You’ve come to the right place if you’re seeking an expert to help you land news coverage for your product, business, organization or cause. I have extensive extensive communications experience, as a veteran Chicago news reporter and now as a PR consultant working with editors and writers in traditional and digital media. Bottom line: I’ve always loved spreading the news and it still gets my adrenaline pumping!

After 15 years as a news reporter for WXRT, WBEZ and WGN radio in Chicago, I switched to PR and marketing when I was named Communications Director of Daley ’95, Mayor Richard M. Daley’s reelection campaign. Ours was the first campaign in Illinois to conduct online engagement with supporters. I was the first director of CityofChicago.org, where we  pioneered e-commerce — selling Taste of Chicago Tickets online, posting an interactive downtown map,  job openings and photos of Chicago’s most-wanted criminals. We introduced the idea of e-Services: working with numerous city agencies to engineer the delivery of government services to the Internet.

I have witnessed the ubiquitous role the Internet plays  in business and our daily lives. Since those heady days of the birth of the consumer-based Internet, I have led a variety of digital and traditional PR & marketing initiatives on behalf of clients in government, finance, technology, non-profit, medical, health care and retail industries. 

What do I love most? Seeing results. Whether it’s helping businesses communicate the value they bring to their customers; guiding CEOs navigate media interviews and establish media relationships, or securing headlines and positive coverage in traditional or digital outlets. I’m most fulfilled when clients share the positive results of their PR efforts. If you’re wondering whether media relations can help your business, call me at 312-423-6627 or send an email at Michelle @ MichelleDamico dot com.

I’m often invited to speak as a panelist on a variety of topics.

Here’s a recent appearance on the program “In the Loop” on WYCC, PBS-TV Chicago. I also lead workshops on how to improve your organization’s messaging, how to navigate media interviews, and how to make the most of your PR initiatives on social media.

In fact, on the first Tuesday of each month at 9:32 am., I’m featured in a live social media segment on Farm Week Now, streaming live on RFD Radio, the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Radio Network. You can also check out a Chicago Tribune article about my recent social media workshops for farmers.

Want to talk? Find me on these networks and on Google+ or email me at Michelle @ MichelleDamico dot com.