A longtime colleague of mine who has advised CEOs, Congressional leaders and Cabinet members recently complained to me that “Public relations always gets left holding the bag.”  Coming from someone so experienced and versed at the highest levels of government and business, I was a bit surprised at the source of the complaint but, sadly,

As we approach Easter, I am remembering the one-year anniversary of one of the strangest Easters I’ve experienced. While everyone’s holiday last year was odd, mine was especially peculiar. It was the morning of April 12 at a construction site in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood where an explosion the day before rocked the community. I

“We should write an op-ed.” Those five words are a favorite phrase of elected officials, candidates and business leaders. While op-eds can be useful as a tactic in a larger strategy, too many leaders have made it the strategy. In the process, time and resources are spent drafting, editing and shopping the piece whose chances

More than a year ago, businesses across Illinois began providing safe, legal access to adult-use cannabis, and the cannabis industry continues to experience tremendous growth. On a year-over-year basis, in January statewide sales grew by more than 125% as the legal market continues to mature.   Culloton + Bauer Luce has had the pleasure to work

At Culloton + Bauer Luce, our team of advisors represent some of the country’s most prominent business, political and civic leaders who seek us out to defend their credibility, solve problems and create new opportunities in tough times. In our new “Meet the Crisis Expert” blog series, we’ll meet the individuals who make up CBL’s

There are endless ways a company or organization can screw up when responding to a crisis. And while every crisis has its own set of issues, here are five common crisis communication mistakes you don't want to make:  NONCREDIBLE DENIAL My seven-year-old daughter once etched her name into the dresser of my new Ethan Allen

The universal truth in my business is that it’s not a matter of if but when a crisis will strike. Simply refer to all of 2020 as exhibit A. But unless you’re a lawyer or a crisis manager yourself, many leaders don’t necessarily know when is the right time to make that call to a

By Lynn Holley In part one of this two-part Q&A with Dennis Culloton, we talked about what it takes to be a successful crisis manager and how to navigate working with clients. In part two, we discuss one of the more difficult aspects of managing a public crisis ... interacting with the media. Lynn Holley:

By Lynn Holley  Dennis Culloton and I have been colleagues for a long time, longer than we care to admit. From all news radio in Chicago to helping professional clients with media messaging and reputation maintenance, we have partnered up most recently to train future crisis managers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In

By Dennis Culloton History books are filled with pivotal moments where powerful leaders are overcome by events. 2020 was one of those pivotal years. It humbled everyone. We won’t attempt to add to the first draft of history here other than to repeat that it was a dumpster fire sitting on top of a burning