FOUNDER & CEO

Alison thrives on tackling challenging problems with people who are drawn to experimenting with new ideas, debating approaches, and innovating. She is passionate about doing the right thing when making decisions or giving advice. Alison is always thinking “three steps ahead” and is known for setting a high bar not only for performance but also for transparency and intellectual integrity. With a commitment to quality and personal attention, she delivers 150% – effort, talent, and outcomes.

At Eden Collective, she sets the firm’s strategic focus and leads the development of client relationships. Since inception 5 years ago, Alison has grown the organization fivefold and added nationally recognized clients including Curology, GoodRx, and The Farmer’s Dog where Eden Collective developed the TV strategy that culminated in a Super Bowl ad in 2023. Under her leadership, the firm has attracted talent from elite agencies, and the firm has become a go-to place for paid media and measurement thought leadership in the startup community.

Previously, she served in client leadership roles at advertising and media agencies including Digitas, Grey, Merkle, and Conde Nast where she worked on client campaigns for American Express, DirecTV, Office Depot, and Weight Watchers. Her work has spanned a wide range of marketing disciplines from creative to media, digital to traditional, and acquisition to CRM – across paid, owned, and earned. She began her career as a Marketing Associate at Oxford Health Plans and a Strategy Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Alison was recently listed on Inc.’s 500 Female Founders 2025, honored as an AdExchanger Top Women in Media and Ad Tech and named to the Board of Advisors of InviNext Growth Partners, a consumer venture capital firm. She and her business partner, Chris Novak, have been featured in publications including Ad Age, Advertising Week, Digiday, and Media Post. She has also spoken at industry conferences on scaling brands through TV and video. Alison received an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Chris Novak blends science and art to create a conduit between the audience and the creative in the constantly evolving world of media. He thrives on challenging pre-conceived notions of how media works based on new signals and new data. Chris repositions problems from the “unsolvable” to the “solvable” and uses a systematic approach to arriving at solutions. Throughout this process, Chris focuses on collective thinking, with the client bringing knowledge of their business to his knowledge of media to drive the big ideas and achieve scalable growth.

At Eden Collective, a boutique media science firm supporting high growth brands, Chris is the expert in media strategy and analytics. Using a media performance mindset, he has guided clients, including the nationally recognized Farmer’s Dog pet food brand. He is recognized for developing media buying processes for clients. By developing a systemic buying process clients are able to make bigger decisions – ultimately driving exceptional revenue increases. Through this process based approach clients have been able to continue to develop learnings which can be reinvested into the business.

Previously, Chris was the SVP of Analytics at Dentsu International, one of the largest global media agencies providing comprehensives services to Fortune 500 companies. He utilized data-driven methodologies and predictive modeling for brands including Microsoft and AB-InBev. Earlier, Chris was VP of Analytics at Merkle, a data-driven marketing company with clients including Diageo, GSK Consumer Health, L’Oreal, Office Depot, and Nestle. In this role, he guided companies in integrating 1st-party data into their media activation and measurement processes. Chris began his career as a quality management consultant and auditor, including a brief stint as an actuary at a benefits consulting firm.

Chris recently led a session at the CommerceNext annual conference on “How the Farmer’s Dog reinvented their TV measurement models to accelerate their exponential growth.” He received a BS in film & video and an MS in mathematics from Drexel University.

MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEAD OF INTEGRATED MEDIA

As Chief Media Officer at Eden Collective, a boutique media strategy consultancy supporting high growth brands, Suzanne leads the media strategy and planning function with client partnership and mentorship at the core of her approach. Among her clients have been The Farmer’s Dog, Veterinary Emergency Group, Sweetgreen, and Jackpocket. She is recognized for her deep knowledge across the broad spectrum of media channels, the roles they play, and the ability to craft a strategy that drives exceptional results. For example, collaborating with The Farmer’s Dog, the company transformed their video approach that was instrumental in evolving a specialty dog food offering to a household-recognized name.

Suzanne thrives on connecting a brand with its audience by finding the points of receptivity and translating that into a winning media strategy. Blending sophisticated analysis with the intangibles that drive people to look at new or different information, she is known for addressing challenges with innovative solutions. Suzanne is a thoughtful decision-maker, professional in approach, and invested in her clients’ successes. She is a good mentor and has established a loyal following that strengthens the quality of the teams that she builds.

Previously, she had a distinguished career in Advertising at firms including Carat and Optimedia. As SVP & Group Client Director for Operations at Carat, she managed relationships across 35 Microsoft agency teams ensuring strategic alignment between media plans and corporate business objectives globally. At Optimedia as SVP & Group Media Director, among her accomplishments was developing the strategy enabling AmbienCR to exceed late stage branded sales goals by 29%. She also created and launched the Sanofi Aventis Lantus brand’s first and quickly successful omnichannel video campaign. In her early career, she held senior positions at WPP and other holding companies.

Since 2022, Suzanne has been an Adjunct Professor of Marketing & Communications at FIT, the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York. She is a member of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and has served as Chair of the Children’s Hope Foundation, a pediatric AIDS nonprofit. Suzanne received a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Boston University.

SVP DIGITAL STRATEGY

With more than 12 years of experience in digital media, Ryan joined Eden in 2024 to lead our expanding practice in digital strategy, particularly in the areas of video, paid social and retail media.

Ryan joined Eden from Brunner, a leading regional full-service agency, where he was instrumental in building a 14 person digital strategy and execution team. It was here that he honed his expertise in programmatic video, Streaming Television and Audio, Mobile/SMS, Retail Media Networks and digital OOH on such clients as The Home Depot, Highmark, and Curology.

Ryan began his career at Merkle (now part of Dentsu), where he cut his teeth on major national clients such as PNC, Gerber Life, Susan G. Komen and DSW. Here, building on Merkle’s early leadership in Paid Search/SEO, Ryan played a pivotal role in establishing its digital media practice.

Ryan holds a BA in Business Marketing and Management from the University of Pittsburgh. Outside of work, he enjoys playing pickleball, rock climbing, and hiking with his wife and dog. He is also an avid traveler, checking off National Parks, in his quest to see them all.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDIA SCIENCE

As Executive Vice President of Media Science at Eden Collective, a boutique media strategy consultancy supporting high growth brands, Brett directs the delivery of comprehensive analytic and technology solutions that validate and optimize media returns.  Brett's clients include The Farmer’s Dog, Veterinary Emergency Group, and Sweetgreen. He is known for his broad and deep understanding of business economics, research and analytic techniques, and ability to translate results into actionable media strategies.  His work at Eden Collective includes program evaluation using advanced causal analysis systems that leverage incrementality techniques such as synthetic control and difference-in-difference as well as more traditional regression-based approaches.

Brett's passion for analytics comes from the desire to ensure his clients can make the best-informed decisions for their business - cutting through what can be immense and confusing amounts of data, to get to what is core and needed.  He is a strong believer in how democratized data can elevate critical thinking and the corresponding need for strong decision-making systems. As artificial intelligence applications become common, he leverages his technology background to enable clients to accelerate their business while establishing needed guardrails.

Brett was foundationally trained in business transformation and growth at Price Waterhouse as well as Digitas where Big 4 consulting leaders mentored him.  Most recently, Brett served as SVP Head of Marketing Science at Empower with a key seat with company leadership.  He transformed their analytic function to deliver strategic guidance to high growth brands such as Zaxby's, Brook's Running, and Tempur-Pedic.  At Digitas, as VP Group Director, he led Bank of America consumer media strategy as the Bank went through the 2008 financial crises while transitioning to the big data world of social, mobile, and programmatic.  At OMD, as Executive Director, he led the creation of a modern  marketing science capability for the U.S. Army as they re-invented their entire marketing function. 

Brett looks to give back to industry by volunteering his talents towards adoption of the responsible use of AI.  He leads advisory service efforts at AI 2030, a 4,000+ global member non-profit dedicated to harnessing the transformative power of AI to benefit humanity while minimizing its potential negative impact.  His inspiration is his family, including a young toddler girl who amazes him every single day.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDIA SCIENCE

Aris Spenjian joins Eden Collective as Executive Vice President of Media Science, bringing over 20 years of hands-on expertise in marketing data, technology, and advanced analytics. Aris focuses on developing practical measurement strategies and employing sophisticated analytical methodologies to drive meaningful business outcomes. His expertise spans the full digital spectrum—including ad tech, programmatic, audience strategy, and data architecture—allowing him to build robust systems that translate complex data into clear growth levers for ambitious brands.

Throughout his career, Aris has collaborated with a diverse range of advertisers across the telecommunications, CPG, entertainment, financial services, and retail sectors. At Eden Collective, he leverages this breadth of experience to help clients navigate the intersection of data science and media execution, ensuring that every investment is backed by rigorous logic and precise measurement.

Prior to joining Eden, Aris served as the Executive Vice President of Analytics at Spark Foundry within Publicis Groupe. His deep industry roots include a tenure at Google, where he was a Marketing Science Lead for Google Marketing Platforms, and a previous leadership role as SVP and Head of Data Science at Zenith Media. This unique background—spanning major platforms and global agencies—gives him a comprehensive perspective on how to bridge the gap between technical data science and long-term business strategy.

Aris holds a commitment to mentorship and community; he is deeply involved with iMentor, where he coaches first-generation high school students as they prepare for college. In his spare time, he can be found playing volleyball, gardening, binge watching Star Trek reruns, or spending time outdoors with his 14-year-old dog, Wally.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MEDIA PLANNING

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SVP MEDIA PLANNING

As Senior Vice President of Media Planning at Eden Collective,  Michelle leads integrated media planning with a focus on digital innovation, specializing in streaming video and paid social. She partners closely with clients to craft strategic media plans that balance efficiency with long-term brand growth. As a strategic lead, she brings a sharp point of view to planning and optimization, guiding clients through complex decisions and collaborating with analytics to ensure media delivers real business impact. Her role blends strategic planning, client leadership, and driving cross team collaboration to deliver measurable, sustainable growth.

Michelle brings over 20 years of experience leading media and client service teams at agencies including Merkle, Zenith, and Mediacom. She led strategy and execution across categories such as retail, health, CPG, and tech for brands such as Nespresso, Nestlé Waters, Albertsons, Office Depot, L’Oréal, and DirecTV. With a performance driven mindset, Michelle excels at connecting business goals to media outcomes through data driven planning, cross-channel integration, and deep client partnership. With expertise spanning brand and direct response marketing, she believes in the power of unifying performance and brand-building. 

Michelle holds a BA in Advertising from Penn State University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter and loves planning trips, discovering new restaurants, and seeing Broadway shows.

SVP MEDIA STRATEGY

Brooke Lee is the Senior Vice President of Media Strategy at Eden Collective. Proficient in full-funnel planning, Brooke leverages over a decade of expertise in integrated media planning and guides marketing campaigns seamlessly from awareness to conversion, supporting Eden clients like Sweetgreen, The Farmer’s Dog, Jackpocket, Kikoff, and more. With a results-driven approach, Brooke propels brands to success through meticulous planning and innovative executions. 

Known for her unwavering commitment, Brooke consistently exceeds client expectations, setting new benchmarks for service quality and satisfaction. Her passion for cultivating relationships is evident in every project, fostering an environment of trust, collaboration, and shared success. 

Brooke brings deep expertise in the intricate nuances of diverse business categories. During her tenures at EssenceMediacom (GroupM) and Horizon Media, Brooke led accounts such as NBCU Peacock, GEICO, as well as CPG and DR brands. In the dynamic streaming world, Brooke played a pivotal role in Peacock's rise, orchestrating integrated media plans that solidified its household name status. Her expertise in device and CTV strategies led to successful campaigns on platforms like Roku, Amazon, and Samsung, achieving diverse objectives tailored to specific goals. Managing over 50 campaigns across brand, sports, films, and originals, Brooke scaled the Peacock account and navigated the complexities of the streaming landscape.

Brooke received her BA in Business/Marketing and Art from the University of Richmond. She currently lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughter. Amidst the hustle & bustle of work, she enjoys the solace in practicing yoga and masterfully dodging food thrown by her spirited young daughter.

SVP MEDIA SCIENCE

As SVP of Media Science at Eden Collective, Justin leads the development of scalable, business-aligned measurement frameworks that help high-growth brands make smarter, more confident decisions. He works at the intersection of media, analytics, and business strategy, guiding clients through the complex world of marketing measurement. Known for his ability to translate technical detail into clear, actionable insights, Justin is a trusted partner to both marketing leaders and cross-functional teams navigating critical moments in their growth.

Justin brings over a decade of experience in marketing analytics and media measurement, with a proven record of helping brands evolve from performance-driven to performance-optimized strategies. Before joining Eden, he led data science and media measurement for streaming and entertainment clients at Known, managing cross-functional teams and delivering measurable efficiency gains across paid media. Earlier roles at WPP and Kantar Media deepened his expertise in cross-channel measurement, media mix modeling, experimentation, and attribution.

He has worked across a range of business models and categories, with clients including Unilever, AMC Networks, John Deere, and Moderna. He gravitates toward challenges that combine creative, audience, branded media, and performance media into a unified growth strategy, helping clients design systems that not only explain what’s working but also guide what to do next.

As a leader, Justin is collaborative, pragmatic, and deeply invested in his clients' success. He believes the best results come from strong partnerships—clients bring deep knowledge of their business, and Justin brings clarity around how to measure and scale it.

He holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics and Statistics from Clemson University.  He lives in New York City and finds inspiration in arts and culture, especially where creativity and utility meet. On weekends, he’s often at a museum, gallery, concert, or film, always looking for ideas that challenge how we think and communicate.

ANALYTICS MANAGER

Caitlin Smith is the Analytics Manager at Eden Collective. She brings over two decades of experience in the advertising industry and she is known for her detail-oriented approach, providing Eden clients like A Place for Mom, The Farmer's Dog, GoodRx, ImmunoTek, Calibrate, Connie Health, Skura, The Week Jr., Jackpocket, Firstleaf, and Basic Research with comprehensive tracking, reporting, dashboards, and insights. Caitlin excels in response attribution for linear media, skillfully managing the intersection between traditional spike attribution and the evolving ACR attribution landscape.

Caitlin started off her career at a small agency where she spent a decade immersing herself in every facet of the industry, from accounting to media buying, operations, traffic, and creative concepting and production. Caitlin then thrived for another decade as an independent consultant, specializing in Direct Response attribution. Her diverse clientele spans across various industries, contributing to patient recruitment efforts for clinical trials at GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, collaborating with insurance giants like The General and Mr. Cooper, and guiding startups, including The RealReal, in their first efforts in linear media. Caitlin's expertise also extends to soliciting charitable donations for organizations like LA Children's Hospital and SEE International. 

Caitlin received her BA in film production from Pacific University. She resides in Portland, Oregon, in a house built in 1884 with her husband and two cats. Beyond her professional pursuits, Caitlin finds joy in cooking, exploring Portland's dynamic restaurant scene, cheering for the Timbers at games, and indulging in creative hobbies like knitting, quilting, and hosting BBQs during the summer months. 

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY

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SENIOR MANAGER OF DIGITAL INVESTMENT

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SENIOR MANAGER OF DIGITAL INVESTMENT

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