Blog
Intern Insights: What Sets the CBL Team Apart?
An exciting aspect of working a summer internship is being a sponge: soaking in every opportunity to learn from your surroundings, particularly by having conversations with your mentors. During my internship at CBL, I took time to formally interview members of the team to gauge their knowledge and experience in the world of crisis
Intern Insights: How Business and Crisis Communications Can Fall Hand-in-Hand
When I first entered the Culloton + Bauer Luce office, I was not an expert at reading the news. To be honest, I was not very good at reading the news. As a business student, I knew that keeping up with current affairs was important, but I was never quite sure where to start.
From Nightmare Scenarios to Happy Endings
I’ve been thinking a lot about fairy tales. My son is learning about different kinds of books and narratives in his preschool class. He’s become a fan of fairy tales. Fantastical stories. Enchanting and mythical characters. Improbable events that lead to happy endings. Makes sense for a 4-year-old. But guess who else likes a good
If you don’t want to read it on the front page, don’t say it
“This is off the record.” The 5 scariest words that will send me sprinting to hang up a client’s phone or shoot over the most aggressive “Mom’s MAD” look possible. (Hey, if it can stop a 4-year-old in his tracks, it certainly can give a CEO some cause for pause.) This rundown in Ragan
Beating the boys at their own game: Women leaders in Sports Business
I throw like a girl. And damn proud of it. Almost anything I learned about being successful in business came from what I learned about being an athlete. A girl athlete. Soccer, fast-pitch, cross country. You name it. I did it. Today, I got to reflect on my own learnings playing sports as a
Show, Don’t Tell: The Power of OTT Advertising
1. Take matters into your own hands. ... And ... 2. Show. Don’t tell. Increasingly, these points are among the most common pieces of advice we give our clients. Here’s why: *Viewers are cutting the cord. *Canceling their newspaper subscription to shift online (if they subscribe at all — shame on you!). *Turning to
Look Ahead: 2024 Predictions for Communicators & Strategic Advisors
This year, we had ChatGPT, UAW, the meltdown of crypto and conviction of Sam Bankman-Fried, plus epic hijinks in the U.S. House of Representatives, not to mention all those legal headaches for a former POTUS. As 2023 rounds out and we gear up for another 365 days around the sun, we’re bracing for more
Springfield Updates: Veto Session Edition
The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to return for veto session Oct 24-26 and Nov 7-9. With a new Chicago mayor, here’s our take on some hot button issues to keep an eye on: Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an amendatory veto on a bill that would have allowed utility companies, mainly the electric utility
When Silence Is Golden: Sam Bankman-Fried and Why Not All PR Is Good PR
What do Sam Bankman-Fried and Rod Blagojevich have in common? They never met a reporter or an open-ended question they didn’t love to use to defend their innocence against far-reaching charges (and in Blago’s case, convictions) of fraud. Both men deployed unusual strategies to defend their cases in the court of public opinion before their
The Winning Play: Issues Management for Professional Sports Leaders
In the high-stakes world of professional sports, success isn't solely measured by on-field wins and championship titles. The reputation and public perception of a sports franchise can significantly impact its long-term popularity and profitability. While more high-profile and consumer facing than our clients, say, in manufacturing or energy or tech, sports teams’ problems and challenges
Pay for your news like democracy depends on it
It’s like the proverbial tree in the forest: Is it news if no one is there to cover it? This fascinating — and frankly, depressing — report from PBS’ Judy Woodruff explores the dangers of the decline in local news. My alma mater the Medill School of Journalism put some numbers to the challenge: Since
Following the ‘Cord Cutters:’ How OTT Advertising is Revolutionizing Public Affairs
First, there was Facebook. In 2008, the Obama campaign was widely credited for harnessing the power of social media to fuel its unlikely path to the White House. Today, political campaigns continue to experiment with new digital and social media tools that push the envelope on reaching audiences and creating new means for authentic
‘KISS’: The Power of Keeping It Simple, ST*PID
“It’s the economy, Stupid.” I was 15 (ah-hem) when that phrase became the soundbite of the Clinton-Gore ‘96 presidential campaign. Today, the line still resonates. Simplicity rules. Aka the “KISS” Rule. In our post-Clinton, post-MTV, post-long-form world, we now daily battle the ongoing onslaught of information offered up by a 24/7 news media and a
Mastering Media Training: A Vital Skill for CEOS
Practice makes perfect. Yes, we all know that’s the rule, but when you’re the CEO or C-suite executive dealing with so many competing interests, how do you justify the time required to go into preparing for media interviews? From my experience advising senior leaders in the private sector and the political arena, you can learn
Crisis Preparedness: 7 Questions for Building Resilience for the Inevitable
It’s the quiet times that worry me the most — when things are humming along, operations are working fine, teams are collaborating as they should. Just business as normal. To me, this is the time to think ahead: What happens when the unthinkable happens? Are you ready for that moment? If your organization is ready
Navigating Troubled Waters: Issues Management vs. Crisis Management
The terms “issues management” and “crisis management” may seem like they’re interchangeable, but nothing could be further from the truth. They’re actually quite different and require different approaches depending on a client’s circumstances. My business partner Dennis Culloton likes to explain that a crisis is an issue that wasn’t managed. A metaphor I’ve heard compares
What Not to Do When a Crisis Strikes: 5 Common Mistakes When Your Reputation is on the Line
Celebrities. Mega-consumer brands. Fortune 500 companies. And of course, former presidents. No one is immune from a crisis, even your average Joes can fall victim to a crisis by going viral for the wrong reason. As we like to say, it’s not a matter of it but when a crisis will strike. When in crisis,
SBF’s Media Blitz: Strategic or Catastrophic?
You would have to be living under a rock to have missed the cryptocurrency scandal surrounding FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. As his world began to crumble, we watched him turn to all public avenues from media interviews to social media channels to clear his name. This surely made all crisis communications experts like myself
ABB: Always Be Better
By Eleni Demertzis “The best competition I have is against myself, to become better.” That’s a quote by the legendary basketball coach John Wooden that my dad instilled in me at a young age. It’s a mantra that has followed me through my career (and life) that motivates me to always be better, learn
Meet the Expert: Courtney Avery
In 2021, Courtney joined CBL as a Senior Consultant, focusing on her specialty, healthcare issues advocacy and crisis management. She works with our range of healthcare industry clients, from hospital systems to long-term care organizations, advising them on how to navigate the regulatory arenas in Springfield and Chicago. To celebrate her 1-year anniversary with
Interviews with Lynn, Part 6: “Do you see new threats on the horizon?”
This is the sixth episode of “Interviews with Lynn” a seven-part series from Culloton + Bauer Luce on the issues facing public affairs and crisis management practitioners and their clients. Lynn Holley, senior consultant at CBL and a former financial news anchor, interviews founding partners Dennis Culloton and Natalie Bauer Luce. These communications strategists
A lesson in trusting your gut and following your path
By Natalie Bauer Luce I first met Dennis Culloton at a fundraiser in Bucktown for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. After a brief chat and a few big laughs at his prime one-liners, we exchanged business cards, and I thought that was that. How wrong I was. Little did I know in the
Interviews with Lynn, Part 5: “Do You Advise Threatening Lawsuits to Kill Stories?”
This is the fifth episode of “Interviews with Lynn” a seven-part series from Culloton + Bauer Luce on the issues facing public affairs and crisis management practitioners and their clients. Lynn Holley, senior consultant at CBL and a former financial news anchor, interviews founding partners Dennis Culloton and Natalie Bauer Luce. These communications strategists
Interviews with Lynn, Part 4: “What Can Culloton Bauer Luce Do to Make a Difference?”
This is the fourth episode of “Interviews with Lynn” a seven-part series from Culloton + Bauer Luce on the issues facing public affairs and crisis management practitioners and their clients. Lynn Holley, senior consultant at CBL and a former financial news anchor, interviews founding partners Dennis Culloton and Natalie Bauer Luce. These communications strategists
Interviews with Lynn, Part 3: “How Does an Agency Remain Balanced?”
This is another episode of “Interviews with Lynn,” a video series from Culloton + Bauer Luce on the issues facing public affairs and crisis management practitioners and their clients. Lynn Holley, senior consultant at CBL and a former financial news anchor, interviews founding partners Dennis Culloton and Natalie Bauer Luce. These communications strategists offer
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