AAF Reno

Meet our Thomas C. Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award Winner: Laura Partridge

Laura Partridge is the Founder and President of CCMedia, a woman-owned media buying agency she launched in 1991. With more than 40 years in the advertising industry, she has developed, planned, and negotiated over $200 million in media placements, helping brands of all sizes maximize their reach and results. She also owns CCMedia Publishing, which produces highly targeted community and homeowner association magazines.

A San Francisco native raised in Marin County, Laura began her career in radio before becoming an entrepreneur in Truckee/North Lake Tahoe more than three decades ago. Her company has since grown and evolved with the industry, also expanding into both media buying agency services and publishing. Today, CCMedia is recognized for its holistic, media-agnostic approach—creating strategic media plans that integrate traditional media, all types of digital media, and social platforms; buying media better; and delivering measurable results through strong client partnerships and creative negotiations. CCMedia Publishing now produces seven community magazines, including Truckee Magazine, Northstar Living, The Shire, Tahoe Donner News, IVGID Magazine, ArrowCreek View, and Damonte Ranch magazine, which provide exclusive content and highly effective advertising opportunities to reach residents and second-homeowners.

In addition to her Bachelor’s degree from UCSB, Laura has numerous other credentials in radio advertising, digital marketing, market research, ratings, and social media. She is an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), where she has held multiple leadership roles and continues to foster growth, learning, and connection among entrepreneurs. She has also served on several community boards, including the Truckee Donner Chamber.

Known for her strategic expertise, ability to integrate all types of media, and compassionate leadership, Laura is passionate about helping businesses succeed. Today, she is proud to lead a strong, dedicated team at CCMedia and is excited to continue expanding the agency’s impact through strategic partnerships and innovation.

Outside of work, she’s an avid traveler, skier, scuba diver, golfer, and outdoor enthusiast, enjoying adventures with her husband and three children.

Join us on June 25th from 5:30p-8:30p at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa to celebrate Laura and the rest of our honorees. Admission includes food and 1 drink.
Get your tickets now at https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/

Meet Ad Person of the Year: Kurt Thigpen

Kurt Thigpen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ace Studios, a Reno-based creative marketing and production agency built around one simple belief: creativity for good. Ace partners with purpose-driven organizations to tell sharper stories, spark connection, and create lasting impact through strategy, design, digital marketing, photography, and video.
Equal parts strategist, storyteller, and professional chaos wrangler, alongside his husband Chris, Kurt has helped grow Ace into an award-winning agency recognized as AAF Western Region’s 2024 Advertising Agency of the Year. His leadership is rooted in the idea that good work should actually do something—for clients, for communities, and for the people brave enough to build something that matters.

Kurt’s commitment to AAF runs deep. He has served as President of AAF Reno, Governor of District 14, Western Region Treasurer, and now serves nationally as Vice Chair of the AAF Council of Governors. In 2024, he was honored with AAF’s national Lee-Douthit-Levine Perseverance Award, recognizing his resilience, leadership, and ongoing service to the advertising community.

Beyond the industry, Kurt is also a dedicated public servant. A former elected school board trustee, he now serves as Chair of Nevada’s State Public Charter School Authority, continuing his advocacy for education, equity, and stronger communities.

Whether he’s leading an agency, supporting the grassroots AAF network, or serving the public, Kurt brings the same energy: strategic, unfiltered when necessary, deeply mission-driven, and always focused on leaving things better than he found them.

Join us on June 25th from 5:30p-8:30p at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa to celebrate Kurt and the rest of our honorees. Admission includes food and 1 drink.

Get your tickets now at https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/

Just a friendly reminder that there is still time to submit your entries for the AAF Western Region's Best of the West Media Awards!

Do you know a company or individual who might fit one of these categories?
-Advertising Agency of the Year: For agencies of all sizes making a mark.
-Public Service Campaign or Event of the Year: For work that truly made a difference.
-Young Achiever Award: For the rising stars under 32 who are changing the game.
-Agency Professional of the Year: For that indispensable team member who deserves the spotlight.

This is our chance to celebrate the people and the work that make our local media community so special. Submitting is easy, and it’s a powerful way to boost team morale and showcase your company’s values. We have 20 award categories open for nominations.

We are also rolling out the first ever Western Region Summit Award! This is the highest honor in the Western Region that celebrates someone who has dedicated years of service to AAF at the local, district, or regional level.

Nomination deadline is June 30th!

Nomination link: https://aafwesternregion.org/media-awards-home/

Meet our Young Professional of the Year Award presented by Ad 2 Reno Winner: Rowena Magbitang-Piñero

Rowena Marie Magbitang-Piñero is a proud TMCC graduate who has been in the Reno advertising industry for four years. She is currently an illustrator, designer, and copywriter at Design on Edge who prides herself in being a self-proclaimed “Emotional Creative,” meaning whether she’s illustrating a rooster for a chicken shop or writing a blog on her most recent branding project, she feels deeply and strongly about the stories she is telling through her work. She is deeply committed to creating with a full heart and crafting meaningful work with lasting impact.

As a proud Filipino-American, Rowena values inclusivity, diversity, community, vulnerability, and faith and it’s evident in everything she does. She uses her heart and skills to craft with intention, disrupt narratives, and to center marginalized stories and experiences while also remaining committed to her values.

She believes in using design and illustration to thoughtfully challenge the way we think and care for our world, ourselves, and one another, and that good design points towards what is ultimately true, good, and beautiful in our world.

When she’s not at Design on Edge, she currently serves on the Ad 2 Reno board as their membership chair and freelances as an illustrator and handlettering artist under Good Fruit Creative Co. And beyond that, you can find Rowena cooking, weightlifting, spending time with her friends and family (and her dog Pickles), or rocking out at a concert (preferably at a Paramore one).

Join us on June 25th from 5:30pm-8:30pm at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa to celebrate Rowena and the rest of our honorees. Admission includes food and 1 drink.

Buy your tickets now at https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/

Please join us for our Ad People of the Year Awards gala on June 25th at the Atlantis!

Cheers to our 2025 Ad People of the Year:
Thomas C. Wilson Lifetime Achievement: Laura Partridge
Ad Person of the Year: Danni Winter and Kurt Thigpen
Community Contribution of the Year: Kristen Saibini, Downtown Reno Partnership
Young Professional of the Year Award presented by Ad 2 Reno: Rowena Magbitang-Pinero

For full event information and to buy tickets, go to https://aafreno.com/events/ad-people-of-the-year-2026/