Welcome to the Hidden Gems Team.

Wade Stewart Cowper

Wade Stewart Cowper, Managing Partner at Hidden Gems Public Relations

Wade S. Cowper is the Managing Partner of Hidden Gems Public Relations. As a fourth-generation Santa Barbarian, Wade has an intimate knowledge of the people and markets throughout our beautiful Central Coast. Before founding Hidden Gems, Wade was an enterprise and political consultant in California and Texas with a focus on press relations and strategic communications. Working mainly with nonprofit organizations, Wade built a strong boutique practice with an emphasis on media relations, sustainable growth, and brand management.

Wade has managed many successful political campaigns in Santa Barbara County and beyond. He worked on more than two dozen political campaigns over the course of two decades after beginning his career in politics as a volunteer for the DNC at the age of 16. He has since worked in communications on two congressional campaigns and down-ticket races in California and Texas. He has consulted on races for Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, Santa Barbara City Council, Ventura City Council, Goleta City Council, Lompoc City Council, Santa Barbara Unified School Board, Goleta Unified School Board, Buellton Unified School Board, Montecito Water District, Montecito Sanitary District as well as many others outside the Santa Barbara area.

Wade has long been involved in the world of early-stage business. In 2007, as the founder of A&C Media Strategies, he created the first new media consulting firm in the United States. The firm dedicated to bringing fresh ideas to the tired political process, and focused on mobile applications and social media. This non-partisan consulting firm worked to help bridge political divides and fight for more productive political discourse.

Previously, Wade worked in the tech sector, notably as Chief Operations Officer and junior partner for Teranomic, a tech firm in Sacramento specializing in state procurements. He was the Senior Advisor to Click Labs, LLC, an Indian-based incubator; VoteChat, a social media application, and LockLetter, an NDA email security application.  

Wade attended St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, where he participated in the unique Political Management program where he learned from professionals like Mark McKinnon and Matthew Dowd. After graduating with honors from St. Ed’s, he received a scholarship to attend University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. He went on to earn his juris doctorate with a Public Policy Certificate from McGeorge’s Capital Center.

Jeffrey Oshins

Jeffrey Oshins is the director of public funding acquisition at Hidden Gems Public Relations, he oversees all identification and procurement of federal, state and private grants for our nonprofit clients.

Before joining Hidden Gems, Jeff worked at both ends of the federal funding pipeline, first as a staffer on Capitol Hill, then as a grant writer for more than 20 years. Jeff has served dozens of America's communities bringing millions of dollars in grants to California alone. Jeff has also spent significant time aiding Native American communities, and has successfully gained grants for three different reservations.

Much of Jeff's work can still be seen today throughout the Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. From schools in inner cities to public housing in the City of Santa Barbara, Jeff has brought aid to those who are most in need.

Jeff is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara. After graduating from college, Oshins went to work on the legislative staff of the U.S. House of Representatives. After a stint with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Dukakis for President campaign, Oshins founded Community Based Economic Development Strategies LLC, a group dedicated to organizing communities to address issues as job training, job development, child care, and crime prevention.


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