Giant magazine, Esquire, Excite@Home (consumer), Marquis Jet, Music Choice, Banana Republic and Pseudo.com.
Mr. Morris is a master at strategically timing news and launch events to generate maximum media attention and exposure. He is also recognized throughout the public relations industry for creating exciting and original communications campaigns and events that build brand awareness. Among his many imaginative and inspired ideas include the writing of the world's longest letter for Pilot Pen, the world's first-ever Giant Pumpkin Regatta for Stew Leonard's and recycling the famed Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree into enrichment toys for animals at the Central Park Zoo as part of a National Geographic Channel launch campaign.
Prior to launching MKC in 2001, Mr. Morris was senior vice president at LaForce & Stevens, a New York-based marketing and public relations firm. Before that, he served as vice president at Dan Klores Communications, where he headed the Internet and healthcare practices.
Mr. Morris is the recipient of several honors and accolades for outstanding public relations programs, including the Creativity in Public Relations Award (CIPRA), the Public Relations Society of America's "Big Apple" award and Bulldog Reporter's "Silver Bulldog" award. In addition, Mr. Morris serves on the Board of Trustees of the New Canaan Nature Center.
Mr. Morris received a B.A. from Duke University.
Andy Morris and his family reside in New Canaan, CT.
Judith R. King
Co-Founder and Partner/Principal, MKC
Of Counsel, SeisMK
Judith R. King, co-founder and partner/principal of MKC, spearheads the firm's new business development efforts and is responsible for its overall creative and business direction. She also plays a vital role in all client management issues, providing expert advice and counsel to MKC's diverse client roster. Through her extensive network of contacts and associates, Ms. King has brought in many of the firm's most significant accounts, including Marquis Jet, Ritz-Carlton Club, Court TV, and Classic Media.
A marketing and branding specialist, Ms. King is known for her incomparable ability to craft sharply targeted messages and develop superbly written collateral materials. She has created innovative advertising campaigns for several leading brands, and has deep experience helping companies implement winning launch strategies and direct mail programs. In addition, Ms. King is a skilled and sought-after media trainer who travels across the country to teach MKC clients how to shape and articulate their stories to key constituents, including customers, investors and industry influencers.
Prior to joining forces with Andy Morris to launch MKC, Ms. King was a New York-based copywriter and marketing consultant. Among her many clients were Starwood Hotels, Whole Foods, Banana Republic, Miramax Film Corp., hotelier Andre Balazs, Coach, Ian Schrager Hotels, MAC Cosmetics, Philippe Starck, Target and Hard Rock Hotels.
In addition to her work with these premier clients, Ms. King served for more than seven years as the senior editorial consultant for Dan Klores Communications, one of the country's leading public relations firms. She also worked at the lifestyle magazine Avenue and was editor-in-chief of Racquet, the upscale bimonthly tennis magazine.
Ms. King graduated with honors from Princeton University.
Judith R. King lives in New York City.