Communications for Innovative Companies

104 West creates strategic, informed communications programs for innovative companies, their technologies, products, people and ideas.

We are a different kind of communications agency.
We go beyond to deliver results that:

Lead industry conversations
Drive brand awareness
Grow market positions

What We Believe

We believe any organization is defined by its culture. And any culture is defined by its core beliefs. For 104 West, those core beliefs influence, reflect and embody our work.

We believe in the extraordinary, the different, and the new. We want to work with extraordinary companies, extraordinary ideas, and extraordinary people who are actively working to change the future.
We believe in interaction. We want to share ideas. Showcase expertise. Communicate insight. And create purposeful action.
We believe in the currency of veracity. We start with basic truths and emerge with the refined. Someone’s grandmother said, “If you can’t remember what you were going to say it must’ve been a lie.” True that.
Nothing is more nurturing to the soul than the story. Stories are craft, not happenstance. We believe in the power of storytelling. We believe in voice. And we believe in capturing imagination to create fame.
We believe minds work better in concert. It’s about respect and humility. It’s about challenging and pushing each other. It’s also about a willingness to give into each other for the benefit of the goal. Success is so much sweeter when it’s shared.

104 West & Ringer Sciences Launch AI Data Platform

104 West and Ringer Sciences are launching CLAIR (Community Learning AI Research), a groundbreaking data platform tailored for B2B and health tech brands.

CLAIR leverages AI and data science to pinpoint discussions on technology and extract actionable insights, tapping into niche communities and even previously inaccessible platforms, empowering brands to reach audiences on a deeper level.

With ever-increasing market fluctuations, changing media landscapes, and increased pressure on sales and marketing, now is the time for precision and impact.

What We Do

We listen and think and advise like strategic consultants.
We service and adapt and innovate like a boutique firm.
We program and deliver and perform like much bigger agencies.

Launch ideas into communications strategies by developing core messaging, crafting compelling narratives, and driving data-informed program planning.
Establish and grow market presence with core communications structure and support that reaches critical audiences.
Build and sustain a dialogue with thought leadership narratives, telling a story that breaks through the attention perimeter and engages your target customers.
Examine and measure communications through a different lens, looking at how programs generate value that moves the needle.

Who We Work With

104 West supports innovative companies, their products, technologies and ideas. For nearly 20 years, we have represented start-ups, mid-market companies and some of the tech industry's legendary enterprises. Our work has launched and supported technologies as diverse as AI to adtech, machine learning to mobile apps, virtual reality to web services.

Who We Are

Our technology pedigree gives us both modern and historical insights. It has afforded us enduring relationships. And together those insights and relationships build strategies that go beyond legacy communications. Our experienced leaders and skilled team deliver proven, measurable results and forge partnerships that last.

Patrick Ward

CEO | LINKEDIN
Patrick’s career spans from New York, to Silicon Valley to the past two decades or so at the helm of 104 West. He has helped launch now-common technologies like home printers, digital photography, anti-spyware software and mobile games. He has been called one of the top tech PR execs in the world, no matter how preposterous he thinks that is.
Brian Mast

PARTNER | LINKEDIN
Brian has directed communications for brands like Hewlett-Packard, eHealth, Yahoo!, PeopleSoft, and Sequence. His campaigns have delivered results across diverse channels, from national business press to Twitter conversations to partnership opportunities with AARP. His resemblance to the Notre Dame mascot is purely coincidental.
Alissa Bushnell

PARTNER | LINKEDIN
Alissa was a beta tester for the seminal game Pong, introduced the word ‘virus’ to the tech lexicon and managed communications during one of the most contentious takeovers in industry history. Her passion is only exceeded by her experience, which is only outdone by the sheer volume of her laugh.
Bob Pearson

CHAIR | LINKEDIN
Bob is Chair of The Next Practices Group. He played a key role in building GCI Health and Real Chemistry. At Dell, he led the creation of the Fortune 500’s first global social media function and served as a global leader in communications there, as well as at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi) and Novartis. When we met him, we thought he was sort of a benevolent mad scientist. Now we’re certain of it.
Joan Wyly

VP, HR & OPERATIONS | LINKEDIN
Joan develops HR and operational strategies and leads their implementation across all business functions. Her areas of expertise include Recruitment and Talent Acquisition, Training and Mentoring Programs, Benefits and Compensation, and Budget and Resource Management. On the weekends, she likes to go birding. Yes... birding.
Kelli Flores

MANAGING DIRECTOR | LINKEDIN
Kelli’s career began as a love of writing and words and evolved into helping clients tell compelling and engaging stories. She has now done this at 104 West for 13 years. She’s a talented communicator and an expert in formulating data and context behind a narrative. She is also from Texas and says things like “fixin’ to” and “y’all”… but she taught us about barbecue, so we tolerate it.
Kiley Hayward

DIRECTOR | LINKEDIN
Kiley led PR programs for several national tech brands with some of the largest PR agencies in the world before coming to 104 West. She’s a master at finding the “so what” that makes clients stand out in crowded media landscapes and she cares about the details. A lot. She is a native Coloradan and a farm girl, and we needed someone like that.
Caroline Traylor

DIRECTOR | LINKEDIN
Caroline has led strategic media relations and content programs for some of the biggest global tech brands and numerous startups. She is passionate about leveraging key trends and narratives, and brings a specific expertise for critical issue management and crisis comms. She’s fascinated by The Weather Channel and is vying for the job of naming hurricanes.