Our Team

We're a unique team of strategic communicators and creative content creators with a combined 40 years of experience working with businesses and non-profit organizations of all sizes nationwide.

 

JUSTIN GRAYSON is an award-winning, public relations and communications leader with a national reputation in navigating organizations out of crisis, successfully executing marketing and branding campaigns, and positively shaping an organization's public perception. Justin has a degree in Journalism from Florida A&M University, and began his media career as a producer at ABC News Washington, working on all of ABC’s national news broadcasts, including World News Tonight and Nightline. Justin has most recently served as a leader in the field of public school communications. In six years, and having worked in both Fresno and Riverside Unified School Districts in California, Justin has received numerous awards including:

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• 2018 School District Administrator of the Year by ACSA Region 19

• 2018 Classified Leader of the Year by the Riverside Assoc. of School Managers

• National finalist for PR News’ Non-Profit Awards

• 8x winner of National School PR Association (NSPRA) awards

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AKWI NJI is an award-winning writer, speaker, communications leader, and storytelling artist. Her professional expertise uniquely spans the corporate and creative world, positioning her as a leading voice on strategic creative communications in the Midwest region. She has degrees in English and Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Iowa and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the School of the Institute of Chicago. Prior to founding The Hook + Throughline Co, she was the communications director for the fourth largest employer in Linn County, Iowa, serving more than 20,000 stakeholders. 

 

While working in strategic communications and speaking around the country, she also enjoys a robust artistic career with a focus on community arts initiatives that build civic wellness. She is founder of an arts organization called The Hook, a member of the Iowa Arts Council Board, the creator of a nationwide audio and visual storytelling arts initiative called The Remoir Project, and was a 2016 Iowa Arts Council Fellow for her work as multidisciplinary artist and writer. As a consultant and content creator, she has worked with small and mid-sized arts organizations and companies in the Midwest region. In all areas of her work, she harnesses the power of creative storytelling to impact human behavior in order to achieve an organization's goals.

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JOSH BOOTH is a leader in powerfully-told stories through photography and and videography. As co-founder of Flow Media and founder of Soul Cry, a niche company designed to tell impactful stories in visual form, Josh has worked with companies throughout the Midwest to beautifully tell their most important stories.

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THE HOOK + THROUGHLINE CO is a boutique company dedicated to ensuring you achieve your goals. We work with you to build out individualized quarter-specific or year-long strategies and content to boost engagement that leads to sales, up-levels your fundraising initiatives, educates stakeholders on your new products and services, and advances your story.​ Harnessing the power of digital, traditional, and live media can feel like tackling an unwieldy puzzle. We work with your budget to turn valuable PR puzzle pieces into a strategically designed masterpiece that achieves your unique goals. With us, the guessing game is over.

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