Howard Bragman

Howard Bragman is an American public relations practitioner, writer and lecturer.

Career

Bragman was born and raised in Flint, Michigan and graduated with a B.A in Journalism and Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1978. After serving as a vice president in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Burson-Marsteller Public Relations, Bragman founded Bragman Nyman Cafarelli (BNC) in 1989. Under Bragman, the company went on to become one of the largest and most respected public relations firms in Los Angeles. In 2001, BNC was purchased by Interpublic Group, one of the world’s largest holding companies for marketing companies. In 2005, Bragman went on to establish Fifteen Minutes, a strategic media and public relations agency.

As a nationally renowned crisis counselor, Bragman has provided litigation support for a significant number of high-profile cases and individuals. These include: Joseph Steffan, who was kicked out of the United States Naval Academy for his sexual orientation; the Lewinsky family; and Sharon Smith in Smith v. Knoller, a high-profile civil rights and justice trial involving a tragic dog-mauling death.

Bragman created a visually directed media preparation manual aimed at young actors that was standard preparation for all actors at Nickelodeon Movies and Television. He also media trained hundreds of people including actors, CEOs, physicians, elected officials and attorneys.

Bragman was an Adjunct Professor in Public Relations at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Communication from 1998 to 2003.

Community work

Bragman, who is openly gaycitation |url=http://www.outsports.com/difference/2007/bragman0430.htm |title=Publicist is helping athletes come out |periodical=OutSports |first=Cyd |last=Zeigler, Jr. |date=April 30, 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-25] has been active in the AIDS/HIV community, on lesbian and gay civil rights, Jewish causes and First Amendment protections. He has received awards and honors from numerous groups including AIDS Project Los Angeles, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and Congregation Kol Ami [http://www.kol-ami.org/ Congregation Kol Ami, West Hollywood ] ] . Bragman founded the Jewish Image Awards, honoring positive portrayals of Jews in television and film.

Public appearances

Bragman has written bylined articles for publications including: "Advertising Age", "The Advocate", the "Los Angeles Times" and "Playboy". He is a regular pundit on CNN Headline News' "Showbiz Tonight" and has a regular segment on Leeza Gibbons' syndicated radio show, "Hollywood Confidential: How Hollywood Works". As an expert on issues involving the entertainment industry and popular culture, Bragman has made hundreds of appearances on local and network news programs including the "Oprah Winfrey Show", the "Today Show", CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox and E!, as well as in hundreds of national magazines and local newspapers. He has been a featured speaker for numerous groups including the US Conference of Mayors; the UJC Youth Congress; and many others.

Personal life

Bragman resides in Los Angeles with his partner, Chuck O'Donnell (a horse trainer), two dogs and a parrot.citation |title=Howard Bragman: Fifteen Minutes |periodical=Echelon Magazine |year=2005 |accessdate=2007-10-25] Bragman and O'Donnell were married in July, 2008, in Norwalk, California. [http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:pmGP6mS7QRQJ:www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cause23-2008jul23,0,5128050.story+%22tommy+trojan%22+gay&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us]

References

External links

* Howard Bragman's business website
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2757105 “Amaechi Becomes First NBA Player To Come Out] ” "ESPN.com", by Chris Sheridan. February 9, 2007.
* [http://www.tmz.com/2007/02/28/isaiah-hires-pr-doc/ "Isaiah Hires PR Doc"] "TMZ.com". February 28, 2007.
* [http://www.tmz.com/2007/05/31/bragman-to-paula-im-not-a-yo-yo/ “Bragman to Paula: I'm Not a Yo-Yo”] "TMZ.com". May 31, 2007.
* [http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/01/people.paulaabdul.ap/index.html “Paula Abdul's sob-filled phone call leaked”] "CNN". June 1, 2007.
* [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=370b0daf-66e8-4293-9de4-a0c02555c2f8 “Paula's Tale of the Tape”] "E!Online" by Sarah Hall. June 1, 2007.