Together we can do amazing things
Get to know Comrade
Comrade offers a personal connection with the real people doing the work—there's no lead singer, and no one behind the curtain. Our clients develop a rapport with everyone on the team and see for themselves the passion and integrity we bring to what we do. We aim to deliver work clients love.
Our Leadership Team
Be a comrade. It’s much more than our name—it’s how we work, who we are as people, and how we engage with our community.
Thelton McMillian
Founder, CEO
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For more than 20 years, Thelton has been partnering with clients and creative teams to brand, design and market products and service experiences. As founder and CEO, he provides creative and visionary leadership at Comrade, while fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence. He has a passion for getting to the heart of any problem by listening, understanding and quickly connecting with people. After serving as President and COO at Critical Mass and VP, Managing Director at Organic San Francisco, Thelton founded Comrade so he could work more personally with clients and comrades on a day-to-day basis.
With strategic insight and attention to detail, Thelton has led digital programs and large scale website and e-commerce builds for the likes of AT&T, Bank of Montreal, Bank of the West, BlackRock, Ford, Home Depot, Hyatt, HP, ING, Intel, JPMorgan Chase, Macy’s, Mercedes-Benz, Morgan Stanley, NASA, Sony PlayStation and Starbucks, among others.
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I’m grateful for the talented group of people I’ve been able to call my comrades, and proud of the company that we’ve all created together—one built on respect, a love for smart design, creative solutions, and a desire to make everyday experiences better.
Christy McMillian
Founder, COO, Client Partner
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As one of Comrade’s co-founders and leading Client Partner, Christy has set the standard for effective and efficient client collaboration. She’s helped build an environment where her fellow comrades can do their best work, get inspired, learn from one another and, most importantly, be fed. Have you tried her homemade strawberries and cream gelato?
Overseeing the Bank of the West relationship for four years, Christy has led several of the bank’s major initiatives, including a complete website redesign. Previously, Christy served as the account director for Mercedes-Benz USA and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority accounts at Critical Mass. Her client experience spans a variety of consumer and Financial Services brands, including JPMorgan Chase, Harrah’s (now Caesar’s) Entertainment, Schwab, Scotia Bank, Sony PlayStation, TIAA-CREF, Ubisoft and WaMu. Christy holds a BAA in Media Arts from Ryerson University.
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What I love best about working in this industry is that it challenges me to adapt to the perpetually changing landscapes of technology, strategy and design.
Darren Murata
Founder, Creative Director
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Darren is an award-winning creative director with more than 20 years of experience in digital marketing, advertising and visual design. He believes in a results-focused, practical approach to design, guiding his clients and team towards tested and proven executions. As a Creative Director and co-founder of Comrade, he has created interactive marketing campaigns, websites, film/video and a variety of web and mobile applications.
Darren provides analytical thinking across the full creative spectrum from initial concepts to final implementations for such clients as Bank of the West, BlackRock and FICO. He built his design career at industry-leading agencies Modem Media, Digitas, and AKQA, working on brands including Visa, BFGoodrich, Intel, Michelin, PlayStation, and Sprint. He co-created an interactive design course at CCA and has been a judge and panelist at numerous conferences. Darren holds a BFA from Ryerson University.
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What will success look like, and how will we measure it? Those are the questions I ask about every idea that’s brought to the table.
Young Pham
Chief Strategy Officer
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A seasoned consultant and serial entrepreneur, Young has been providing strategic guidance to businesses for 20 years. At Comrade, he helps our clients envision, build and launch new products, marketing programs and service experiences. He believes any problem is a catalyst to move forward through innovation.
Young began his career in digital advertising at Modem Media, where he designed CRM and analytics programs for top consumer brands. Most notably, he was an executive for Washington Mutual’s Online Group and later helped form mortgage start-up Home Account and the global investing start-up InvestLab. He has led digital product and marketing teams for large financial services institution, FinTech startups, and a variety of consumer brands including Citibank, Intuit, Intel, AT&T, Levis, Dockers, Delta Air Lines, Alamo Rent A Car, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hewitt Packard and Michelin Tires. He has co-presented the launch of two Fin-Tech Start-ups at Finnovate, Fall 2009 and Demo, Spring 2009. Young holds a BBA in Business Analysis and Information Systems from Texas A&M University.
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I have always loved the idea that design can improve the world. Every day we get to make a difference in our clients’ businesses, and in turn their customers’ lives. It’s a huge opportunity and a real privilege.
Jaeson Paul
Director of User Experience
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Jaeson brings over 18 years of experience designing and leading great customer experiences for real users. His role includes the intersection of user testing and research, content strategy, and various development technologies.
Prior to Comrade, Jaeson spent 13+ years at JPMorgan Chase and Washington Mutual, where he led teams of Interaction Designers to reinvent how customers manage their money online. This included defining loyalty programs, investments, and two complete redesigns of payment interfaces for customers. Prior to his time in financial services, he spent time defining the information architecture and interaction design practices for the San Francisco iXL office, working with large clients in the travel, healthcare, and technology industries, including Disney Travel, ITT Sheraton, Hollister Incorporated, GE Financial Assurance, and many others.
Jaeson holds a BA in Music and English from the University of California at Berkeley.
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Working with clients to solve complicated problems is my favorite part of working at Comrade. It’s a chance to bring our team together with their team and make things better.
Elena Engle
Director of Project Management
Elena is a project manager with a great understanding of delivery. She’s worked in project delivery, operations, and non-profit program development for 16 years including supporting work on Wells Fargo, BlackRock, and Schwab.
Prior to Comrade, Elena spent time at as Operations Manager at Solstice Press where she provided delivery for thousands of diverse projects in print production. She also spent time at the Boys and Girls Club serving is various capacity including Education Director, Program Director, and Clubhouse Director.
At Comrade, Elena is effective at leading teams and delivering projects on-time and on scope. Always mindful of best practices, she provides an analytical approach coupled with her passion for service.
Elena holds a BA in Spanish Language and Culture from Occidental College.
Every day I get to work on problems that don’t have obvious solutions. The beauty of these problems is that they constantly present opportunities to collaborate in order to find the right path forward.
Adam Davis
Creative Director
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Adam brings 18 years of experience in content strategy and marketing to the process of helping clients understand their customers and realize their strategic vision. Inspired by his background as a writer and photographer, he’s drawn to the intersection of medium, message and context. This perspective informs his work with clients including AXIS Dance Company, BlackRock, FICO, Humanity United, Sungevity, The Clorox Company and TIAA.
Before joining Comrade, Adam served as Managing Editor at Travelocity, where he helped pioneer the online travel space and was integral to the design of products and services that are now synonymous with travel planning. Earlier in his career, he helped redefine the brand and communication strategy of Tides Foundation, a grant-making organization in San Francisco. Adam holds an MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, and dual BAs from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
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Happy people help make a work culture great which can lead to high-quality work and, in the end, happy clients. I’m glad to add value to such an inspiring team of people.
DiAnne Bueno Lozano
Chief Happiness Officer
DiAnne, trained as a graphic designer and photographer, brings creativity and passion to setting the Comrade corporate culture. Her role includes creating programs that support team development and general operations of the company.
Prior to joining Comrade, DiAnne spent over four years working at a leading Bay Area non-profit where she was responsible for various marketing and graphic design initiatives. In this role she organized and developed fundraising campaigns that helped the organization spread happiness to many. She also cultivated relationships with key donors and sponsors, including Macy’s, San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors and others. DiAnne holds a B.A. in Design Studies from San Jose State University.
What it means to be a comrade
We’re a mix of artists, athletes, foodies, and gadget geeks passionate about a lot of things, from building an inspiring culture to partnering with our community. Comrades are handpicked not just for their skills or experience, but for their outlook on life, their ability to tell a story and their desire to put people first in everything they do.
400+ projects completed since 2006
$30,230 given to charity, 2,894 volunteer hours served, & 1.5 tons of food donated
11 years in business (and counting)
Over 3,000 lunch meals prepared for comrades by comrades
8,782 cups of gourmet coffee consumed at Comrade per year
We're looking for passionate, creative people
Our comrades enjoy a flexible, supportive environment where doing great work doesn’t stand in the way of being good parents, friends and members of the community. We offer competitive pay, health insurance, matching 401(k), profit sharing and a bonus plan.
If you’re interested in joining our team, send us a note about yourself and what you love to do, along with your résumé.
Comrade is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Comrade is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of business need and merit. Comrade strictly prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition), marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a covered veteran or any other consideration made unlawful by California, federal, or local laws.
Commitment to Diversity
Comrade is committed to building and maintaining a diverse group of business partners, suppliers and vendors for our business needs that include small-, disabled-, veteran-, women-, LGBTQ-, and minority-owned businesses.