Who you work with as a client matters. A LOT. And we think we got it right.

Our People

MEET THE PEOPLE WHO HELP YOUR BRAND MEET PEOPLE

Who you work with as a client matters. A LOT. And we think we got it right. All of GRP Media’s clients enjoy high-touch service from the team of GRPers assigned to their business. And each client team is led by one of our senior level veterans who has a wealth of industry experience, including working with some of the world’s largest brands and media firms. Consistent senior level attention is a client guarantee at GRP Media.

Guy is the agency’s founder and President/CEO, which is the same title he took when he started his first ad agency, AdVantage Advertising (clever, huh?) as a junior at the University of Texas. A start in advertising sales uprooted him from his native Texas and a career selling print, broadcast, and out-of-home helped prepare him for “the other side of the desk.” What he learned along the way was that each client deserves to be treated like they are the only one, that each GRPerson should be treated like they own the business, and that sales reps should be treated like agency partners, not suppliers.

Those attitudes have allowed GRP Media to grow into one of the largest independent media agencies in the Midwest. Showing growth year over year is always a goal and GRP Media has grown over 20% a year, every year, since 2002. That growth has been fueled by client satisfaction scores in the 96% range and an employee base that shows very little turnover.

An empty nester, Guy lives with his wife Jen and a not so well trained chocolate lab. He is available at any time by cell, unless his beloved Longhorns are playing, then you will go straight to voicemail. He is a passionate (and frequent) golfer, just check out the collection of golf pencils on his desk!

Guy Lay

CHAIRMAN, CEO

Bob joined GRP Media in the role of EVP Managing Director in 2014 and was elevated to President in 2019.

Born and raised in the Chicagoland area (he’d never stray too far from his beloved Cubbies), Bob has 30+ years of advertising agency experience. Including his previous stints at FCB/Chicago, Element79 Partners and Omnicom’s OMD, Bob has a broad client and category experience that includes automotive, financial, healthcare, packaged goods and QSR, 

This vast client experience means that Bob has dealt with just about every strategic marketing issue and media vehicle, and that’s a good thing for GRP Media’s staff and their clients. 

Bob’s zeal for getting his clients’ brand messages in front of the right people in the right places at the right times goes all the way back to his college days at Indiana University where he was exposed to a Media Planning 101 course as part of his Journalism curriculum and he decided then and there to pursue a career in media strategy.

Residing in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Bob has three kids and a very chill pooch named Sunny. He is still in shock that his beloved Cubbies won the World Series a few years back and hopes to live to see another.

He loves a good bourbon and is a frustrated, but very addicted weekend golfer still on a quest to record his first hole-in-one. A man can dream…

Bob Porcaro

PRESIDENT

John heads up GRP Media’s operations, including Accounting, IT, HR and Research & Resources. He started his career in the media department of J. Walter Thompson at about the time Lotus 1-2-3 was introduced and in the entire agency of 700 workers, a personal computer could not be found. Four years later, he’d created a spreadsheet that allowed a planner to analyze dozens of media plan options in seconds, instead of hours with a pad of paper and calculator. He rose to Associate Media Director at Bayer Bess Vanderwarker before transitioning into full-time IT, Research and Operations responsibilities. In 1996 he helped Guy Lay open our doors and bring us to where we are today.

Golf, the Michigan Wolverines and his weekend home in New Buffalo are his major diversions.

John Reebel

EVP, COO

Jen has worked in media for 25+ years both on the agency side and sales side of the business. Upon graduating from Denison University, Jen began her journey in media at Leo Burnett where she supervised media teams on United Airlines and P&G before crossing over to print media sales. After a 10-year run in sales management with some top publishing firms including Time Inc. and Conde Nast, she returned to her roots in the media planning and buying world at GRP Media in 2002. At GRP Media, Jen has led clients small and large, bringing strategic leadership to brands and businesses such as American Girl, Abercrombie & Kent, Grant Thornton LLP, RedBox, New Chapter, Invesco and PowerShares.

Jen is married to Guy Lay, founder of GRP Media, and has two grown children and a chocolate lab. Jen enjoys traveling to her favorite beach destinations, going on a yoga retreat or skiing in the Colorado Rockies.

Jennifer Lay

EVP, MEDIA DIRECTOR

Jill has been in the media business for 20+ years. Hailing from the Hawkeye State, Jill began working at Meredith Corporation throughout her stint at Drake University on various editorial projects. Jill moved up north to the land of 10,000 lakes and began working at Martin|Williams. A desire for brighter lights and warmer summers sent her packing to Chicago where she landed at GRP Media after a sales rep told her about how great it was to work with the people there.

Client experience includes: Abbott, BMO Harris Bank, Cargill, Donato's Pizza, Duke's Mayonnaise, Grant Thornton, Jockey, Lincoln Financial Group, Marvin Windows, Northern Trust, Propane Education & Research Council, Redbox and Terlato Wines.

Jill lives in Chicago with her husband and children. They enjoy traveling, snowboarding, and spending as much time as possible near the water.

Jill Arthur

SVP, MANAGING DIRECTOR

From mail clerk to Managing Director, Joe’s path into media has been anything but linear, shaped by a broad range of experiences, meaningful successes, and hard-earned lessons along the way. Over the course of a two-decade career, he has developed a practical, balanced perspective that informs both his decision-making and leadership style, consistently focused on driving results for clients.

Joe has spent more than half of his career at GRP Media, where he currently leads a high-performing, collaborative team responsible for strategy implementation and campaign management across a diverse client portfolio, including Admired Leadership, American Century Investments, Perma-Seal, and Rush University System for Health. Over the years, he has contributed to work on a wide range of respected brands such as Clorox, GAP, Hewlett Packard (HP), Invesco, JCPenney, New Chapter Vitamins, Nonni’s Biscotti, Northern Trust Asset Management, and Zurich.

In addition to his client leadership responsibilities, Joe oversees key operational functions within the organization ensuring that staff has access to the resources needed to do their best work.

Outside of the office, Joe is devoted to his family and has a passion for travel. A good run gets him invigorated while tending to his home and garden keeps him grounded.

Joe Soriano

Agency Leadership

A native Chicagoan, Kim joined GRP Media in 2003 after doing time at Lois/EJL, DDB and Omnicom’s OMD Chicago. During her over 25 years in “the business,” Kim has worked with clients in virtually every imaginable category, providing her with a wealth of knowledge and experiences. In addition to overseeing all of GRP Media’s video and audio campaigns, Kim has taken on client leadership responsibilities, allowing her to work across a broad spectrum of on and  off-line media. A tough but fair negotiator, Kim believes that the best deal leaves everyone feeling like they left the table winners.

Kim’s dedication to GRP Media’s clients shows in all she does. She excels at finding different ways to make a splash, whether lighting the Chicago skyline blue or developing promotions with media outlets and sports teams. Kim’s ideas and expertise go well beyond “spots and dots.”

Having earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois, Kim bleeds orange and blue, especially during basketball season.  She and her family live in the suburbs of Chicago, where Kim can be found reveling in her two passions, her family and Pearl Jam.

Kim Haskell Neiman

VP, VIDEO/AUDIO DIRECTOR

Colleen is a graduate of the University of Arizona (go Wildcats!) with a BA in Marketing and a minor in Spanish. Moving from Arizona to Chicago in the Fall of 2011, she loves living near the Lake and has become an expert at surviving Illinois winters.

She was searching for a career that would combine the two halves of her brain – one part analytical, with a knack for puzzles and one part creative, with a passion for doodling. She found that home at GRP Media.

In her free time, she loves reading as many books as she can, iced coffee (even if it’s 10 degrees outside), all things Disney and anything else that makes her feel like a kid again.

Colleen Maguire

GROUP MEDIA DIRECTOR

Client Leadership

Ashlyn moved to Chicago shortly after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2023. She holds a Marketing and Entrepreneurship degree and was a part of the university's Marketing Club. She has professional experience in marketing and sales through her previous role at CommScope. Ashlyn is excited to be a part of the GRP Media team and grow in her professional career.
In her free time, Ashlyn loves to take yoga classes at CorePower Yoga, explore the city, and try out new restaurants with her friends. As a Kansas City native, she is excited to experience life in Chicago.

Ashlyn Horton

MEDIA PLANNER

Ellie started her career at GRP Media in 2022 after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Political Science and double minor in Law, Justice, Policy & Public Relations. Her interest in media stems from her experience working on politicians’ social media campaigns and exposure teams.

When Ellie isn’t working, you can find her taking walks to a local farmers' market, reading Colleen Hoover books, and cooking homemade meals.

Ellie Elkin

MEDIA SUPERVISOR

Emmy joined the GRP Media team in April 2018 after spending a year and half pursuing different opportunities in the media industry. Prior to that, she studied Marketing at the University of Dayton. As a native of Louisville, Kentucky, she moved to Chicago a year after graduation to work and live in one of her favorite cities! She is excited to work with and learn from all of the talented people at GRP Media.
 
Emmy loves exploring Chicago and finding out all that it has to offer. Being from Kentucky, she enjoys horse racing and University of Kentucky Basketball. In her free time, she loves to try new restaurants or head to the lakefront with friends and enjoy the beach in the summer days. Although she misses Kentucky winters, nothing beats a Chicago summer.

Emmy Pickerill

ASSOCIATE MEDIA DIRECTOR

Kasey is a Chicago-based media enthusiast who’s been looking forward to city life long before making the move from Naperville. She graduated from the University of Dayton in 2024 (go Flyers!) with a degree in Communications, focusing on Public Relations, and a minor in English.

She was drawn to a career that blends her love for creativity and storytelling with a strategic, fast-paced environment - and, after gaining experience in media coordination, found the perfect fit at GRP Media.

In her free time, Kasey can usually be found running along the lake, exploring summer farmers' markets, or claiming a patio seat with friends. She’s almost always listening to a podcast and is willing to explore some of Chicago’s best spots.

Kasey Conway

Assistant Media Planner

Nicolle joined the GRP Media team in 2021 after graduating from Grand Valley State University and has developed a strong passion for media planning and strategy. Based in Chicago, she loves making the most of city life – whether that’s trying a new restaurant, hopping between local coffee shops, or taking long walks through the neighborhood. 

Outside of work, Nicolle enjoys spending time with her significant other, staying active, and planning her next getaway. From quick weekend trips to international adventures, she’s always looking for an excuse to explore somewhere new – preferably somewhere warm.