Meet the Team

Amy is the President and one of the founders of of Idle Time Advertising (ITA). Along with her husband, Josh, Amy was integral in working to evolve Idle Time from a small, unconventional ad agency into a full-scale industry leader in public outreach/event staffing and experiential marketing. Amy has more than 19 years of public relations, marketing, and advertising experience. In her current role she is responsible for maintaining the vision, staffing, guiding, leading, and managing the company.

In 2010, Amy received Maryland Department of Transportation MBE/DBE certification and in 2014 she received DBE certification for the Metropolitan Washington Unified Certification Program. Amy and ITA have become an integral partner for several DC & Baltimore-based advertising and government agencies, based on their proven track record in the transportation industry. 

Amy earned a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications from Clemson University, where she met her now-husband and business partner, Joshua Sweat. Amy enjoys spending her “Idle Time” with Josh, their two children and their Labradoodle, Ginger, and boating on the Chesapeake Bay.

Josh is the Vice President and Director of Business Development and one of the founders of Idle Time Advertising (ITA). With more than 19 years of public relations, marketing, and advertising experience, Josh’s primary responsibilities include new business development, customer service, and project management. Josh has been instrumental in forming key partnerships with government and advertising agencies that led to the expansion of ITA’s capabilities and service offerings and helped make them a leader in public outreach and experiential marketing. Josh’s attention to detail, his talent for finding creative solutions and his ability to perform well under pressure have enabled him to successfully manage the execution of thousands of public outreach activations that the Company is tasked with each year. 

Prior to launching Idle Time Advertising with his wife, Amy, Josh founded Annapolis Powerwash in 2003. After growing a client base of more than 500 customers, Josh sold Annapolis Powerwash to a competitor just two years later.

A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Josh also graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications. The program focused on the technical side of print production, with a secondary focus on marketing and design. 

Josh is an avid fisherman and enjoys spending his “Idle Time” with Amy, their two children, and their Labradoodle, Ginger. The family also enjoys spending time with friends and family and boating and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.

Claudia has worked in experiential marketing for over 10 years in the DC/Maryland/Virginia market. She joined ITA as a street team ambassador in 2016 and quickly rose to become a Team Lead and Project Manager for several Clients on multiple campaigns. Since 2019, she has been a full-time Scheduling Manager supporting activations and brand ambassadors at festivals, sporting events, concerts, and with roving street teams. Her duties include recruiting, screening, hiring, and managing ITA’s customer service oriented, multilingual talent. She also creates and populates event schedules to meet Client requirements. 

Claudia is highly–skilled at training teams who excel at highlighting a campaign's key messaging points, answering questions confidently, and collecting data needed. She is extremely detailed, quick to problem-solve during event activations, and delivers progress reports that include comprehensive event recaps, photography, and careful management of company inventory. She is passionate about coordinating team logistics, setting up event footprints and connecting with people to represent companies in a positive and effective manner. Claudia is also bilingual in both English and Spanish. Clients serviced by Claudia and her teams include MDOT, SHA, MTA, WMATA, Montgomery County Dept. of Transportation, and the City of Alexandria’s "GOAlex” Initiative. Claudia’s recruiting efforts and attention to detail ensure that the ITA talent are the best in the industry.

Tarue joined ITA as a brand ambassador in 2016. He has extensive experience in event marketing and has personally represented a variety of regional and nationally-known brands. His successes in management, technical demonstrations, street teams, conventions and tradeshows, and experiential marketing propelled him to become a full-time Project Manager with ITA in 2019. 

Tarue’s work with ITA in support of Maryland Department of Transportation has included projects such as SHA’s Bicycle Safety, Pedestrian Safety, and Workzone Safety campaigns, and MHSO’s Motorcycle Safety, and Impaired Driving Awareness campaigns. He has also successfully managed Pedestrian Safety campaigns for Montgomery County, DC Department of Transportation, and Virginia Department of Transportation. In these initiatives, ITA teams have reached tens of thousands of citizens, including traditionally underserved communities, non-English-speaking audiences, low-income populations, and people with disabilities. 

Tarue is an avid runner, bicyclist, and motorcycle rider. His personal connection to these activities enables Tarue to further connect with the citizens that he engages.

Lydia has 14 years of experience in outreach and has done it all. She has canvassed door-to-door for local causes, organized grassroots outreach for prominent policy issues, trained grassroots ambassadors, and directed interactive workshops for non-profits in Baltimore. Lydia has a visual arts background and earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from American University before turning her sights to community work. Her talent for connection and insight into the diverse DC, MD, VA networks enables any program she is part of. With Lydia’s leadership, organizations and brands will maximize their intended impact.

Lydia joined the ITA team in 2014 as a brand ambassador, which served as her introduction into the world of experiential marketing. Since then, she has participated in dozens of successful promotional campaigns for a wide range of brands and organizations at the local and national level. Clients serviced by Lydia include MDOT, SHA, MTA, WMATA, Montgomery County Dept. of Transportation, and the City of Alexandria’s “GoAlex” Initiative. Lydia currently holds the full-time position of Internal Project Manager. Lydia’s attention to detail enables her to prepare detailed reporting for her Clients. Lydia is also bilingual in English and Amharic.