Bill Hoke has been a daily newspaper reporter, copywriter, broadcast writer/producer, corporate and documentary film writer and producer, advertising agency creative director, business owner, marketing consultant, author, speaker and entrepreneur.

He began his career at the Royal Oak Michigan Daily Tribune as a police reporter and then worked in the creative departments for a number of advertising agencies in Detroit, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. He worked on major national brands such as AT&T, Pontiac, Cadillac, 3M, Nissan, Boeing, American Express and many others.

Some of the advertising companies he worked for include MacManus, John & Adams, NW Ayer & Son, Parker Advertising, DDB Needham, McCann Erickson, Evans Group, Lennen & Newell.

While his career has been largely spent in the creative end of the business, he has worked as an advertising agency production manager, public and news information director, voice talent, photographer and film editor. He was a principal of Graf Hanson Hoke advertising and partner of Graf-Hoke-Medical Marketing Inc., in Seattle for 15 years. Clients included Providence Medical Center, Physicans Insurance, Washington State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, Washington State Transportation and many clients throughout Washington and Oregon.

Most recently, he has provided strategic marketing planning for clients in Kitsap County, including Kitsap Bank, Kitsap Regional Library, Olympic College, Harrison Hospital and KPS Health Plans. He has provided advertising services to hundreds of smaller clients, retail to service, manufacturing, travel and entertainment.

He assisted two local social service agencies in founding a new, non-government, environmentally safe business model to provide employment opportunities for people with special needs. The enterprise, called Kitsap E-Z Earth, grows, packages and distributes vermicompost and related products to local businesses and consumers.

Speaking, Teaching and Publishing
Bill is the author of Secrets From The Red Tool Box©. a marketing how-to book named ‘one of the 100 best business books’ by the University of Washington Sales Club. He is also the inventor of The 90 Minute Branding and Marketing Plan Workshops©.

A frequent speaker at business meetings, Bill is now offering workshops for for for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations using a special 24-page workbook and action plan.

During his active involvement as a volunteer for the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council, Bill taught dozens of classes in Starting Your Own Business, Marketing for the Small Business, Make Advertising Work For Your Business, How To Get Your Name in The Paper.

He writes a monthly column for the Peninsula Business Journal and frequently contributes to Marketing.

He has lectured at the University of Washington, Whitman College, Washington State University, Western Washington University, Olympic College, Jefferson County Economic Development Council, Edmonds Community College and to Retired Service Academy Graduates.

He has provided breakfast, lunch and dinner speeches to Chambers of Commerce, Rotary and other service clubs, networking groups, home based business organizations and many,
many others.

Community Involvement
Bill’s involvement in the community has been extensive. He was marketing chair for the Kitsap United Way for five years, a member of the Kitsap Mental Health Foundation Board, served with the KitsapCares Partnership and North Kitsap Special Education Advisory Board. He worked with the Admiral Theater Foundation, Bremerton-Kitsap Health District. He served on the board of the Kitsap County Economic Development Council, is a volunteer mentor at Washington CASH, a micro credit program for economically disadvantaged women.

Personal
He and his wife Patricia Graf-Hoke, a strategic marketing planner and photographer, have produced many public service advertising projects for the State of Washington, The Disability Planning Council, Governor’s Committee for Hiring the Handicapped, The Washington State Patrol and others. Their campaign for the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, “We Have A Talent For Work,” won every major northwest advertising award.

Bill is an avid mountain climber and hiker and did field research for the Third Edition of the Olympic Mountains Trail Guide. He has hiked over 1,000 miles in the Olympic Mountains, mostly solo, and climbed in Washington State, Idaho and Montana. He is co-founder of the Altoid Climbing and Hiking Club headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland.

He graduated from The Gow School in South Wales, New York and Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.