About
Traverse City Web Design is the internet consulting, web design and online marketing company of Ray Weigel and Kate Botello. We are freelance web designers and small business consultants. We specialize in developing and implementing internet marketing strategies for individuals, small and medium size businesses.
We provide a wide range of web design and internet marketing services. From creating and revamping websites, to managing email marketing efforts and Facebook pages, to domain administration and website hosting.
We work with businesses to get them working smarter and more efficiently online.
Kate Botello : Founder, Lead Designer
Former Emmy-winning host of TechTV’s international television shows, Zip Files, The Screen Savers and Extended Play, Kate Botello has been reporting on the internet and designing multimedia and web sites on the national stage for 15 years with a focus on entertainment and the arts.
Kate has written countless articles about interface design for online publications. She has been written about in Wired magazine, has her own entry in Wikipedia, and has been named one of the “Women to Know in New Media” by the Online Journalism Review. She’s won awards from Backstage Magazine, The New York Theater Festival and The New York Nightlife Awards, and her work has shown up on websites and television shows around the country.
She currently works on websites and online marketing for a variety of entertainers, actors, Broadway producers, musicians, and theater companies. Her client list includes: Liza Minelli's musical director Billy Stritch, Broadway producer Jamie Deroy, Jim Caruso (King of New York Cabaret), Birdland Jazz Club in New York City and the Traverse City Old Town Playhouse and Traverse City Childrens' Theater, where she also runs the performing arts summer camp.
Professional Highlights:
- Starred in several national television shows about the internet
- Won an Emmy for puppeteering Tilda, the first computerized, 3D virtual character on television
- Awarded a New York City Nightlife Award and nominated for a Backstage Bistro Award for shows she wrote and performed Off-Broadway
- Serves on the Advisory Board of the Traverse City Children's Theater
- Runs the Traverse City Performing Arts summer camp
- Marketing work for The Songbook Project featured in the Wall Street Journal
Ray Weigel : Founder, Lead Designer
Ray Weigel has been producing websites for 15 years. He entered the national stage in Boston, Massachusettes in 1996, producing online video and web content for the first nationally syndicated television show about the internet, The Wild Wild Web.
During this time, he wrote hundreds of video game reviews and produced a wide array of digital media for WildWeb.Com as well as Alta Vista's first broadband entertainment portal at AltaVista.Com.
In addition to starting his own projects, Ray went on to produce web sites and report on technology in San Francisco, California, working as the lead web producer for TechTV's national television show about videogames, Extended Play. Here he served on the network's Editorial Board and hosted and produced national television segments and online content for the shows Extended Play, The Screen Savers, Fresh Gear and Tech Live, a daily eight hour live news show.
Since then, Ray Weigel has built many, many websites for clients across the country. He has helped launch multiple companies where he is often hired on a freelance basis as a small business and internet marketing consultant, developing and implementing online and eCommerce strategies.
In addition he has written many articles about new media, online marketing and interface design for ABC News, eDesign Magazine, G4 (cable TV network) and ID Magazine (International Design).
Professional Highlights:
- Recieved Master of Fine Arts in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, MA
- Produced and hosted national television segments for both syndicated and network television
- Served on the Editorial Board of TechTV, a national television network
- Currently serves on the Development Board of the Old Town Playhouse as well as the Advisory Board of the Traverse City Children's Theater, in Traverse City, Michigan
- Serves as an Officer at Traverse City Elks Lodge #323
- Co-Founded an Off-Broadway production company with Kate Botello and Donna Drake. We produced award winning Off-Broadway musicals. We won a New York City Nightlife award and were nominated for a Backstage Bistro award from Backstage Magazine. Our shows were also repeatedly featured as 'Shows To See in New York City' by the highly influential Timeout New York Magazine and NEXT Magazine.
Mike Dunn : Associate Producer
Mike Dunn is currently studying computer science and business administration at Michigan State University and spends his summers splitting his time hanging out in Traverse City and planning world domination scenarios on his laptop.
Kate Laffin : Associate Producer
Bio Coming Soon!
Community Support
In addition to helping Traverse City small businesses and individuals create websites online, we are active members of the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks where we serve in an executive capacity.
We are also very active supporters of the arts in Traverse City. We produce and direct plays and musicals and serve on the advisory board of the Old Town Playhouse Young Company, as well as the Old Town Playhouse Development Board.
We also work do all the internet marketing for The American Songbook Project in New York City, New York.
