About

Core Team

Julian Aston – Principal/Co-Founder

Julian Aston has spent over 35 years in top-level marketing and business development positions in the U.K., Canada and in the U.S.

Julian began his career in the advertising business with the London-based Austin Knight Agency. He then developed both his graphic and entrepreneurial skills as an owner of a small printing shop when letterpress machines were still in vogue (his favorite love remains the Heidelberg 10X15 windmill platen!)

In search of greener pastures, he moved to Toronto, Canada in 1974, beginning an sixteen year stint in one of the most exciting, (but cold), cities in North America. Applying his graphic arts and business development skills, he built what became the third largest marketing agency of its type in the Canadian market, with offices in Toronto and Chicago, serving Fortune 500’s including Bank of America, Pepsi-Cola, Kellogg’s, American Express and many more impressive names.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1990, he focused on delivering business and marketing consulting to small to mid-market sized companies in broad-based industries, notably providing planning and fund raising services to internet startups while leading the double digits consultancy.

In 2006, he incorporated intouch Business, Inc., shifting focus to electronic marketing, to deliver a wide variety of marketing tactics to North American businesses. Intouch became an acknowledged leader in email marketing with specific programs targeted at the insurance industry.

In 2011, Julian combined intouch with emarketingwerx, led by long-time associate Chris Barnes to form Dialog Interactive. Together, they set out with the simple idea of combining their intellectual and brand assets to build a new kind of marketing agency. An agency that finally makes the promise of true marketing integration a reality.

Julian is a graduate of London’s Christ’s College. He has held the position of Vice President of the Council of Sales Promotion Agencies, written numerous articles for major trade magazines including Promo, Marketing, Insurance Journal and more, and has been featured as a presenter at industry conferences. He takes an active role in his clients’ enterprises and is currently on the advisory board management team of three private companies.

Julian lives in Moorpark, California and is happily married with a family of four children. His personal interests include inspiring young people in business with his involvement in the Junior Achievement organization, (2007 Volunteer of the Year), and in support of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life organization.

Christopher Barnes – Principal/Co-Founder

Christopher Barnes has over 30 years experience helping companies grow sales, retain clients, and improve profitability.  

Chris started his career working for a division of Time Warner, providing turnkey CDROM DVD packaging and replication solutions for the Software Industry. His clients included Activision, Havas Interactive, Knowledge Adventure, and Sierra OnLine, among others.

He then co-founded ComChoice, a Los Angeles based interactive marketing agency, where his duties included the development of strategic alliances and building and motivating a sales team to reach targeted sales goals. Clients, including Nissan Motors, Lexus, and 20th Century Fox, benefited from his expertise in developing and executing integrated marketing strategies. Chris’ insights regarding new marketing solutions helped lead the company’s drive into CD-ROM and web development.

Chris then served as a Director of Business Development for Exact Target Email Solutions. Forrester indicates Indianapolis based Exact Target as the number one technology solution for email marketing, with over 7000 clients and 500 agencies under annual contract.

For seven years prior to co-founding Dialog Interactive, Chris operated eMarketingwerx, a successful Email consultancy. The primary focus of eMarketingwerx was building and managing email programs with the emphasis on strategic use of email to help clients achieve measurable ROI with their email marketing programs. During this time, he became an acknowledged expert in the use of the ExactTarget system

In 2011, Chris combined eMarketingwerx, with intouch Business, led by long-time associate Julian Aston to form Dialog Interactive. Together, they set out with the simple idea of combining their intellectual and brand assets to build a new kind of marketing agency. An agency that finally makes the promise of true marketing integration a reality.

Chris is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He was an Advisory Board member for the VIC Network, Vice President of APC (Association of Professional Consultants) – Past Vice President and President of the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) Southern California between 2007- 2009. Chris speaks at trade shows and business schools by invitation on the subject of Interactive Marketing and Permission Email Strategies.

Married with three children Mr. Barnes resides in the South Bay. In his spare time, Mr. Barnes develops mentoring groups in the Los Angeles area.

Subject Matter Expert – Learn more

Kristen Frank Renwand – Creative Director

A 3rd grade field trip to a billboard making company was the spark that lit the designer inside of Kristen. Amazed and inspired by the larger-than-life painted canvas -a grocery store ad of a prime rib and broccoli tree- she pursued her love of design and advertising through Catholic grade and high school as a member of the National Art Honor Society and received her BFA from the University of New Orleans.

Coming from a family of insurance agents, she worked her way through school at their insurance agencies, as a freelance designer and held a few bar tending positions here and there, all contributing to her design style, industry knowledge, work ethic and fun-loving personality.

Kristen was the Director of Graphic Design at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside for 5 years where she was awarded the Leadership and Commitment Title in 2004. It was an amazing position that offered design projects ranging from new business branding, re-branding, and advertising for multiple Hilton family hotels and for the local tourism board, corporate presentations and experience as a team leader of a small design firm. From designing wine menus to Power Point presentations to the ULTIMATE BACK-LIT BILLLBOARD, she was following her dreams!

After experiencing Hurricane Katrina’s wrath in 2005 and loosing her job, home, car, and much more, she took a temporary job in New Orleans with a company based in California. That is where she met Julian Aston who gave her an opportunity to get back on the design horse and pick up life’s pieces – and boy, that is what she did!!

Kristen now resides in Denver, CO and is the proud wife of husband Randy, proud Mom of daughter Morgan Lindsay, yellow lab Peyton and gray cat Gloria. And of course, very proud Creative Director of Dialog Interactive!

Grant England – Communication Design Technologist

Grant England brings a broad-based and hands-on knowledge of graphic design and IT skills to the DI team.

Grant is a graphic designer and developer specializing in branding, print, web, and email design. He was Lead Designer at Tonic, A 360-degree marketing and design consultancy located in Westlake Village, CA. where he lead branding and design projects and oversaw email marketing management for all clients.

Grant has had experience working within brand guides for national brands including Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross, and Sprint among others. He applies this experience to other clients with a central goal of increasing overall brand awareness through a unique take on user-centered design.

Grant graduated from California State University Channel Islands with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Design Technology.