Vladia Jurcova-Spencer is a publicst, freelance travel writer, and photographer. Vladia grew up in Communist Czechoslovakia, her travel opportunities were limited, but she always dreamt of being a journalist and writing about different countries, traditions and cultures from around the world. In 1989, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia changed her life as she was allowed to travel and study abroad. In 2004, four years after her move to the United States, she joined forces with Sherrie Bakshi and co-founded STYLEE Public Relation in Charleston, South Carolina.

Her dream of becoming a journalist was shaping up to become reality when she transferred from her business university in Slovakia to Highbury College in England to study English and Writing. This was the beginning of her career as an independent world traveler as she undertook her first trip to the Persian Gulf. This captivating experience opened her eyes and heart to want to learn more about different cultures, traditions and religions.

Her fascination with this new feature of her life led her to involvement with international politics and public relations. After returning from England, she started working for the agency owned by the Ministry of Land Economy of Slovakia, called Vodohospodarska Vystavba. She became involved in International Public Relations and traveled the world with the agency marketing its projects to world investment communities and securing financing for these projects, such as water dams and highways. During the four years with the agency, she worked with numerous world publications, governments and banks, such as J.P.Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch and Nomura, Japan. While spending a semester in Chicago, as an International Marketing Intern at the Purdue University, Vladia gave several presentations to Indiana business communities on Slovakia and its marketing practices.

At the same time she was building her dream of becoming a photographer and every minute she could steal, she devoted to exploring the world with her pen and camera. In 1999, she spent several weeks in Morocco, chasing the perfect image; she climbed the highest mountain in the Northern Africa (Jabel Toubkal), camped with Bedouins in Sahara, searched for the Touaregs, called the Blue people in the Mauritania desert and explored the ancient souks and medinas with the interesting local guides.

In 1999, she successfully closed a financial transaction worth $40 million for the Slovak Government, after which she made a decision to move to the United States and return to college in order to learn more about journalism, publicity and photography. Before this major move, she visited the Southeastern Asia and wandered around several countries such as Malaysia, islands belonging to Malaysian Borneo and Thailand.

She graduated in May 2002 from the University of Charleston, WV, and moved to Seattle. During her school years in West Virginia, she traveled to Brazil with a group called Partners of Americas. She provided them with the press coverage prior and during the trip. Having gathered enough materials from her trips, she opened her first photo show in 2002 where she showcased her creative black and white photography and several favorites from all over the world. During this time, she worked as a reporter for West Virginia Public Radio and a local television channel owned by FOX Networks as well as wrote for the local newspapers.

Although her demanding life as a publicist keeps her busy, she still finds time for her greatest love – writing. She also devotes her time to the Zonta Club of Charleston of which she is currently the vice president.

Carrie Busch is a graduate student at the College of Charleston pursing her M.A. in Communications with a concentration in Marketing and Public Relations. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Carrie spent her summers on the beautiful beaches of Charleston, South Carolina. When it was time to look for colleges, Charleston was a natural choice. While earning her B.A. in Studio Art at the College of Charleston, Carrie exhibited her photography and sculpture in several student art shows including Vacuum Group Art Show, Young Contemporaries, and Piccolo Spoleto. Upon graduating in 2005, Carrie was the recipient of the Outstanding Student Award in Studio Art and received the Presidential Choice Award in Salon des Refuses for her sculpture.

Throughout college and the years following, Carrie worked at Stella Nova Boutique and Make-Up Studio on King Street. While at Stella Nova, Carrie was exposed to a culture that prided themselves on excellent customer service and the finest quality of products and services offered to their clients. Stella Nova allowed her the opportunity to explore grassroots marketing and public relations by opening up Stella Nova: The Co-Op. Carrie also assisted with several company wide marketing and public relations strategies and in-store events. Inspired by her experiences at Stella Nova, Carrie wanted to further cultivate her skills in public relations and communications by attending graduate school.

As a graduate student, Carrie has been a group leader for her class public relations campaign proposal for the Charleston Green Committee and has traveled abroad to study intercultural communications and advertising in Italy, Germany, and Austria. She is also a member of the American Marketing Association. Carrie is exploring the field of public relations and marketing by interning to gain experience and a deeper understanding of what her future holds in the world of communications.