CLEVELAND – Dix & Eaton announced today that two key members of its media relations group – Amy McGahan and David Hertz – have been promoted to senior vice president. McGahan, who joined the firm in 1997, has spent the past decade in media relations. Hertz is a former journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning editor at The Akron Beacon Journal who has been with D&E since 2006.
“Although they draw upon diverse experience and have different approaches to their work, both Amy and David are extremely adept at delivering results through effective media strategies as well as providing senior-level counsel that goes well beyond media relations,” said Scott Chaikin, chairman and chief executive officer. “Their promotions reflect their many contributions to the success of our clients and the fundamental importance of media relations within our firm.”
McGahan helps clients across various industries identify story ideas and appropriate media channels to help deliver key strategic messages on national, regional and local levels. She has assisted clients in garnering effective placements in key business, financial and trade media through developing relationships with reporters and editors at these publications and broadcast outlets. McGahan has placed major financial and feature stories in national media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Financial Times, Forbes, CNBC and Bloomberg Television, in addition to stories in key trade publications.
McGahan has worked with clients in a diverse array of sectors, including law, manufacturing and environmental services, as well as civic organizations, and has handled crisis matters involving environmental issues, industrial accidents, data theft, and labor and legal disputes. She is an experienced project manager and account leader who has applied her writing and supervisory skills to both interactive and print media.
Previously, McGahan was associate director of community relations for the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center and public relations associate for The Eliza Jennings Group. In both positions, she acted as a liaison with community organizations, conducted community outreach and education, and coordinated special events. She serves on the board of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and as an Annual Fund Class Representative for Baldwin-Wallace College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communications.
Hertz draws upon 20 years of journalism experience when counseling clients on media relations, media training, crisis communications and corporate communications strategy. Since joining Dix & Eaton, he has assisted such clients as Forest City Enterprises, Parker Hannifin and the Cleveland Plus marketing initiative communicate their stories to journalists around the world, and handled crisis and issues management situations involving government agencies, professional sports teams, community organizations, and public and private corporations. His blog, Media Inner View, offers commentary on issues affecting traditional and emerging media.
Previously, Hertz helped lead the Beacon Journal’s coverage of some of the most significant stories that arose during his 15 years at the paper. He also proposed and helped organize the newspaper’s Pulitzer-Prize winning investigation into race relations after the Rodney King-based riots of the 1990s.
As the newspaper’s business editor, Hertz oversaw award-winning coverage of B.F. Goodrich’s decision to leave Akron, as well as the sales of Maytag and the Hoover Co. He also planned and edited a lengthy special report examining Northeast Ohio’s economy. As metro editor, Hertz coordinated the Beacon Journal’s coverage of Sept. 11 and its fallout, an investigation into Akron-area couples who secretly purchased newborns from a Georgia doctor and a series on the plight of gay teens.
Hertz’s efforts as enterprise editor and writing coach are chronicled on the Neiman Foundation for Journalism’s Web site at Harvard University. Hertz also worked for Knight Ridder’s Boca Raton (Fla.) News for five years. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia as well as a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia.
Dix & Eaton is an integrated communications consultancy specializing in public relations, investor relations, crisis communications and customer communications. Working as partners, we bring deep experience, foresight and creativity to every relationship and help clients realize the full power of communication to drive results. Founded in 1952, Dix & Eaton has been named the best midsize firm and the best midsize, full-service firm in the United States.