Raquel Bahamonde, Owner/President
Raquel Bahamonde is the owner and president of Bahamonde Communications LLC, a full-service strategic communications company, which she founded in 2012. Raquel has more than 35 years of experience in communications and is a two-time Emmy award winning journalist.
Bahamonde Communications has successfully helped clients tell their story through strategic communications, public relations, media relations, video and more. Some of Bahamonde Communications clients include the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), Ascend Indiana, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana, TechPoint, Butler University and Cummins. Bahamonde Communications has worked on major projects and programs including the 16 Tech Innovation District, the Indy Autonomous Challenge, Business Equity for Indy and the See Yourself IN program. Raquel received the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Pinnacle Award, the highest honor given by the Hoosier PRSA Chapter, for her work on the Indy Autonomous Challenge.
Prior to starting her own company, she served as executive director of corporate affairs for AIT Laboratories where she served on the senior leadership team and the sales and marketing directors’ team. She oversaw and implemented all external communications including strategy, branding, crisis communications, public relations, media relations (company spokesperson), digital media, video, and co-managed marketing. She also oversaw and implemented all internal communications. While at AIT, Raquel also oversaw all internal and external communications and marketing for AIT’s pharmaceutical testing startup, AIT Bioscience.
She has served as executive producer and director of online content for Inside INdiana Business where she oversaw the weekly television program, produced two daily business e-newsletters (Morning Briefing and INside Edge) and served as reporter for the company’s radio properties. Raquel spent several years as media relations director for a Carmel, Ind. public relations and advertising agency. Prior to that, she served as Noon News producer (number one Noon News in the market for ten consecutive years) and entertainment producer/reporter for WISH-TV (CBS). She has held producing and reporting jobs in Illinois and Michigan. Raquel has also been honored with two Emmy Awards and eleven nominations in her career.
She earned a B.A. in Radio-TV with a minor in Art from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Go Salukis!
Loves: Her husband Steve, family, friends, gardening, art, Cuban food, IndyCar and her cat Gabby.
Steve Crider, Partner & Creative Director
Steve started out as a joke writer providing material for Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers and other national comedians. In Los Angeles he moved into screenwriting, penning works for CBS, Fox, MTV, Cinemax, Fries Entertainment and others. His episode of “Married with Children” was voted as one of Ed O’Neill’s (Al Bundy) favorites.
When the writers went on strike he had to get a real job and ended up in the editing room learning the nuts and bolts of filmmaking. With an extensive background in writing, video/film production and digital communications, he can bring your story to life with heart and/or humor – in a variety of mediums.
In addition to his work with Bahamonde Communications, he has a background in business, government public affairs and corporate communications. He is senior producer and video program manager for a U.S. Department of Defense agency and was on the leading edge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) use of video nationwide.
As a government communicator he has been on the front line of some of the biggest stories in memory including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. His credits include executive speeches, press releases, award winning copy, as well as, screenwriting and film editing for network sitcoms, TV movies and feature films.
Steve is also a computer animator, experienced in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Flash.
He earned a B.A. in Telecommunications with a minor in Marketing from Indiana University and is a veteran of the United States Army, where he learned to speak fluent Morse code.
An obsessive if somewhat unaccomplished guitar player, what he lacks in musical ability he makes up for with his freakishly good peanut brittle.