News

Jamie Opalenik, who has worked with Ballantine Communications for three years, has been named director of multimedia sales with Ballantine Communications Inc., overseeing advertising and marketing services offered by The Durango Herald’s parent company.

Opalenik will oversee a department of 10 people providing advertising, marketing, video, digital-optimizing strategies and social media management for the Herald, The Journal and DGO.

“What I’m hoping to bring back is more personal touches,” Opalenik said. “Sometimes, we get away from that when we are constantly on the go and constantly working with different clients. But something that’s very important to me is to build trusting, working relationships with our local business partners.”

Opalenik began working with BCI in 2016 as a marketing communications manager. Within six months, she was named marketing director.

Opalenik described her new role as director of multimedia sales as assisting Ballantine’s advertising and marketing executives to help local businesses grow.

“We’re basically just a house of tools, marketing tools that are here for local businesses to help with their brand awareness, to help with their sales, to help them prosper,” she said.

Doug Bennett, CEO of Ballantine Communications, says Opalenik’s experience will be an asset for the sales team.

“We are excited about Jamie because of her background in both marketing and sales. Prior to joining BCI she worked in sales as well as working in media. The past few years she has been responsible for all marketing for BCI and has learned about all our brands and product offerings. She is well-suited to take her experience and now help lead our newspaper sales staff in selling all our digital and print advertising products,” Bennett said.

Opalenik is originally from Ocean Gate, New Jersey, a small town about a 25-minute drive from Seaside Heights.

She has a journalism degree from Hofstra University.

She worked for the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey and for a small, local newspaper called Examiner News out of Westchester County, New York. She has also worked in radio.

“The whole newspaper aspect is really important to me and the journalism side, as well, because that’s where I began,” she said.

Out of college, her first job was working in ABC’s Brian Ross Unit in investigative journalism.

She also spent a few years in retail sales management, where she gained an understanding of the needs, the obstacles and the opportunities facing retail firms.

Just before coming to work with BCI, Opalenik was with a small, locally owned radio firm, Press Communications.

“Everyone (at Press Communications) wore so many different hats, but we worked well together. I worked with the sales division, and I worked with programming and our on-air staffers,” she said. “So, I got a sense and a good feel for every office in that building. It was just fun. I took a lot of that, and learning from that, and brought that over here.

“And of course, I’m honored to be working for Ballantine Communications with its legacy and its award-winning journalism.”

[email protected]An earlier version of this story erred in saying Jamie Opalenik worked with ABC News as an investigative journalist. She worked in an investigative journalism unit. It also erred in saying she oversees Directory Plus and BCI Media services.