Sean Stiny grew up in Sacramento, with an affinity for reading, writing, storytelling, and film. Despite the job prospects after college, he took the plunge and majored in English at UC Davis. He’s worked for large companies including the tech sector, and moved to Petaluma for a girl he met while she was doing headstands in the middle of a lake on her stand up paddleboard. They’ve been married for eleven years now. Sean began working with PGWA right after the AVA was approved, and manages our social media activities. Here’s his story.
You grew up in Sacramento, how did you come to settle in Petaluma?
Honestly, I followed a girl there. She had just finished getting her teaching credential at Sonoma State and teaches 3rd grade in Santa Rosa. At the time, I took a job in the wine industry (at Vinquiry, now Enartis) just to get over to Sonoma County. We’ve been married for 11 years now.
How did you two meet?
We met quite literally on a standup paddleboard in the middle of a lake. She did a headstand on her board, and that was it for me. She’s pretty badass at anything she does.
You went to UC Davis and got a degree in English. Why did you choose that as a major? How do you use that in your day job, especially when there’s kind of a stigma around the liberal arts?
I’ve always loved reading and writing, storytelling and film. It’s what I excelled at while at Davis, and decided to take the plunge, despite what people kept telling me about job prospects. I’m actually pretty proud of it now, especially because writing and analytical skills have become so rare. I’ve parlayed it into a career in marketing, while working at some large companies, and right now I work in tech (a phrase that sounds so cliché and makes me cringe, but it’s true).
You still go over to Davis on occasion?
Yeah, I love going to football games over there, a fun atmosphere, while grabbing a slice of Woodstock’s and a cold Sudwerk lager.
You’ve worked with the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance for many years now as a consultant to our organization. How did you find out about PGWA? We love working with you; can you describe what you do to help us shine in a crowded market?
I’ve always followed the comings and goings here in Petaluma, and the chance to help the Gap get the word out about their wines was pretty cool. I reached out when the AVA paperwork was all submitted knowing that once approved, the real work would begin and the PGWA would need an extra set of eyes on all things digital.
It’s neat that Petaluma Gap vineyards are the first ones everyone sees when driving north on 101 from San Francisco. Our vineyards are the first view of wine country. And when the wind kicks up here in the Petaluma afternoons, that’s unique terroir that gives me goosebumps, and gives the vines thicker skins that lead to rich colors and flavors.
You’re also woodworker?
Yeah, every Thursday night I’m in the woodshop (at Petaluma High School actually). I’ve made everything from coffee tables to TV stands, bookcases, wine racks, and birdhouses. I even made a birdhouse bookcase wine rack combo. There’s no room left in our house for more projects, but I keep going.
You designed an owl box a few years ago and supply them as kits for some local retailers. What inspired you to do this and where can we find them?
Yeah, I was getting requests once in a while for an owl box and initially was making them by hand on the table saw. I decided to expand things a bit, came up with the plans, and now have a pretty awesome cabinetry shop in Sebastopol that cuts them out on a CNC Router.
The owls are great for pest control in fields and vineyards. Barn owls will take up residence in the Winter and raise their young in them until early Summer. But mostly, how cool is it to have a resident owl around the property!?!
My owl boxes come as kits (about a half hour to build, unlike Ikea’s furniture) at Friedman’s, the local Wild Birds stores, Petaluma Seed Bank, and Harmony Farm (who sometimes has them assembled). A place up in Mt. Shasta stocks them too. Oh, and they’re called The Owl Abode.
And you’re a gifted writer. Your articles have been published in numerous magazines and journals. How did that come about?
Again, proud English major. I’ve been writing since high school, but worked out some nonfiction pieces over the last several years. I’ve had good publishing luck, with writing that’s appeared in Outside Magazine this year, Whitefish Review (who published Ed Abbey), and Catamaran Lit Reader out of Santa Cruz (who’s published Toni Morrison and John Steinbeck). I have a column in Cal Fly Fisher too, that one’s fun.
Most of my pieces have an outdoor bent to them. One was an article about Alaska I wrote last year, the Glacier National Park piece was for Outside, but I’ve also written about the atomic bomb and the London blitz. Right now I’m pitching a piece I wrote about the animals and landscape here in West Petaluma.
On a side note, how lucky are we in Petaluma to have an amazing community bookstore like Copperfield’s? You will find me in their downstairs used book section pretty much once a week.
You enjoy hiking and being outdoors. Can you tell us about your favorite spots? What’s the wildest animal you’ve encountered while out in nature?
Glacier is at the top for me. Seward, Alaska is amazing. Same goes for the interior of Alaska.
I’ve seen grizzlies and moose out on the trail. Once we came across a Giant Pacific Octopus that had washed ashore up in Port Angeles, Washington. When are you ever going to see one of those!?!
What’s next for you, what’s on the horizon?
More writing, more owl boxes. A quick trip up to the Pacific Northwest this Fall.
And to continue to put down roots here in Petaluma for the years to come.