Our Team

Mike Shields is a Founder of Convergence Media, a boutique marketing, branding and public affairs agency. Convergence has quickly grown to become the premier marketing agency in the political and government space, trusted by clients from national political figures to Fortune 100 companies.  Shields brings more than 30 years of experience working at the national political level, leading party committees, outside groups and major campaigns. He was described by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as “one of the most talented political minds I know.” Possibly Shields’ most impactful work came as the Chief of Staff to the RNC during the 2013-2014 election cycle where Shields created and implemented a data renaissance for the modern Republican Party. Shields’ vision became a new data ecosystem on the right, a new $175 million data platform, and a fundamental rethinking of the role of party committees as data marketing operations. This vision helped lead Republicans to election victories in the Senate in 2014 and the Presidency in 2016, and moved Republicans ahead in the data “space race” with the left. Before his role as Chief of Staff, Shields worked as Political Director and Independent Expenditure Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, overseeing their national advertising campaign during the historic congressional victory of 2010 when Republicans won a historic 63 seats. Shields has also served as President of American Action Network and Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republican leadership’s SuperPAC. Shields is proud to consider Newt Gingrich as his mentor, having served as the former Speaker’s Communications Director in his early career. Shields has also served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Dave Reichert of Washington state, helping him to upset victories in 2006 and 2008; and as a political commentator for CNN. Born in the United States on a U.S. Air Force Base to an American father and British mother, Shields moved with his family to Great Britain as a child where he lived for 10 years, helping to shape his political views during the Thatcher and Reagan years. He now splits time between his Virginia and Georgia offices and his home in Florida with his wife Katie Walsh Shields and their son Aidan.

Remy Hart is Vice President of Digital Marketing at Convergence, leading Convergence's digital team and overseeing its clients' online programs. Remy and her team architect and execute some of the most competitive digital operations in the marketplace, prioritizing creativity in combination with data-driven strategies to power their success.Remy joined the Convergence team as its Managing Director of Digital Marketing in 2021, directing the team's internal operations, systems and processes for team efficiency and growth.Prior to joining Convergence, Remy led digital operations for some of the most competitive statewide, congressional, and local campaigns throughout the country. She has over a decade of expertise in developing and streamlining online political efforts to strategically cut through the noise and reach voters and donors where it counts.

Remy is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and lives in Richmond, VA with her husband and two children.

Highlights:

• Named a “Kentucky Colonel” after directing digital operations for Governor Bevin’s 2019 re-election campaign in Kentucky

• Architected the digital program for Governor Rauner’s 2018 re-election campaign in Illinois

• Directed digital on the re-election campaign of former U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (IL) the same year that her Chicago Cubs won the World Series

Charles Barbour is the Managing Director of Production at Convergence. He started his career at Cartoon Network in Marketing and moved over to Production, creating award-winning ad campaigns for CN partners like LEGO, Kraft and Nintendo. Charles joined Convergence in June 2021 and discovered that politics and cartoons have much in common (at least from an ad perspective). Diving right in as a Writer, Producer, Director, and Drone Operator, he has executed over a hundred ads for various candidates, campaign committees, SuperPACs and corporate clients.

Charles is from Houston, Texas. He graduated from Washington and Lee University, where he met his wife, Emily. They live in Atlanta with their son, Charlie, and daughter, Mary Benson.

Highlights:

• American Business 2021 Awards: Gold Stevie for Cartoon Network - "Stop Bullying: Speak Up"

• Campaigns & Elections 2022 Reed Awards: Best Online Video - 30 Seconds or Under (Republican) - "Publicity Stunt"

Liam O’Toole is the Director of Business Intelligence at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Liam supervises the full life cycle of all digital data from managing proper tracking and storage to building compelling visualizations and in-depth analyses. Liam designs and runs the Marketing Intelligence platform for the digital team, providing insights to make data-driven decisions. Before joining Convergence, Liam worked on the digital team at the RNC during the presidential election cycle.

Liam is a graduate of the University of Dallas and currently resides in Alexandria, VA.

Highlights:

• Served as Senior Data Analyst on the RNC digital team during the 2020 Presidential campaign, overseeing reporting and analytics on the more than $1 billion raised during the cycle

• Designed and implemented the RNC Marketing Intelligence platform driving analytics and marketing decisions

Tanner Williams is the Video Content Director at Convergence. As a senior member of the Production team, he contributes to every step of the creative process from conceptualization to placement and plays a key logistical role for production shoots — hiring crews and talent, scouting and securing locations. He is also a fully licensed drone operator, capturing drone footage across the country for various Convergence clients

Previously, Tanner worked on national marketing campaigns at Massive Media, leading marketing teams at Comic-Con, Super Bowl LII, and the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. In college, he worked as a Production Assistant for the Jay Barker Radio Show in Tuscaloosa, AL. Tanner got his start in politics interning for the communications team in Rep. Mike Rogers’ (AL-03) office.

Tanner graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Public Relations and French. He is from Birmingham, Alabama and currently resides in Washington DC.

Highlights:

• Project Coordinator at Massive Media

• Press Intern for Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03)

• Production Assistant for the Jay Barker Radio Show

Kathleen Ashmore is a Digital Marketing Manager at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Kathleen helps run internal email/peer-to-peer list offerings, coordinates with external prospecting vendors, and monitors email and peer-to-peer deliverability. Kathleen emphasizes the importance of data driven decision making in order to increase fundraising efforts for all digital clients. Kathleen graduated from Wofford College with a degree in both Humanities and Spanish and lives in DC.

Highlights:

• Ecommerce intern at SCOUT bags where she analyzed the retail website daily and worked with the e-comm platform Magento

• Marketing intern at the Hughes Agency in Greenville, SC where she learned all things behind PR, marketing, tracking data, and graphic design

• Interned with US Congressman Trey Gowdy in the Greenville, SC office where her communication skills as well as verbal and written skills were strengthened

Mark Jennings is a Client Strategy Manager at Convergence Media. As a member of the Digital team, Mark assists in developing fundraising programs for various clients. He graduated from the University of Arizona and currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Highlights:

• Served as 3rd Vice Chair of the Arizona LD9 Republican Party

• Assisted with grassroots operations for Yvette Herrell’s successful 2020 campaign and served as her Staff Assistant in Congress

• Assisted with grassroots operations in Northern Virginia for Glenn Youngkin’s successful campaign for governor in 2021

Michelle Barrientos is a Client Strategy Manager at Convergence. As a member of the Digital team, Michelle assists with developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns. Michelle graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a degree in Public Relations and Political Science and currently lives in Arlington, VA

Highlights:

• Interned on the DeSantis for Governor Campaign

• Digital Marketing Intern for Harris Media