Andrew Gilman, President and CEO of CommCore Consulting Group, has been a communications strategist, crisis counselor and keynote speaker for more than twenty-five years. Co-author of the best-selling book Get To The Point (Bantam 1990), Andrew is also a lawyer and award-winning journalist. Most recently he was selected as Educator/Trainer of the Year by PR News. He and CommCore were also selected as public relations counsel for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Washington, DC.
He frequently is called upon to help senior executives prepare for media interviews, new business presentations, board meetings, testimony before Congressional committees and regulatory agencies, expert witnessing in lawsuits, appearances on TV and radio, road shows, analyst presentations, and investor meetings. Andrew also develops and directs the CommCore training and consulting services. His copyrighted training innovations include the Two-Minute Talking Memo, Art of the Sound Bite and Message Mapping for media interviews.
As a crisis communications expert, Andrew’s experience includes providing advice to the University of Virginia Medical Center in the baby-switching incident and counsel to Johnson & Johnson during Tylenol I. The J&J assignment included coaching Chairman James Burke for interviews on 60 Minutes and in other national media. He also prepared senior Lockheed/Martin executives for Congressional hearings following the Challenger accident. Andrew conducts crisis simulations for General Motors, pharmaceutical companies and industry associations, where he teaches participants how to take control of news events instead of just reacting to the next fact. Andrew created CommCore’s industry leading software product Crisis Plan wRiter, a program that helps clients create a data base and respond in crisis situations.
As a journalist, Andrew has experience as a reporter for trade and consumer publications, as well as a radio reporter and host. On radio, Andrew was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s award-winning programs “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” His articles have appeared in The New York Times, National Law Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Risk Management Newsletter and the Washington Business Journal. He has received awards from the Fund for Investigative Journalism and has been nominated for Sigma Delta Chi and National Magazine Awards.
Andrew is often called upon to help professional service firms including law firms, public relations and advertising agencies, and financial services firms to improve their media and marketing programs. He has conducted professional development seminars, and has helped partners and associates prepare for client presentations, “beauty contests” and internal meetings.
Andrew is admitted to the Bar in New York State and Federal Courts. He has delivered Grand Rounds at Yale University, and has lectured at Harvard University, Wharton School of Business, American Bar Association, China External Trade Development Council in Taiwan, American Association of Advertising Agencies, New School of Social Research, American Society of Association Executives, Cable Telecommunications Industry Association and D.C. Bar Association. He is a member of the Board of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. He holds two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Masters of Science in Education. His law degree is from Fordham University. In addition to Get to the Point, he recently contributed two chapters to When Lightning Strikes, a Crisis case study book compiled by Wayne Pines, as well as a feature article in the PR NEWS Media Training Guidebook.
