General 2 — AAF HAWAII

Meet the Board

AAF Hawai`i Past President

Jerry Blue • Element 8, LLC

Jerry has over two decades of industry experience which includes work at several prominent agencies in Hawai`i such as Ogilvy & Mather, and The Schiller Group. In 2001, Jerry co-founded Element 8, a small advertising agency in downtown Honolulu.
He’s well respected by his peers and was named the “Young Ad Person of the Year” in 2000, and “Ad Man of the Year” in 2017 by the American Advertising Federation of Hawai`i. He has led the Ad Up Hawai`i program which brings together advertising professionals to provide grants, workshops, and advertising campaigns to deserving non-profit organizations. And is on the NAV Board for Navian Hawaii helping with fundraising efforts.

AAF Hawai`i President

Ryan Kawamoto • Kinetic Productions

Ryan Kawamoto has been with Kinetic Productions for nearly twenty years where he has established himself as a television and film director with a flair for storytelling.
Heʻs directed numerous advertising campaigns including multi-year TV campaigns featuring NFL quarterback Marcus Mariota for Island Insurance.
Kawamoto was recognized as the AAF Hawai`i " 2012 Advertising Man of the Year," as well as the "2004 Outstanding Young Ad Person of the Year," by Ad 2 Hawai`i. He has directed and collaborated on numerous Pele Award winning commercials, including two "Best of Show" Awards.
He directed three feature length films. His latest project, “Voices Behind Barbed Wire: Stories of Hawai`i,” premiered at the 2018 Hawai`i International Film Festival, and was awarded a 2020 Preservation Honor Award by the Historic Hawai`i Foundation.
In his spare time, Kawamoto mentors students for the PBS Hawai’i program, “Hiki No," is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Kahala Sunrise. He has served on the AAF Hawai`i Board of Directors for the past six years and is the current 2022-2024 President.

Governor of AAF District 13

Paul Lam • President of Media Buy Paul, LLC

Paul is the President of Media Buy Paul, LLC, a marketing consulting and media buying service that he founded in April 2018. Paul has been serving as Governor of AAF District 13 since 2011. His duties include overseeing AAF Hawai`i and Ad 2 Hawai`i, the Pele Awards and the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).

AAF Hawai`i Vice - President

Lyndsay Schedler • MVNP - Account Director

Lindsay has been a member of the account service team at MVNP since 2017. In her role as an account supervisor, her focus is on accounts in the travel and tourism industry. Before moving to Hawai`i, Lindsay was an account executive at Jacobson/Rost in Milwaukee, WI.
Lindsay joined the AAF Hawai`i board in 2020 and serves on the Programs Committee and is the current Vice President. Lindsay holds a bachelor of science in journalism, advertising and media studies, as well as an associate degree in fashion marketing.

AAF Hawai`i Secretary

Helen Chang • NMG Network

Helen is an Account Executive for Spectrum Reach, the local TV and digital advertising arm of some of the biggest cable networks like ESPN, CNN, and HGTV to name a few. She has over 10 years of experience in various media formats, from print to digital, and collaborates with industries of all categories and sizes to develop robust advertising campaigns. Adapting to and learning from an ever-evolving media landscape is a skill she's honed. But the skill that she deems most important, professionally or otherwise, is being "coachable." Helen is actively involved in various non-profit organizations and strongly advocates for high school speech and debate programs. She currently serves as a Programs Co-chair for the American Advertising Federation - Hawai`i Chapter and organizes events that bring the voices of our local advertising community together.

AAF Hawai`i Treasurer

Keith DeMello • Senior Vice President, Communications & External Affairs

Ulupono Initiative
Keith is responsible for managing all communications campaigns and programs in support of Ulupono Initiative’s mission to improve the quality of life for the people of Hawai`i by working toward solutions that create more locally grown food; increase clean, renewable energy; and promote better management of freshwater and waste.
He also served as deputy communications director for Gov. Neil Abercrombie, collaborating with public information officers across various departments, and (following the governor’s term) within the State of Hawai`i Office of Enterprise Technology as senior communications manager, reporting directly to the state chief information officer while handling the agency’s communications and legislative coordination.
Keith earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. He is the immediate past-president of the Hawaii Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, a past president of the Hawai`i Chapter of the American Marketing Association, and a member of the boards of the Honolulu Zoological Society and Portuguese Chamber of Commerce. He was the recipient of the 2020 President’s Leadership Award from the Hawai`i Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

President’s Message

Aloha!

Iʻm honored to serve as your new AAF Hawai`i President starting this July 2022. My main goal for this upcoming year is to engage and connect with all of you through our upcoming in-person events, educational programs, and networking socials.

The new club year brings exciting opportunities, so keep an eye on our social media channels, e-blasts and website as we bring back some of our favorite in-person events and add a few new events to the mix.

I want to make sure that you feel value and inclusion in AAF Hawai`i, so feel free to e-mail me anytime at ryank@kineticproductions.com.

Feel free to reach out to any member of our executive team: Lindsay Schedler (Vice President), Helen Chang (Board Secretary), and Keith DeMello (Treasurer).

Iʻd like to send a special mahalo to Immediate Past President Jerry Blue for leading us through the pandemic years and keeping our club together. Jerry graciously agreed to stay on the board and I appreciate his continued leadership.

I would also like to welcome our newest board members Larry Ganiron and Kristina Ono who will both serve on our Communications Team.

Also please help spread the word for our upcoming Shining Star Scholarship which launches in Spring 2023.

I hope to see you all soon!

Mahalo,

Ryan Kawamoto
President, AAF Hawai`i

AAF Hawaiʻi Board Members

Jody Shiroma

AAF Education Co-Chair
PBS Hawaiʻi, Vice President, Communications and Programming
James Sereno

AAF Education Co-Chair
Kinetic Productions
Owner/Director
Amy Landin

AAF Communications Co-Chair
Gilbert & Associates
Art Director
Larry Ganiron

AAF Communications Co-Chair
Lifted Creative Studio
Owner/Creative Director
Jenny Greene

AAF Communications Committee
Cake Media Maui
Creative Director
Kristina Ono

AAF Communications Committee
Marketing Professional
Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union
Kaylin Laeha

AAF Programs Committee
MVNP
Account Supervisor
Mericia Palma Elmore

AAF Government Relations
SAG-AFTRA Hawaiʻi
Executive Director
Kristane Gaspar

AAF Education Committee
Spectrum Reach
Yield & Inventory Manager
Sheena Cole

AAF Communications Committee
MVNP
Senior Digital Project Manager