Meet the Oak Street Social Team!


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Johanna Grange - CO-Founder 

Johanna Grange discovered her passion for digital media and branding after graduating from the University of Iowa with a Broadcast Journalism degree in 2000. 18 years of marketing experience in both the ad world and the digital space empowered her to nurture relationships in the spa + wellness sector as well as the restaurant and lifestyle brand markets. She approaches each partnership with a consultative approach empowering her clients to be a part of the process. Johanna believes that relationships are fundamentally built on honest feedback and real chemistry. It's the close-knit network of clients turned friends that encouraged her to turn her freelance projects into a full blown social media boutique firm alongside her partner, Carolyn Brundage.

Johanna resides in the NorthShore with her husband and two daughters. When she's not working, she enjoys planning date nights at new restaurant concepts, indulging in pinot noir and having dance parties with her daughters, ages 7 + 6. It's always a girl party at the Grange household!

For a peek into the life of this hustling entrepreneur, media maven, working mama and blogger, follow Johanna's personal Instagram account @jogrange.


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carolyn JARRETT Jones - CO-founder 

After founding several successful dot coms and penning lifestyle columns for top publications for over 15 years, Carolyn developed a keen eye for content marketing.  Her flair for developing effective, appealing content paired with a love of social media, led her to develop, alongside her partner Johanna Grange, Oak St. Social.

Oak Street Social combines a deep and well-versed understanding of what appeals to consumers with an appreciation for how social media drives brand loyalty and consumer spending. With a focus on developing unique, creative and effective marketing strategies for both boutique brands and large corporations, Carolyn enjoys pairing her creative flair and marketing expertise with the instant gratification and long term gains that social media marketing provides.

Carolyn lives in Chicagoland with her husband; together they have a bustling family of four boys. An avid runner, writer, entrepreneur and lover of life, Carolyn thrives on challenges, new experiences, and living in the moment. 

For a peek into the life of this creative entrepreneur, author and working mama follow Carolyn's personal Instagram account @carolynjarrettjones.


HELEN BERKUN - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Helen Berkun is a fashion photographer, stylists, creative director, influencer, shoe collector and mama. With 20 years in the fashion industry and represented by world-renowned Ford Artists, she has run the gamut from editorial and advertising photography to celebrity styling and commercial print. This multi-talented girl lives, eats, sleeps and breathes fashion.

Born in the former USSR, Helen’s aesthetic is eclectic, trend-driven and artistic—a quality that runs through her family of painters, photographers and designers. After receiving a Fine Arts degree with a photography emphasis from Columbia College Chicago, Helen quickly established herself as an editorial fashion photographer, where she developed a keen eye for composition, lighting and art direction. Her photography is recognized for her fun, beautiful and poppy images.


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SAMANTHA BOWDEN - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sami is a suburban Chicago native who has been documenting life's moments for almost 10 years. She graduated from SIU Carbondale with a photojournalism and sociology degree. Immediately after graduation she jumped in to the wedding photography world and picked up newborn and lifestyle photography soon after. When a camera isn't in her hand she having a quiet night at home with friends or out traveling to a new part of Chicago or a whole new country. 


Victoria Chukarov - creative director

Victoria was born and raised in Ukraine until the age of 8 when her family immigrated to Chicago. As a child, she watched her dad turn their bathroom into a dark room to develop his filmed and from then on photography became her passion. High school art teachers taught her the fundamentals of photography with the pre-digital camera era. The hard work paid off when Victoria received a scholarship in high school after an art exhibit.

Victoria's work has been published in several international publications including Tatler magazine, CondeNast, Luxe magazine, CS and Wedding Day.

In her freetime, Victoria is volunteers as a mentor and board member for Salt and Light Coalition, a foundation for sex trafficking victims and concentrates on her most rewarding endeavor of raising three kids.


Hallie Duesenberg - creative director

Hallie studied Electronic Media & Photography at Bradley University and at Lorenzo De' Medici in Florence, Italy. After a short stint working in LA she found her way back to Chicago where she belongs! She is grateful to have a career that she is so passionate about, and believes that photography does not only serve to create beautiful, inspiring imagery, but can also enhance our outlook on the world. Hallie lives in Logan Square, working as a freelance photographer focusing on fashion, lifestyle, portraiture, and events. 

In her spare time she loves to bike, collaborate up with other creatives, go to concerts, travel, and work on creatively fulfilling personal projects.


Nikole Fasoranti - creative director

Nikole is a wedding and personal brand photographer based in Chicago. After teaching for many years she decided to pursue her real passion for photography.  She’s a completely self taught driven photographer.   Nikole strives to capture photos with connection and heart.  

Nikole lives in the Northern Chicago suburbs. When she’s not capturing photos you’ll find her planning her family’s next vacation in between going to her kids sporting events!

To see some of Nikole’s work, follow her at @nikolemariephoto


Kate Gunderson - Junior project manager

Kate is a Marketing and Creative Technologies graduate from Indiana University. She has been passionate about creative work since she was young, turning her childhood closet into a miniature art studio. Marketing is her calling, having the perfect balance of creative work and technical business skills. While in college, she worked in marketing for various industries, such as sports, healthcare, apparel, non-profit, and food and beverage. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, painting, and spending time with friends, family, and her dog, Izzy.


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MYSI GRUBBE - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

After spending too many years getting her BA in Creative Writing and failing miserably at having “real” jobs, Mysi picked up a camera and promptly forgot how to do anything but take pictures.

She has been photographing weddings and people since 2010 and her photographic obsessions vary wildly from wedding to lifestyle to activism and her brain is always spinning. 

When she is not running around with her cameras, she can be found doing such things as:
• standing in the rain with her mouth open.
• eating all the vegan food possible.
• fighting mental health stigma with her whole heart.
• sleeping, a little.


Alexis kamensky - project manager

Alexis is an Arts Entertainment Media Management graduate from Columbia College Chicago. She spent her college years managing a couple of small local bands and fell in love with content creation, social media management, and marketing. She interned for a local movies and music festival where she helped manage a number of social media pages, and gained so much experience in the process. She pursued another career path for the last few years, but social media and marketing kept calling her name, and she listened! She's back!


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FLOYD McCRANEY - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

A Chicago native, Floyd studied Broadcasting at Columbia College and worked in radio for over a decade lending his voice to commercials. After an arbitrary decision to purchase a camera to share photos on social media, colleagues took notice and began asking him to cover concerts featuring the biggest names in music. Friends, family, brands and bands assumed photography had been his profession for years, so radio quickly took a back seat to his true calling. Fast forward just a short couple years and he now photographs weddings and professional athletes too. He defines his style as editorial chic and encourages his clients to enjoy their moments while he captures them.


Nick Loggarakis - videographer

After graduating with a degree in finance and economics, Nick spent his early 20’s in finance roles that never fulfilled his creative and entrepreneurial drive. In 2019, Nick dropped everything and founded Loggy Media, a digital creative agency that specializes in commercial video and photo production with a social media specific approach. 

Since then, Nick and his team have produced thousands of pieces of content for over one hundred companies in twenty different industries. Everything from brand videos, television commercials, social media ads, product videos, event recaps - you name it, they’ve produced it. He is extremely passionate about his creative business and loves collaborating with other creatives when working on client projects.

When Nick isn’t spending time on his business - you can find him at a Cubs game, on the golf course, or hanging out with his wife and dog. 

To see some of Nick’s company’s work, you can find them at www.loggymedia.com or @loggy_media on Instagram.


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Hayley parker - Junior project Manager

Hayley is a Media and Communications graduate from the University of New England, having also studied photography at Columbia College. Born and raised in Australia, she fell in love with American while on vacation and moved to Chicago permanently in 2018. After being given an old camera at the age of 11, Hayley immediately felt a passion for photography and would take photos of anything could get her hands on. This passion has only grown since, with a specific love for capturing emotion and special moments through her images. In her spare time, you can find her trying out new restaurants, spending time with friends and exploring the neighborhoods of the beautiful city she now calls home.


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BEN RAMOS - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ben Ramos is a Wedding/Lifestyle Photographer based here in Chicago, IL. Starting his business, Ben Ramos Photography, while pursuing a Nursing Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln back in 2015, he & his team have photographed over 250 weddings around the country & internationally. With his entrepreneurial spirit, Ben has started two other full time businesses over the past couple of years. Hype Booth is his photo booth company used for weddings & private events. Bread & Honey, launching this month, provides business mentoring & coaching to other photographers/creatives around the country. 

In addition to weddings, Ben has started taking on more commercial work starting with 900 North Michigan Shops back in 2018. His relationship with 900 is what led him to Johanna & the Oak Street team back in November 2019! They had their first shoot together in January 2020, hit it off INSTANTLY & now here we are! 

Ben is known for his “hype” personality when behind his camera. He goes above & beyond to make sure that whoever he is working with is at ease while working with him! He is extremely passionate about the BUSINESS side of what he does & loves sharing the experience/knowledge he has with other like-minded creatives. 

Ben resides with his beautiful girlfriend, Emily & their 6-month old Labradoodle, Norman in the heart of Lakeview. In their free time, you can catch them cruising around with the windows down & the music blasting, on long walks with Norm, traveling to new cities & of course, stuffing our faces with the best foods in town! They love a good time ALL of the time! ;) 

To see more of Ben’s work & hear his business advice, follow him on Instagram @iambenramos.


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Gene Yoon - CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Gene Yoon is a photographer based out of Chicago, IL. Gene started his journey in freelance by photographing weddings back in 2014 with a desire to create images that were both creative and meaningful. With that same approach, he began delving more into commercial work in 2018 and now his business is a blend of photographing weddings, portraits, and a variety of commercial work.

Gene grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, then moved out of state to attend college at Michigan State University, and made the move back home in 2016. In 2017, he also started his second business with three other friends to create a photography rental studio and co-working space called, “Creative Club Chicago” in Ravenswood just north of downtown. In that space he has been able to foster a community of creatives and also scale his business out where he now has two team members other than himself. Gene cares deeply for the work he creates for his clients, and is always looking to grow his business with a creative approach both from a business and artistic perspective.

He currently lives in the Roscoe Village area with his wife and his daughters and proudly calls Chicago home!

To see some of Gene’s work, you can find him on instagram @geneyoon & @theyoonstudio.


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