Our Story & Company Culture
Our founders Caitlin and Cynarah have been working together in some capacity for over 13 years. Beyond their love of helping clients tell their brand stories and helping them grow, Caitlin and Cynarah have come together for many different reasons; their love of chicken wings, comfort food, and all things food and drinks; their love of travel and fashion; and the unmistakable satisfaction of creating great content.
MCA Marketing was born from a desire to bring smart, collaborative people together to deliver great work to smart, collaborative clients. Cynarah and Caitlin aspired to create the agency of their dreams, where people love the work they do, have fun, don't take themselves too seriously, and yet still deliver excellent, imaginative work to their clients.
Co-founder Cynarah has said, "nothing is that urgent; we are not curing cancer or conducting brain surgery. Your families, your health, your “me time” come first. But great content (and marketing) does have an impact on people's lives: we are helping our clients to hone their audiences and share compelling stories to move their business forward." That should tell you a little bit about our culture. We take great pride in delivering excellent work in a timely fashion, but not at the expense of our team's wellbeing. We want clients with similar cultures that respect our values and boundaries.
We want to grow alongside our clients. We are looking for clients who are our true partners and are passionate about what they sell. Because we feel each of our clients' pains, challenges, and joys, we hope to bring them more wins so we can all celebrate them together—with lots of food and drinks, of course!
Our Founders
Cynarah Alcántara
Founding Principal, Head Strategist
Cynarah brings more than 20 years of experience developing and executing compelling brand marketing strategies in high-growth environments. She’s managed and executed integrated, multi-channel marketing programs for business and consumer audiences across a broad spectrum of services and products. She’s worked for agencies supporting several fortune 100 companies, large international consumer brands, nonprofits, education and government. She has built in-house marketing teams from the ground up at several organizations and previously owned several successful businesses, including a marketing & PR agency.
Cynarah is a multi-faceted, data-driven leader, and bilingual marketing professional who is focused on delivering results and building happy, high-performing teams. She has led internal functional teams, partners and vendors to develop award-winning marketing initiatives. She has won two Telly Awards and several PRSA awards. She has also been featured as a marketing expert locally and national on multiple publications and has spoken at various conferences.
Cynarah graduated with a BA from Middlebury College. She loves to travel, discover new restaurants and lives in Tacoma with her husband, their three teenagers and their red heeler named Finn.
Caitlin Villareal
Founding Principal, Head Content Strategist
Caitlin excels at tuning into the unique voice and identity of her clients to create content that is effective, accurate, and distinctive. With a background in hospitality, she has a natural enthusiasm for collaboration and loves connecting with others who are passionate about what they do. As a collaborator, Caitlin’s greatest strength is her positivity and energy.
Caitlin has been writing for herself since age 4, reviewing fashion since 2009, and honing marketing copy that converts since 2011. In 2023, she co-founded MCA Marketing with Cynarah Alcántara, her mentor and collaborator since 2009.
Though she specializes in working with hospitality and lifestyle brands such as restaurants, fashion designers, and boutique winemakers, Caitlin has also worked with B2B and B2C financial companies, higher education, nonprofits, and music labels. She specializes in email marketing, capturing a brand’s story, and creating marketing materials. In addition, she is practiced at social media marketing, video and graphic design creation, and web design.
When she isn’t copywriting, Caitlin is chasing down antiques and chicken wings in Seattle with her husband, Ed.
Meet the Team
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Haley Anthony
Influencer Marketing Director and Strategist
Haley has nearly a decade of marketing experience across food and beverage/CPG, financial/professional services, construction, and more. She’s well-versed in all things digital (social, web, email; you name it), brand strategy, influencer marketing and content writing. Haley has a heart for helping brands level up their business by balancing creativity with analytics and strategy.
And she’s not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty, either. Famous for tackling DIY projects that should *probably* be done by two people, starting a new sourdough recipe at 8 pm on a Tuesday, and pounding the pavement before sunrise to hit her weekly mileage goals, Haley likes a good challenge. You can often find her with her husband and their pup somewhere on the water, in the mountains, or scoping out the newest Tacoma restaurants and breweries.
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Leigh Partington
Assistant Account Manager
Leigh is a recent graduate of the University of Washington where she double majored in Communication and English. Her experience so far has been in social media management and marketing roles for small businesses, including creating social media content, news and events research related to the interests of the businesses, and creating newsletter and promotional content. When she’s not helping MCA Marketing’s amazing clients, she enjoys trying out new restaurants and coffee shops with her friends, baking, and hanging out with her cat, Miguel.
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Nicole Richardson
Content Writer
With years of both communications and business operations experience, Nicole is a Jill of all trades - spending much of her professional career oscillating between Marketing and Communications work, as well as Programmatic and Operations Management for big tech in the Seattle area. She's well-versed in various spaces including retail, logistics, recruiting, and product development, which offers a unique perspective to her work.
Nicole graduated from James Madison University with a double major in Communications and Media Arts & Design. When not hustling, you can find her hunting down the best Seattle happy hours with her partner or taking way too many photos of her two cats Henry and Miso.
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Sadiq Pasha
SEO Specialist
Sadiq is a Data Specialist based out of Southern California. As an SEO specialist, he has worked with businesses small, large and everything in between to understand their unique needs. He understands the phenomenal power of a strong online presence and the credibility it brings to a brand.
Beyond analytics and problem solving, he values collaboration with clients and teams alike. He firmly believes that the needs of every business are different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach in the SEO business. Every client has specific needs and those needs must be addressed using every single tool at their disposal.
When away from his computer, he’s a foodie who loves to eat through his curated list of restaurant recommendations. He also loves all things aviation and plans to work on his pilots license in the near future.
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Richard Sanderson
Creative Director
Richard Sanderson has over a decade of experience in design, spanning across digital, print, video and animation. He possesses an innate ability to dive deep into the creative process, ensuring that brands don't just look good but speak to the heart of their audiences. His portfolio is a testament to his versatile skills, showcasing brand narratives, digital and print campaigns, packaging design, short videos and animated projects. His approach to design is deeply personal: he doesn't just create aesthetics, he crafts experiences, builds relationships, and ignites brand evolution. Richard calls Kent home, where he resides with his wife, and two daughters. During his leisure time, you can catch him staying active through boxing or exploring new restaurants with his family.
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Kim Suwak
Marketing Director, Writer
Kim has over 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, with a heavy emphasis on copywriting, content creation, proofreading and editing. Having worked on rebranding projects throughout her career, she understands the importance of creating copy that accurately reflects a brand's voice and tone. She can be tasked with creating anything in the written word, from blogs to social media posts, to emails, web copy, radio ads, video scripts and even formal letters, press releases and notices. Kim has worked for a variety of companies including Univera, The Olympian, Westfield Malls, and SimpliFun.
Kim graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Journalism. She lives in Olympia, WA with her rescued Formosan Mountain dog, Uno. She's an outdoor lover, an avid hiker and a fitness enthusiast.
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Kate Wilkinson
Public Relations, Project Manager
Kate Wilkinson is a natural connector with a knack for bringing people together. Outgoing and enthusiastic, she thrives in dynamic environments where her people skills shine. Whether hosting a memorable event, forging meaningful relationships, or stepping into the spotlight as an actor, Kate’s warmth and charisma are her trademarks. She’s as comfortable planning a grand soirée as she is navigating the nuanced world of public relations.
Kate’s career spans a diverse array of experiences that showcase her adaptability and talent for connection. From managing high-profile sales and events for a major restaurant group across North and South Carolina, Denver, Nashville, and Miami to assisting in art galleries and closing deals as a realtor, Kate has excelled at communications and delivering results. Her background includes years of customer service in vibrant cities like Los Angeles, Portland, Key West, and Charleston, giving her a well-rounded perspective on engaging diverse audiences.
When she’s not connecting people or planning unforgettable gatherings, Kate enjoys belting out tunes as a karaoke queen in Charleston, SC. She’s also a lover of travel, art, film, and unique earrings.