GREMORE
Strategic Communications
Message Development • Media Engagement • Content Creation • Creative Consulting • Media Training • Public Speaking • Speechwriting • Crisis
What's your story?
Getting your story heard requires more than just an “About Us” page on your website, posting occasional updates to your social media channels, or blasting out a press release whenever you have something new to promote. It involves developing a unique voice and perspective, cultivating and building trust with an audience, and amplifying your message to the people who need to hear it.
With over 20 years of experience in creative writing, storytelling, and media, I can help you craft narratives that grab people’s attention, make an impact, and move you closer to your goals through a wide offering of strategic communications services, including message development, media engagement, content creation, creative consulting, media training, public speaking training, speechwriting, crisis communications, and more.
Message development
Effective messaging requires a strong understanding of both your position and your audience, and coming up with a winning strategy to bridge the two. It also requires being mindful of potential pushback, having the ability to actively listen, and being able to pivot, if necessary. Whether you need help drafting internal communications for your organization, creating a statement that speaks to your stakeholders, or constructing a message that resonates more broadly and publicly, I can help develop, build, and strengthen your narrative so it lands exactly how you want it to.
The first step to successfully engaging with the media is coming up with a plan of action ahead of time. This starts by answering a series of questions: What are your goals? What is your message? Who is your intended audience? And what is your strategy for reaching them? It also requires the ability to connect with journalists and communicate complex information clearly and efficiently, as well as being prepared to shift direction as things evolve.
With my years of experience working in media and leading a newsroom, I know exactly how to (and how not to) speak to journalists, editors, and producers to get their attention and get your story heard. In addition to coming up with a winning strategy that ensures positive coverage, I can help identify the right media opportunities, conduct outreach, and coach you on how to give blockbuster interviews that amplify your message and keep you in control of the narrative, even if things get prickly.
Media engagement
Content creation & creative consulting
Of course, to be a masterful communicator, you need to be a masterful writer and storyteller. And as it just so happens, I have a Master's Degree in Creative Writing!
I also have several years of experience freelancing for a strategic marketing agency, where I wrote everything from brand guides to product descriptions to award-winning commercial scripts for clients from a range of industries, including travel and tourism, health, beauty, and non-profits. I can literally write about anything—and I have!
Whether you need fresh content for your website, blog, or social media pages, scriptwriting services, or a creative consultant for a specific project or campaign, I would love to find creative and powerful ways to tell your story.
Media training
Rule #1: Never trust a reporter. (Except, of course, for me!)
With my years of experience working in media—from my time as a freelance journalist at a community newspaper in San Francisco through my current tenure as Editor-in-Chief at Queerty, the leading LGBTQ+ online magazine in the world with over 3.5 million unique monthly readers—I know how to get a reporter's attention, as well as the common pitfalls people make when engaging with the press.
I’ve conducted interviews with countless celebrities, politicians, authors, influencers, academics, religious leaders, activists, you name it. Whether you're a novice stepping into the spotlight for the first time and in need of a confidence boost, or you have experience talking to the media but are looking to freshen up your existing skills, I can provide you with unique insight from the other side of the microphone, helping to ensure your communications are clear and compelling so you come off looking like the hero of your story.
Speaking in front of a large group of people doesn’t come naturally to everyone. It can be nerve-wracking, and the potential for embarrassment is real (albeit often overblown). Having led a newsroom, facilitated workshops and trainings, conducted public readings and presentations, taught in college classrooms, and given more than my fair share of wedding speeches, I know how to engage with a live audience.
While living in San Francisco, I curated, produced, and hosted over two dozen live storytelling events and reading series featuring leading journalists, bestselling authors, and prominent public officials. The sold-out events drew crowds in the hundreds and gave me valuable insight into what works (and what doesn’t) when speaking to a crowd, as well strategies for staying grounded when there are hundreds of people staring back at you from an auditorium.
I’ve learned from experience how to tailor a message to almost any group. Whether you’re appearing before a gathering of 15 or 1,500, and whether they’re friendly, indifferent, or hostile, I can help prepare you for your next keynote address, conference, campaign event, press briefing, or shareholder meeting.
Public Speaking
Speechwriting
Public speaking can be hard, but writing speeches can be even harder! Not only does it take time to gather your thoughts, but then you have to organize them, get them down on the page, revise, practice, revise again, practice some more, and—oh yeah!—keep everything within a certain time frame or risk having your mic cut. I can help you prepare impactful remarks that land with your audience, as well as coach you on your delivery so your speech inspires a standing ovation.
Crisis communications
Stuff happens—it’s inevitable!—and it’s important to have a plan for when it does. My background as a reporter and editor gives me unique insight into navigating the media landscape during moments of chaos. I can create a crisis communications strategy so you’re ready when disaster strikes. I’m also available when things go awry and you need dedicated support to get them back under control. Together we can find a way to turn your crisis into an opportunity.
My Story
Let’s do this in bullet points... (They’re quicker!)
• My name is Graham Gremore. I grew up in the Twin Cities. I went to college in Los Angeles and grad school in San Francisco. Then I met my husband, who convinced me to move to his hometown of New Orleans. After a six year stop down the bayou, I convinced him to move to my hometown in 2021, and we currently live with our chow chow, Winnie, in Minneapolis.
• I have a BA in English from Cal State LA and an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Go ‘gators! 🐊
• Grad school was awesome. I led creative writing workshops and produced live storytelling events. It was so. Much. Fun! Unfortunately, it didn’t pay the bills. So I had to make use of my degrees and get a “real job.”
• My professional writing experience is vast—ranging from reporting for a community newspaper, to copywriting for various businesses and websites, to creative consulting for a marketing agency, to ghostwriting a memoir for a Hollywood actress. (Nope! Sorry! NDA says I can’t tell you who.)
• Currently, I'm the Editor-in-Chief at Queerty, the leading LGBTQ+ entertainment site in the world, with over 3.5 million unique monthly visitors. I lead a team of amazing full-time journalists, as well as numerous freelance writers and editors. Additionally, I cover “pop politics,” stories about U.S. politics told through a queer lens. I’ve been in my current role since 2022, and with the company since 2012.
• I love working in media because it's always evolving--not just the subject matter, but the ways in which stories are told. It's a truly creative and innovative industry, and to keep up, and to be successful, a person must always be thinking several steps ahead.
• Communications interests me because I love listening to people. I love hearing their stories, understanding their perspectives, learning about their challenges, and celebrating their triumphs. It’s a field that requires genuine curiosity, empathy, and creativity, as well as the ability to roll with the punches and think multiple steps ahead. These are the traits I bring to my work each and every day. I look forward to connecting with you.