I’m an ex-journalist and PR professional who focuses on business public relations, issue advocacy and emergency planning, crisis response and recovery.
I started my career at daily newspapers in California covering local government, law enforcement and business issues. From there I spent four years in Washington, D.C, covering Congress, NASA and the Pentagon, reporting on politics, budgets and legislation, new tech, and the burgeoning commercial and international space programs. Returning to California I worked five years managing media relations for military satellite, theater missile defense and classified programs at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. And from there I joined a boutique PR firm, launching tech startups and supporting massive mainframe computing programs.
I co-founded my first startup – KickFire – in 1998, raising $300K in angel investment and $6M in VC funding. When the first Internet bubble burst, I created JGPR, providing PR support to second generation Internet startups involved in Internet security and movie and music piracy. I co-founded my second startup – Satellite Workplaces – in 2008 – providing co-working space for commuters. I left in 2013 to join Burning Man Project, a 501(c)3 arts and civic engagement non-profit as Communications Director and later as Senior Advisor, Strategic Projects, where I focused on event communications, new program launches, and event incident management.
Reserving a portion of my time for pro bono work, I helped my small mountain community acquire its water system from the German multinational RWE and now consult with other communities considering doing the same. I ran a championship-winning offroad racing team - Desert Dingo Racing - and campaigned the Baja 1000 six times. I also served as Communications Director for the Mint 400 - the largest offroad race in the United States - for several years. Now firmly ensconced in Florida with my incredible wife Lisa, I’m writing a book on the history of the Mint 400. We explore the South in our award-winning Eurovan, sample BBQ at every opportunity and have begun volunteering with local civic groups.