Kat Filice, CEO / Executive Creative Director and Jason Raby, Director of Communications
Articulate Solutions
When Kat Filice began what is now Articulate Solutions from her kitchen table, she had no idea her business would grow to be one of the best design and marketing firms in the Santa Clara County. From the very beginning it seems that her company has been blessed, with things coming together in so many ways, and it continues to flourish today.
Kat initially started out as a Fine Art student back in college, but eventually changed her major to business and started working for Apple Computer. While she was at Apple, she witnessed all of the new technology coming out and how people were using computers as a platform for personal and commercial art. She found this unique blend of art and technology fascinating and it would go on to shape how she approached her own business. In an effort to stay close to her young daughter, Kat decided to try doing commercial art from home. She spent $ 35 on a print ad labeled“ Desktop Publishing”. As luck would have it, her very first client was the owner of the magazine that featured her ad.
Kat approached every job opportunity determined to do the best possible job she could and her efforts showed. Eventually, the Chamber of Commerce hired her to do their newsletter, which she considers a huge milestone. As her business grew, Kat decided to move from her house to an office downtown and she was surprised by how much the location made a difference.“ It gave me credibility and a storefront,” she says,“ You’ d be surprised how many big accounts we got from people just walking in.”
Today Articulate Solutions has received 80 awards for design, programming, writing, and photography. They serve a diverse array of clients that range from big companies as far as New York to small local businesses at home.“ A lot of people are surprised to see our agency here. We hear all the time,‘ Wow! This is in Gilroy!” and
our response is,‘ Why wouldn’ t it be in Gilroy?’. It’ s a great place to do business,” Kat smiles.
Kat has always been quick to credit her enduring success to her hard working staff, starting with her business partner of 3 years, Jason Raby. Jason started out with a degree in Graphic Design, but he was also interested in the technical aspects of the business. His expertise allowed Articulate Solutions to expand their technical offerings so that they could do a lot of multimedia and work with digital and online platforms. His ability to evolve with the rigorous technological changes has played an integral part in the agency’ s ability to adapt to fit these new times. This, in addition to his drive to ensure everything runs smoothly for their clients, makes Jason indispensible to the agency. Both Kat and Jason feel that they have formed the perfect partnership.“ I come from the younger side, so sometimes certain clients will tend to gravitate towards me because I’ m more into the tech. But then there are people who look at Kat
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 gmhtoday. com
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