Meet the Team

SOFIA VARGAS KARAM
Marketing and Sales Account Executive, Class of 2025

Sofia is studying journalism in Moody College’s honors program while pursuing a business minor. Sofia started her TSM journey at The Drag Audio and The Daily Texan three years ago, and she now works with clients in TSM’s sales office while managing operations at The Drag. She loves storytelling and brand strategy! Her interests include fitness classes, travel and the French language.

JACK MEFFORD
Marketing and Sales Account Executive, Class of 2026

Jack is an advertising student with extensive experience working in sports. He was a basketball manager for Texas Athletics in the summer of 2024, and he’s currently a marketing intern at D1 Approved, an influencer network for collegiate athletes. In his spare time, you can find Jack keeping up with his favorite Dallas-area sports teams (Go Mavs!). 

RYAN RANC
Marketing and Sales Account Executive, Class of 2025

A film student, Ryan has his hands in many aspects of the entertainment industry. From editing YouTube videos with millions of views to streaming on his own channel to interning in Los Angeles, Ryan has done it all. At TSM, Ryan is TSTV’s station manager and wrote his own film column at The Daily Texan. Ask him about his favorite horror movies if you meet him.

EMMA MATTSON
Marketing and Sales Account Executive, Class of 2026

Emma is an advertising student who originally studied at Oklahoma State, and she gained additional experience by interning at Social Beans Marketing. She’s already made her mark at UT by co-founding UT PALS with one of her best friends. When she’s not busy with work or school, she’s likely dreaming about her next plate of pad thai.

SASHA KALINIA
Student Media Specialist, Class of 2027

Sasha is studying advertising at Moody College. Fluent in internet culture, Sasha oversees TSM’s social media influencer program and is instrumental in growing TSM’s digital presence. She’s also taken on content creation after developing her Adobe skills in Moody’s classes. In her time off, Sasha enjoys playing with her cat, going to [solidcore], taking photography and traveling.

JULIA HARFENIST
Advertising Sales Marketing Representative, Class of 2028

Julia is a freshman majoring in advertising. In addition to assisting in sales projects at TSM, she’s a comics illustrator at The Daily Texan and a member of the Texas Advertising Group. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading and junk journaling.

BELLA CARR
Tower & Bridge Strategy and Development Intern, Class of 2025

Bella is an advertising major and business minor who’s spent more than a year at Tower & Bridge Communications, most recently as an analytics manager. She is now helping with operations and developing a strategic plan to support the long-term growth of the agency. Additionally, she’s a student in the Texas Media & Analytics program, was a social media intern at Camp Ozark, and is a member of Delta Delta Delta.

SARA KINNEY
Graphic Design Intern, Class of 2025

Sara is majoring in microbiology and journalism. She’s led in multiple areas of TSM, serving as design editor at The Daily Texan, creative director at BurntXOrange magazine, and executive producer and host at The Drag Audio. Additionally, Sara is a podcast intern at KUT & KUTX Studios. While designing at The Texan, Sara was also a meteorologist, writing the weather report for print issues.

AVERY THORPE
Graphic Design and Digital Content Creation Intern, Class of 2026

Avery is an advertising student who’s interested in all things art, and she hopes to one day be a creative director. Avery is currently an illustration coordinator at The Daily Texan and an art director in the Texas Creative sequence. At TSM, Avery upholds high standards in creating TSM’s online visual branding. A participant of Texas Global, she studied in Copenhagen and explored Denmark!

GERALD JOHNSON
Executive Director for Innovation and Partnerships

Originally from Montana, Gerald spent many years thawing in Houston working in publishing. He arrived at TSM in 2014 as director and has since transformed it into a thriving student media powerhouse. When he’s not ideating at work, you can catch him shopping at Costco or completing another DIY home improvement project.

EMILY COHEN
Director for Marketing, Agency and Advertising Operations

Emily loves helping clients make connections with Longhorns and advising students as they prepare for their future careers. A proud UT Advertising graduate, she brings decades of marketing, PR and event experience. When she’s not at TSM, Emily is out seeing live music with her husband, traveling or enjoying time at home with her cats.

WILL PARCHMAN
Director

Will is from Austin and a graduate of Baylor University, where he first got his start in student media. During his 15-year career in sports journalism, he’s written for The Athletic, Major League Soccer and more. He pivoted to sales and training and successfully led UT Arlington Student Publications before joining TSM in 2023.

MARLIES AREVALO
Manager for Advertising and Revenue/Product Strategy

A University of Houston graduate, Marlies enjoys strategizing how to reach target audiences through customized campaigns at UT Austin and Texas A&M. Her experience spans decades in newspaper and radio. She’s a mother of two humans, two dogs and a cat. She loves everything outdoors!

CHANCE WEICK
Media Account Executive

Chance has extensive experience in both sales and running events. He studied advertising and photography at the University of Alabama. A world traveler, he’s hiked the Dolomites in Italy and lived in Germany for a year with his best friend. His favorite local bakery is ThoroughBread in Austin.

DANNY PATTERSON
Account Manager

Danny is a native Texan from Houston and a Longhorn by blood and marriage. He’s worked in the media industry for over three decades and has a passion for customer service, creative marketing and making lasting connections. An avid sports fan, he watches the Astros, the Longhorns and the Texans regularly.

FRANK SERPAS
Assistant Director for Business and Media Operations

Frank is a true TSM longtimer. He got his start working as TSTV’s station manager while completing his graduate studies in biomechanics. He has a strong engineering background, with a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a master’s in engineering from UT.

TILLIE POLICASTRO
Senior Graphic Designer

A Greenwich Village native, Tillie is the artistic and creative beautifier of TSM. She’s been laying out spreads and creating graphics here since 2007, and is still going strong making sure our design needs are met. Outside of TSM, she also sells eclectic parasols through her company Hoopla Parasols.

PETER CHEN
Print Adviser

Peter has 20 years of newspaper experience, mainly as a photojournalist, but also as a reporter, photo editor and a multimedia journalist. He has also taught for two years at the college level. He was born in Taiwan, has lived in a few states and is the father of two. His one claim to fame is he was THE Goofy at Disneyland, once.

DAVID SCHNEIDER
Managing Director of Bevo Video Productions

David has worn many different hats in entertainment — everything from working ABC talk shows to directing live music (including Elton John, The Goo Goo Dolls, Lauryn Hill). He still loves his previous homeland, Philadelphia, but enjoys teaching, advising and directing at his new home at UT.

MATT LENNON
Producer at Bevo Video Productions

He’s an accomplished filmmaker with a B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont and an M.F.A in Film Production from UT. Also a lecturer for the Radio-Television-Film department and a crew member at Soundcrafter, a post-production audio facility in Austin. His dog has more Instagram followers than him.

JORDAN KNUL
Broadcast Adviser

A multi-disciplinary creative, Jordan has worked in music and television for over a decade as a producer and audio engineer. His name is synonymous with major brands such as ESPN, APPLE TV and Universal Music Group, to name a few. Outside of work, you can find Jordan fishing for monster bass, roller skating, and searching for new restaurants.

KATEY PSENCIK
Managing Director of The Drag Audio

Katey joined The Drag full-time in 2021 after working in newspapers, TV, digital media and nonprofit marketing. In her free time, Katey cheers on Longhorn sports, listens to way too much Taylor Swift and plays with her dogs, Oso and Mav. She’s also an adjunct lecturer in UT’s School of Journalism and Media.

EMILY QUIGLEY
Editor of Texas Connect Magazine

Emily is a lecturer in the School of Journalism and the associate director of the Moody Writing Support Program. Emily worked for 19 years at the Statesman. She was the assistant features editor, working with reporters and writers to craft stories about food, movies, art and more while also writing for the entertainment website, Austin360.

JASON LIHUANG
Digital Operations

Although he studied computer science at UT, his real passion was editing and helping run The Daily Texan. Once Jason graduated, he was saved from a life of coding by Gerald, who welcomed him into TSM to do some programming but also a lot of other stuff (e.g., writing these bios).