We welcome Jake Monka to the PlainClarity family as our new public relations and marketing intern! Jake is excited to bring his skills, passions and unique perspective to restaurants, breweries and other beloved PlainClarity clients. He took time between graduating in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature to work in customer service, third party administration and music journalism in a 10-year span. He then went back to Arizona State University-West for his Master’s of Communication Studies in 2019.

Working alongside restaurants and breweries is a bonus for Jake as he loves to indulge in cooking and the culture that surrounds it.

“I find myself in an incredibly fortunate position to work with clients who are innovative, unique and striving to progress in the evolution of dining culture.”

If, however, he needs to pair a beverage with his dish, he’ll look at the beer menu first. His experience in networking with social media, event planning and community outreach with breweries from his hometown of Sacramento has given him the tools necessary to use in the San Diego area and beyond.

“Being from California, working with breweries is not a competitive but a collaborative effort. My goal is to keep working with breweries, in particular, to help them become up-to-date in trends, while establishing new ones."

When he’s not working, he and his wife are currently in the throes of pandemic parenthood with their 9-month-old son.

“Learning to be a father during the pandemic taught me about patience and the persistence of hard work, and what it means to wait for positive results, even if the atmosphere of the world seems bleak.”

And when he’s not parenting and has two hours to himself, he is either: a.) collecting records, b.) cooking with his wife or c.) playing soccer in the backyard with his puppy, Duncan.

“There's not enough time in the day to catch up with my interests, but that’s okay! It's important to stay busy on all ends of my interests but challenge myself with opportunities. PlainClarity offers me the chance to push myself through my writing and networking, and I'm looking forward to seeing the positive results."

About the Author

Born in Los Angeles, CA, raised in Sacramento, CA, and currently living in Phoenix, AZ, Jake Monka is reevaluating his career by approaching new voices with different forms of communication techniques which include: print, podcasting and networking. Graduating from UC Davis in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature then completing his master’s in 2021 in Communication Studies from Arizona State University West, he is ready to work with new voices and utilize his interests of food, beverage and local culture. He hopes to make positive strides for PlainClarity’s clients and direct them toward success. When he’s not working and the baby is asleep for the night, Jake loves to play soccer, collect music and spend time with his family.