the team

Laura Zavelson, Chief Muse/CEO

Laura Zavelson’s career path began in creative, transitioned to business and then back to creative. Her creative background includes strategic communications consulting, editing, feature writing and copywriting. It includes early career stints in the creative department at BBDO New York and in public relations in Washington D.C. In 2003 she founded Business Ink, which later merged with Gwendolen Gray Graphic Design to become Calliope Creative. She also wrote and published her own book, Evenings for Two in the Triangle: Your guide to romance, fine dining and fun. Laura’s business background includes an MBA and more than seven years of marketing and strategic development experience at Johnson & Johnson and Guidant Corporation. She holds degrees from Duke University and the University of Florida.

Gwendolen Gray, Chief Muse/COO

Gwendolen Gray got her start in the art department of University Directories, a locally-based custom publishing company. She was quickly promoted to Creative Director and led a department of 30 for seven years on advertising, layout and marketing projects across 120 markets. Later, she ventured out on her own, turning her attention exclusively to communications consulting and graphic design for clients such as the National Press Photographers Association, Oxford University Press and Marriott. Her portfolio showcases innovative concepting and design across a multitude of platforms, projects and industries. Gwendolen is also the author and publisher of Kids on the Hill, an irreplaceable resource about all the things to do with kids in Chapel Hill. Gwendolen holds a degree from the Journalism School at UNC Chapel Hill.

Leslie Wilson, Studio Director

Leslie Wilson is a Charlotte native and a California transplant. She majored in English and Journalism at UNC Chapel Hill before heading out West to pursue a career in newspaper publishing. Since then Leslie has worked in numerous capacities across various departments, including customer relations, operations, graphic design, traffic and prepress. She finally settled into a design management role in 1999 and hasn’t looked back. Leslie currently runs the Calliope studio, handling short-term advertising and collateral projects in addition to overseeing our intern program in collaboration with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC Chapel Hill. Leslie divides her time between Charlotte and Chapel Hill, although she’s 100% a Tar Heel at heart.

Holly Lipson, Production Director

A North Carolina native, Holly Lipson began her career in design for a major publishing company. Upon realizing her passion for organization (finally admitting she was more of a Monica than a Rachel), Holly went on to become the Traffic Coordinator at Jennings & Company, an advertising agency in Chapel Hill, where she managed and enforced production schedules for every client, led the ongoing communication between team members, and collaborated with printers and media vendors. Holly then accepted a position at McKinney + Silver, a national advertising agency located in Durham, NC, as a Project Manager, working on accounts such as Sony, NASDAQ, Lands’ End and Polaris, before joining Calliope as Publishing Director, overseeing long-term publishing projects, vendor relations and operations.

Assistants

James Blackburn
Emily Bucci
Cathy Freeman
Dana Kublin
Abigail Uhrich