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716 Congress Ave. #200 Austin TX 78701

(512) 358-9907

High-voltage
creative energy

We are not a traditional agency.
We are not a social agency,
or a digital agency.

We are a creative agency.

Leadership

Bringing together over 20 years each of creative and strategic experience, Mark Scholes and Bryan Branam have honed their ability to creatively solve their clients' unique challenges. Starting at agencies like The Richards Group and GSD&M respectively, they learned the processes of the big shops, but worked to maintain a real authenticity with each client. They are dedicated to finding like-minded folks to work with, and have cultivated a diverse, creative environment at Third Rail.

Holden Christiansen

Sr. Developer

Mariana Rodriguez

Sr. Interactive Designer

Abbey Dandy

Interactive Designer

Laurel Martin

Account Coordinator

John Lee

Account Coordinator

Mark Scholes

Partner + Executive Creative Director

Marissa Chumbley

Sr. Account Executive

Bryan Branam

Partner + Account Director

Harry Manning

Senior Motion Designer

Cara Clear

Sr. Account Executive

Jordan Gray

Associate Creative Director

Chris Sandoval

Associate Creative Director

Annie Blalock

Account Coordinator

Desiray Davis

Account Coordinator

Kristi Helm

Sr. Account Executive

JJ Livesley

Head of Design & Interactive

Nguyen Pham

Production Artist

Open Position

Account Executive

Open Position

Copywriter

Holden Christiansen

Sr. Developer

Holden joined the Third Rail team as Sr. Developer. With more than 7 years dedicated to front end web development, he has a diverse array of experience building mobile apps and websites for Fortune 500 companies including AGCO, Cox Media Group, and Walgreens.

In his spare time, Holden enjoys traveling and being active by biking, running, or hiking. You’ll also find him at home with his husband and two adorable cats.

Mariana Rodriguez

Sr. Interactive Designer

Mariana graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Advertising Design and a minor in Photography. She started her career at a design shop in California where she did everything from print to social media projects. She is an amazing designer and a bright personality to add to the Third Rail team.

Mariana enjoys being active by attending fitness classes and taking long walks with her husband and rescue dog. She likes outdoor activities like hiking, paddle boarding and landscape photography.

Abbey Dandy

Interactive Designer

We’re excited to welcome Abbey and her passion for web design and typography to our creative team as our new Interactive Designer. Drawing inspiration from contemporary and classic fashion and graphic design, she has always used art to express herself. Outside of designing, you can catch her riding her bike, collaging, and relaxing with family and friends.

Laurel Martin

Account Coordinator

Laurel joins the 3RC team as our new Account Coordinator. Hailing from the Windy City, she moved to Austin in search of warmer weather and weekend hikes. After getting her undergraduate degree in Advertising from the University of Oregon, she made her way back to Chicago and spent the beginning of her career as an Account Management Intern. Now, she’s looking forward to finding the best breakfast taco, kayaking on Lady Bird Lake, and getting comfortable saying “y’all” in conversation.

John Lee

Account Coordinator

John is the latest account coordinator to join the Third Rail Creative team. As a native Texan, he graduated with a marketing degree from Texas State University and interned at various agencies in Austin. Home must really be where the heart is, because he decided that he wasn’t ready to let go of his Austinite title. When he’s not working, you’ll find him sewing clothes, catching some live music shows or chomping on some local bites.

Mark Scholes

Partner + Executive Creative Director

After graduating from the University of Texas, Mark started at The Richards Group working on national accounts including The Home Depot and Chick-fil-A. Moving back to Austin to be with his soon-to-be wife, he started Third Rail Creative building relationships with local clients as well as a few Fortune 500 clients.

Mark and his wife, Anissa, have 4 children, and when he’s not stepping on Legos, you can find him on the tennis court, golf course, or with Anissa at the Paramount Movie Theater watching the classics.

Marissa Chumbley

Sr. Account Executive

Marissa has been with the Third Rail team for the last two years on the account management side. She primarily focuses on managing Schwab Trading Services client marketing, Schwab Retail and optionsXpress. After receiving her MA in Advertising, she spent time at a local ad shop honing her digital marketing skills focusing on email, web, and social channels.

In her spare time, Marissa enjoys being outdoors on the trail or at the lake with her husband and two pups, Ava and Max. She loves traveling, concerts and a good cocktail. You’ll also find her cheering throughout the season for the Cowboys, Spurs and her alma mater, the Longhorns.

Bryan Branam

Partner + Account Director

Bryan made his way to Austin from Houston and never looked back. He is a proud University of Texas alum who started his advertising career at GSD&M. After working in media buying and account service on Wal-Mart and AT&T, he shifted his career to focus on the digital space with Third Rail and driving growth for our cornerstone client - Charles Schwab.

Bryan balances work with DIY projects around the house and staying active with his 8-year old son and wife - distance running and cross-training mostly.

Harry Manning

Senior Motion Designer

Joining the Third Rail Creative team as our Senior Motion Designer, Harry is an all-around creative who specializes in video and motion graphics. Originally an East Coast native, he’s living life frame by frame in the sunny mountains of Boulder, Colorado where you’ll find him skiing, playing guitar, and illustrating.

Cara Clear

Sr. Account Executive

Cara is a University of Texas at Austin alum with over 7 years of experience in advertising and public relations. She started her career as Publicist at the Frank Erwin Center, then switched gears after 2 years to advertising as an Account Executive at a local agency.

Born and raised in Austin, Cara is a fan of all things Longhorns (Hook 'em!). She also enjoys playing golf, watching movies, going to open houses, board games, and of course, playing with her adorable son, Liam.

Jordan Gray

Associate Creative Director

Jordan brings a multi-disciplinary skill set to the Third Rail team, providing creative solutions and art direction for all mediums. A Texas State alumni with degrees in art history & mass communication she thrives on projects that allow her to curate brand experiences from start to finish, which led her to the ambitious world of advertising.

When she isn’t flexing her creative muscles you can find her: exploring Austin for the best happy hour menus, kayaking Central Texas’ multitude of rivers, watching horror movies, hosting dinner parties and taking spontaneous road trips with her husband and their two little monsters, Diego & Ollie (a blue heeler & miniature dachshund).

Chris Sandoval

Associate Creative Director

Chris has spent the last three years of his decade-long career crafting copy at Third Rail. From emails to websites to employee bios, he does it all.

When he’s not writing for work, he’s writing for pleasure. He also enjoys swimming and biking in the great outdoors as well as drumming and watching movies in the great indoors.

Annie Blalock

Account Coordinator

Annie joins the Third Rail Creative team as one of our new Account Coordinators. Born and Raised in Nashville, TN, she moved to Austin, TX from Oxford, MS where she attended The University of Mississippi (Hotty Toddy!) While in Oxford, Annie earned her B.B.A. in Marketing and is currently finishing up her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications. In her free time, you can find Annie adding to her garden, paddle boarding on Lady Bird, trying out new restaurants, and going on walks with her dog, Bella.

Desiray Davis

Account Coordinator

Desiray is our Account Service intern in her second year of grad school at the University of Texas at Austin, Stan Richards School of Advertising and PR. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Advertising focusing on Account Planning and Media Insights. When she is not discovering consumer insights, you can find her yelling "Texas! Fight!" at UT football, volleyball, and basketball games. Hook'em!

Kristi Helm

Sr. Account Executive

With almost a decade of experience working on internal marketing teams brand-side, and account management teams agency-side, Kristi is our internal process guru, ensuring things stay on track and follows protocol. And will be the first to call out a typo or extra space on a menu.

Outside the office you’ll find Kristi exploring Austin’s latest restaurants and happy hours, hiking, chasing (or being chased by) her two boys, and crashing on the couch alongside her husband with an Old Fashioned and Cubs game.

JJ Livesley

Head of Design & Interactive

JJ joined Third Rail with over 12 years of experience in the design industry. He supervised a team of 12 designers as Art Director at the largest publishing company in Europe and since moving to Austin, has worked for countless local and national clients.

When he is not in front of his computer, you can usually find him relaxing with his lovely wife and black pug, playing video games or watching movies with a good stout or scotch.

Nguyen Pham

Production Artist

Nguyen is a multi-disciplinary designer with a focus in print design and production. Her experience working with various print and design software enables her to work behind-the-scenes to ensure all files are ready for the next stage.

Outside of the office, Nguyen enjoys finding the best karaoke places to belt out some classics, going to local breweries and shows, and embroidering on a quiet evening.

Moving brands forward since 2001.

High-voltage creative energy

Leadership

Holden Christiansen

Mariana Rodriguez

Abbey Dandy

Laurel Martin

John Lee

Mark Scholes

Marissa Chumbley

Bryan Branam

Harry Manning

Cara Clear

Jordan Gray

Chris Sandoval

Annie Blalock

Desiray Davis

Kristi Helm

JJ Livesley

Nguyen Pham

Open Position

Open Position

Holden Christiansen

Mariana Rodriguez

Abbey Dandy

Laurel Martin

John Lee

Mark Scholes

Marissa Chumbley

Bryan Branam

Harry Manning

Cara Clear

Jordan Gray

Chris Sandoval

Annie Blalock

Desiray Davis

Kristi Helm

JJ Livesley

Nguyen Pham

High-voltage
creative energy