Where We Are
We’re based in Austin, Texas, a city that embraces keeping things weird. Honestly, we love our city. We want it to excel in all ways - economically, culturally, socially, environmentally, spiritually, educationally… We also want all the people in Austin to cherish and enjoy our vibrant city.
What We Believe
We’re sure you feel the same way about your city. If you don’t, you should. Sorry if this sounds overly dramatic, but we believe our country's health depends on a network of thriving cities. Right now, many communities are struggling. COVID-19, the lockdown and resulting economic pressure, racial tensions, and the list goes on.
Our cities need help.
Who We Are
We’re not miracle workers. But we’re motivated to apply our skill sets, from both industry and non-profit experience, to complement your team. We’re confident we can help your city’s economic development with a few critical items – brand discovery, audience identification, creative storytelling, and targeted marketing. Additionally, we can offer those services collectively or individually.
The Team
TREVOR POKORNEY
CITY STRATEGIST
Yes, I’m biased. I was born in Austin. Moved around through Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Mexico, and North Carolina, but had to make my way back to Austin. My education is in Mechanical Engineering and Operations Research. For over 20 years, I worked in a series of different start-ups in the technology industry, and a few of them were acquired. For the past 10 years, I’ve been working primarily with non-profit ministry organizations and some for-profit clients.
Universities: UT Austin, Carnegie Mellon, and Monterrey Institute of Technology.
Companies: Andersen Consulting, Intermedics Orthopedics acquired by Sulzer Orthopedics, living.com, Newisys acquired by Sanmina-SCI, Conformative Systems acquired by Intel.
KEVIN SHIVERS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
I love good music and loathe first-person bios – but seriously, I do like to have fun! So, how about this... “Kevin employs an unorthodox and frighteningly effective skill in his filmmaking and relationships, smartly endeavoring to transform soul-sucking emptiness and eye-wilting unsightliness into award-winning beautiful shafts of light, color, and sound that make audiences gasp with delight as they reconsider everything they've known to be true.” Or at least that’s always the goal.
Also, I enjoy longboarding, drumming, and can often be found roaming the corridors of my local Alamo Drafthouse.
Partners: Under Armour, Dr Pepper, Warner Bros Music, Borden, FFA, American Bible Society, Ready Seal.
AUSTIN FARMER
MARKETING DIRECTOR
My family liked the city so much they named me after it. In more than 10 years of work experience, I’ve focused primarily in digital strategy, marketing, and advertising, with both domestic and international work. I have also spanned multiple industries including e-commerce, financial services, CPG brands, consulting, and non-profits. In strategic marketing, my specialization has been supporting high-growth companies with annual revenues ranging from $5m to $100m+. More recently, I’ve been able to consult with many city development organizations, especially analyzing retail growth opportunities.
City Consulting: Bee Cave, TX; Indio, CA; Boerne, TX; Laguna Niguel, CA; Bastrop, TX; Pella, IA; Springfield, TN.
Learn More
Please see samples of our previous work or contact City Stories directly.