FOX BUSINESS – From dating sites to phishing emails, bad actors are taking advantage of artificial intelligence to create more realistic scams. They are now infiltrating dating apps to try and create a fake relationship, and…
LOYALTY360 – Hooters, founded in Clearwater, FL, in 1983, is now one of the largest employers of women in the service industry. With 198 corporate stores and approximately 370 stores in total, including domestic and international…
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION – In a spacious ballet studio in West Midtown, three young dancers rehearsed the role of Young Marie, a child on the cusp of adulthood, in Atlanta Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” All three artists…
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION – Phipps Plaza for decades has been the spot where Atlanta’s upper crust spends its dough. Now the years-long reinvention is bringing a new wave of top luxury brands to the Buckhead mall.…
Affordable housing scarcity has divided many major cities into populations of “haves” and “have-nots,” but the Atlanta philanthropy leadership community refuses to forfeit this critical issue in its region without a fight. The Community Foundation for…
Hooters:Creative Campaigns Keep Hooters Front and Center Opportunity Hooters enlisted Cookerly to generate buzz about the world-famous brand, its mouth-watering wings and iconic Hooters Girls. Our efforts attracted new guests, including younger generations and women, while…
FOX BUSINESS – Hooters CEO Sal Melilli joins ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast’ to react to Chipotle blaming inflation as 2Q sales disappoint investors. Watch now.
FASHION DIVE – Consumers say they want more environmentally friendly clothing, but will they pay for it? Denise N. Green, an associate professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York,…
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER – Since its opening in December 2022 at the newly reimagined Phipps Plaza, Life Time Athletic has shown Buckhead residents in Atlanta, GA what it means to work hard and play harder. As part…
BECKER’S – The nursing workforce is in crisis, and hospitals throughout the U.S. are looking for creative ways to attract more nurses today and beef up their talent pipelines so there will be a steady stream…
With more than two decades of experience in public relations and journalism, Mike is a strategic communications leader who focuses on media relations and reputation management.
He leverages his background as a former news editor to develop media strategies that drive visibility and engagement, excelling at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms. Mike has a passion for helping his clients understand how to create strategic communications plans that move the meter and uncover impactful stories to secure high-profile placements in top-tier outlets, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today.
His practice spans an array of industries, but he specializes in the healthcare, nonprofit and entertainment sectors, where he’s led award-winning campaigns for a variety of clients, including Kaiser Permanente, YMCA and Georgia Film Academy. His work for City of Hope, formerly Cancer Treatment Centers of American, began with its groundbreaking, development of a comprehensive marketing communications program, carried through establishing the hospital’s reputation for world-class treatment and spurred growth that greatly exceeded patient projections. For Georgia Film Academy, Mike, developed paid, earned, shared and owned media strategies that boosted course enrollment by 22% and established Executive Director Scot Votaw as a go-to industry thought leader. And as Georgia became the “Hollywood of the South,” he led promotion of Pinewood Atlanta Studios’ rebrand as Trilith, a unique 235-acre master-planned community designed for the film and creative industries that’s home to Trilith Live, Trilith Studios, homes, restaurants and retailers.
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mike earned his degree in speech communication from the University of Georgia. He is deeply engaged in the community, serving on the Board of Trustees for the Chattahoochee Nature Center and co-chairing the PRSA Georgia Healthcare Resource Group. An avid sports enthusiast and tennis player, he resides in Marietta, Georgia, with his wife and two children.