About Us
Peter Cari, Jennifer Burton and Maura Dougherty are political professionals with backgrounds in campaigns, party committees, political advertising and on Capitol Hill.
We’ve won races at every level – from state legislature to Governor – and we pride ourselves on the time and attention we put in to each race.
Envision’s track record in House races is unparalleled. In 2006 and 2008, we helped elect more new members of Congress than any other media firm. We’ve helped clients like Betty Sutton come-from-behind to win a six-way primary – and Charlie Wilson to run one of only a handful of successful write-in campaigns in history - and go on to Congress. Our hard-hitting ads helped Jason Altmire, Heath Shuler, Betsy Markey and Mark Schauer defeat Republican incumbents. And in 2010, Envision’s take-no-prisoners style helped more House members beat the odds and hold on to their seats than any other media firm. Despite the Republican wave and millions of dollars in third-party spending against them, Envision clients Jason Altmire, Tim Bishop, Martin Heinrich, Heath Shuler and Betty Sutton all emerged victorious.
We’ve also helped elect five Democrats to statewide office, including Governor John Kitzhaber in Oregon; flipped numerous state legislative chambers from Red to Blue; defeated anti-labor and anti-education ballot initiatives; and produced independent expenditure ads in some of the most hotly contested races in the nation. Our ads have been called everything from “humorous to clever to hard-hitting” by the New Mexico press to “devastatingly effective” by the Washington Post.
Envision a firm that’s more accessible, affable and affordable.
We did.
Click here to see our complete client list.
Our Team
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Peter Cari
A founding partner of Envision Communications, Peter Cari is one of the country’s leading experts on legislative and congressional races and independent expenditure campaigns. In recent cycles, he has used his expertise to guide multimillion-dollar independent expenditure programs for the National Education Association, America’s Families First, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
Having begun his political career as a college intern in the research department at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Peter remained with the DCCC for the better part of the next decade, working in numerous senior staff positions. In 1996, he headed the research department and led the issue advocacy program, which spent millions on communications and assisted in the pick-up of nine House seats. In 1998, Cari served as the DCCC’s chief tactician, directing the Committee’s polling, research and issue advocacy operations.
In 1999, Peter stepped away from the DCCC to found Cari Strategic Consulting, a firm dedicated to providing research, strategic guidance and planning to candidates and political organizations. As part of his portfolio at Cari Strategic, Peter served as the lead strategist to IMPAC 2000, the Democratic Party’s national congressional redistricting project, as well as the chief architect of the DCCC’s $20 million independent expenditure program for the 2002 cycle.
Returning to the DCCC as Political Director for the 2004 cycle, he was responsible for the committee’s overall strategic direction, candidate recruitment and messaging, as well as the hands-on management of the Committee’s $40 million independent expenditure effort.
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Jennifer Burton
Jennifer Burton is a founding partner in Envision Communications, where she brings 20 years of experience working for campaigns in over 30 states from State Senate to U.S. Senate.
Her flair for producing creative, original ads has helped elect many members of Congress and state-wide office holders, as well as pass several critical ballot measures and state-wide initiatives.
In addition to her work on behalf of candidates, Jennifer has worked for many companies and organizations, assisting with image campaigns and producing successful ad campaigns. Those clients have included Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, AT&T, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Vote Vets and National Resources Defense Council.
Prior to starting Envision Communications, Jennifer was a partner at Murphy Putnam Media. In 2006, she played a lead role in the firm’s independent expenditure effort on behalf of the DCCC that helped recapture the House of Representatives in 2006.
Her advertising work has been awarded numerous Pollies from the American Association of Political Consultants. And in 2002, Campaigns & Elections Magazine named Ms. Burton one of their “Rising Stars.”
Prior to her work as a media consultant, Ms. Burton worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 1996 cycle and for House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt from 1991 to 1994.
Jennifer serves on the boards of the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County (MHA), D.C. Action and Stone Soup Films. She resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her two daughters, Paloma and Lucia and their rambunctious Golden Retriever, Cosmo.
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Maura Dougherty
Maura Dougherty, a founding partner of Envision Communications, brings nearly 15 years of experience in media relations, campaign management, direct mail and speechwriting to the firm. From Capitol Hill to the campaign trail, she has helped Democrats at every level to get their messages out and win over voters.
Prior to forming Envision, Dougherty was Senior Vice President at Fenn Communications, where her ads and strategy helped numerous Democrats get elected to the House of Representatives and to state legislative chambers.
In 2002 and 2004, Dougherty was Associate Creative Director at Mission Control, a leading direct mail firm, where she worked to re-elect Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner and aided in the upset victories of Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) and Melissa Bean (IL-08). Her hard-hitting mail pieces earned the firm three First Place “Pollie” awards.
In 1999 and 2000, Dougherty served as Press Secretary for US Senator Chuck Schumer, overseeing his aggressive media operation in New York and traveling extensively across the state with the Senator during his crucial first year in office. In 1998, she developed a deep appreciation for a good state fair while serving as Communications Director for Tom Vilsack’s upset win in the Democratic Primary for governor in Iowa.
In addition to conducting candidate and staff trainings for domestic organizations such as EMILY’s List, the Center for American Progress and Wellstone Action, Dougherty has also taken her skills on the road. In both 2008 and 2009, she spent several weeks in Iraq with the National Democratic Institute, conducting candidate and activist trainings in advance of groundbreaking elections in that country. She has also conducted workshops for Iraqi Parliamentarians on US State Department study missions here in the US.
Rarely reticent about sharing her opinions, Maura has appeared as a political analyst and commentator for MSNBC and Fox News Channel. In 2008, Politico named her one of their 10 Political Operatives to Watch. -
Marc Alexander
Marc Alexander is a Washington D.C based filmmaker, who has worked extensively with Non-Profits and Governmental agencies. He started his
career as a news editor for Fox News and quickly moved on to documentary film making as a means to expand his creative energies.His association with Non-Profits in the DC metro area created the ideal incubator for Marc to explore his passion for film making. He worked for four years as the principal director and producer for the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation, and traveled around the country documenting the stories of under-served populations. Through his association with the UNCF SP, Marc has completed several documentaries, training videos, public service announcements and commercials for NASA, the Department of Education, Department of Justice, the Hispanic College Fund, and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.
His passion for storytelling led him to become a scriptwriter, producer, and director of photography for the Department of Labor’s Wage Hour Division. He has created two training modules utilized by the Department of Labor to educate and train its vast workforce across the United States.
In 2010, Marc took up the challenge of creating Political commercials. He worked as a Director of Photography for Envision Communications Inc and created over 30 commercials during the 2010 election season.
Marc was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Morgan State University in Baltimore Maryland and holds a Masters of Art in Film and Electronic Media from the American University in Washington, DC.
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TJ Imbrigiotta
T.J. joined Envision Communications in 2009 as lead editor. He has more than a decade worth of experience producing, shooting, and editing television content. His clients over the years include PBS, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Time Life, Smithsonian, Ford Motors, Northrop Grumman, CHF International, and the U.S. Army.
Prior to joining Envision, T.J. worked at both Interface Media Group and Media Link Communications as a creative editor. His love of television production started in the mid 90s when he signed on to shoot and edit his high school's video yearbook using a Super VHS camera and a makeshift linear edit system. In addition to creating television programming, TJ maintains our web site and designs web and print ads.
TJ graduated Cum Laude from the School of Media Arts and Design at James Madison University. In his free time he enjoys playing ice hockey, golfing, and rooting for the Washington Capitals. He lives in Arlington with his fiancé, Adrienne. -
Scott Turner
Scott Turner joined Envision Communications as director of production in the spring of 2011, bringing with him years of production experience for political firms. After getting his start as a production intern for Devine Mulvey in college, he went on to manage LKK Partners’ DC office during the 2010 cycle and is thrilled to work with the Envision team.
Originally from southwest Ohio, Scott graduated from Miami University with degrees in journalism and interactive media. As an undergrad, he was president of his student SPJ chapter and led the team that developed the online co-creation platform Goodzuma. In his free time, Scott can be found pursuing his passion for music. He also enjoys long-distance running.