Sparksight, Inc.

Christopher Justice

Chief Executive Officer
BOD: Open Source Matters
BOD: Association of Corporate Growth/Austin
Education: BS Computer Science, University of North Carolina

Christopher Justice is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Sparksight. He oversees operations and strategy but Chris is a key component of each Sparksight project and client. Combining wisdom and humor with common sense, Chris is a featured speaker and is a master at building better businesses through a combination of face-to-face and online marketing techniques. Chris has developed local, national and international marketing programs and events that capture the imagination and generate a sense of opportunity from attendees, customers, partners and employees. His fun and joking personality spreads through each employee and client, allowing for a casual but always professional experience.

Chris is a passionate entrepreneur who has spent his career spearheading marketing, sales and product strategy groups within Computer Associates, IBM, Vignette, the SEC, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Chris formed his outlook on life, business philosophies and customer service approach from his father.

T. Kelly Shores

Chief Operating Officer
Education: BA Communication, University of Texas

Kelly Shores is President and co-founder of Sparksight. He enjoys being the guy who makes things happen behind the scenes, whether it’s producing events, video or online media. Kelly appreciates the variety of desk work and in-the-field action he experiences at Sparksight.

Kelly is married with two kids, he loves to mountain bike, work around his house and discover new music and bands. Some would say he is Sparksight’s rhythm guitar to Chris’ lead guitar. Kelly’s unique blend of expertise in Web technology, content management, video production and event marketing is a big part of what makes Sparksight a unique and engaging agency.

Curtis Gattis

Chief Performance Officer
Education: BA Economics, University of Texas

Curtis Gattis is the Chief Performance Officer of Sparksight. He oversees Sales, Business Development and the Go-To-Market strategy and is responsible for driving Sparksight’s growth through expansion of the client base, partnerships and revenue. Curtis brings more than a decade of leadership and a proven track record with high-growth software companies to Sparksight. Prior to joining Sparksight Curtis served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Century Payments and prior to that he served in various leadership roles at both SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) and AlterPoint (acquired by Versata) where he was responsible for building and leading the Sales Organization at both companies.  

When not at work Curtis is usually found behind his boat on a surfboard or out on a long bike ride with his wife. In addition to playing outside he is also passionate about Formula 1 racing, travel and great wine. Curtis has no musical talent but is happy to play “roadie” and/or “groupie” to all the artists and musicians that fill the hallways at Sparksight.

Katie McKown

General Manager
Education: BBA, Fort Lewis

Katie is the production manager at Sparksight. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, event management and production. As a people-person, Katie loves the opportunity for interaction with clients, as well as the challenges her work creates for her. Her industry experience helps customers create unique attendee experiences while delivering worry-free conferences and events. Katie also ensures that the financial plan and conference budget are always on target.

Katie describes herself as the “messiest detail-oriented person” she knows. With background in the hotel business, she is a realistic and logical thinker that applies her experience towards her production of events. She loves the flexibility and high level of trust she feels working at Sparksight. When she’s not on the job, Katie enjoys watching soccer, drinking beer, being outdoors, and going to the beach. She even enjoys the scorching heat of Texas.

Andrew King

Director of Video Production
Education: BS Radio, Television and Film, University of Texas

Andrew’s life has always revolved around art and film. From his early days as a flipbook-maker, he knew his passion was telling stories. Some of his early works include “car chase with big crash” and “man slipping on a banana peel.” Later in his elementary days, he usurped his dad’s hi-8 video camera to produce a series of stop-motion films about a green clay dinosaur that wreaked havoc on a city of Hot Wheels.

From there, his passion for storytelling and filmmaking took off. As a video producer and graphic designer at Sparksight, his passion is constantly expanding. His broad set of skills allows him to tackle a variety of projects with unique challenges, which suits what he calls his “Creative ADD.” His laid back, fun loving personality allows him to find enjoyment in every project, no matter how big or small. When he’s not telling stories at Sparksight, Andrew writes and directs screenplays of his own, hangs out with his wife, and continues his unending quest for­ the “Best Dr Pepper Ever”.

Ibrahim Kabil

Interactive Designer
Education: BS Advertising, University of Texas

Ibrahim Kabil has been described as a Swiss Army knife of web talents. Throughout grade school, he developed a reputation for impressing his peers with captivating websites and dazzling Flash animations. His passion for design piqued in high school when he began freelance projects for small businesses; specializing in website design, programming, animations, and banners.

Since school, Ibrahim has mastered Adobe Creative Suite and has knowledge of a variety of web programming languages. To date, his experience includes developing Flash, HTML/CSS, and database-driven websites as well as designing interactive banners, animations and print ads. However, he is most in his element when tackling new projects that challenge him to expand his skill set into new territory.

Sharon Bistline

Creative Director
Education: BS Communications, Texas A&M

Sharon provides end-to-end creative services for business and marketing planning to comprehensive and integrated advertising and promotional programs. Sharon’s philosophy is to approach all projects from a holistic, integrated perspective while developing ideas that evoke an emotional response. Sharon has designed and produced hundreds of projects, from print and online advertising to promotional and large format event signage. She has a keen eye for the visual arts and uniquely weaves these skills together in all of her graphic and media work. Her passion for design is fueled by the potential to positively impact the world with her work. Sharon not only applies her creative passion to projects but she applies this philosophy to the people behind the projects.

Before joining Sparksight, Sharon was the Art Director at the Matthews Group in College Station. She is a passionate Texas A&M graduate receiving her BA in Speech Communication and Minor in Spanish. Her versatility and drive are visible in all of her work and she is happy to be back in Austin, TX. In her free time she loves watching live music, spending time at the lake, and taking her boxer Maddie to the park.

Larry F. Hill

Writer, Author and Master Creative

Two journalist parents and his first job at age eight in a print shop meant writing and communication were in Larry’s DNA, since mutated by stints as ad agency creative director, national advertising manager and 13 years as a managing communication consultant for a global consulting firm where he served as strategist, facilitator, writer, producer and creative director. Thusly warped, he was drawn to copywriting and to creative writing and screenwriting, resulting in a nearly-finished book of humorous vignettes and a number of optioned screenplays with one in perpetual post-production.

Larry has written and produced print, Web and video marketing communication for clients like Blue Coat Systems, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Continental Airlines, Dell, Disney, Exxon-Mobil, Hyperformix, NOKIA, Reliant Energy, Shell, SONY and Wachovia. His work has received awards from the Austin Advertising Federation, Houston Advertising Federation, Art Director’s Club of Houston, Business Insurance magazine, the International Association of Business Communicators, and The New York International Film Festivals.

Michelle Howell

Director of Research and Industry Intelligence
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Texas

After spending more than ten years in high tech start-ups managing sales, business development and marketing teams Michelle Howell’s love of challenges and innate curiosity steered her toward market intelligence, In 2004, she launched OpenSky Research to provide businesses with sales, marketing, customer and competitive research geared toward driving intelligent actions.  Michelle’s motto is to EXCEED EVERY CLIENT’S EXPECTATIONS, which Sparksight’s clients appreciate immensely.  Outside the office, Michelle spends time playing with her family, and once they’re asleep, writing books.