Torie Clarke

From Virginia to Egypt to New York – An Information Revolution is Coming to Your Neighborhood Soon

What Do a Senator, an Egyptian President and a telecom company all have in common? Answer: They all ignored the information revolution and social media’s powerful ability to enact change. And they all got clobbered. Clarke draws on her vast experience in public and private sector crises to look at social media’s brief yet powerful history to drive home an imperative for all organizations: “Get engaged or get crushed.”

Social Media: Fad or here to stay?

In a media environment in which transparency is inescapable, blogs are better trusted than the front pages and YouTube can draw more viewers than the evening news, the information space reaches everywhere—and everyone, from CEOs to frontline employees, is a communicator. No one understands that dynamic better—or has done more to help politicians, industries and organizations harness the possibilities and navigate the perils of this communications landscape—than Torie Clarke.

Lipstick on a Pig

Sharing the valuable insights from her new book, Lipstick on a Pig: Winning in the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game, Torie Clarke offers a complete guide to the age of transparency, which is a key communication tool for averting almost any crisis. Entertaining, approachable and full of crucial insight and practical guidance, this timely speech on media relations will resonate with business leaders, public figures and any organization working with the media today.

Communications Strategies – Winning the Information War in the 21st Century

Torie Clarke shares her unique communications perspective, discussing what information strategies will meet the challenges of today’s businesses and which are doomed to fail.

How Washington Works (or Doesn’t)

Torie Clarke explains how Washington works and why Congress, Administration, and Media do what they do to get things done.

Influencing The Way We See Our World

As Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Ms. Clarke was at her desk in the Pentagon’s outer ring when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001. From those first moments on 9/11, to embedding correspondents with military units in Operation Iraqi Freedom—a program she conceived, designed and ran— Ms. Clarke has played a leading role in shaping the public’s understanding of the war on terrorism. As press secretary for President George H.W. Bush’s 1992 re-election campaign, Ms. Clarke witnessed history from the vantage point of Air Force One and was broadly praised for her poise and professionalism during the campaign’s most difficult days. As Assistant U.S. Trade Representative during the first Bush Administration, Ms. Clarke worked extensively with journalists from around the world and ran a comprehensive private sector liaison program.

Respected Communications Strategist

Now a Senior Advisor for Comcast Corporation and on-air commentator for ABC, as well as a frequent contributor on the The Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN, Torie Clarke has advised some of the nation’s best-known executives. She has been President of Bozell Eskew advertising, head of the Washington office of the internationally known public relations firm of Hill and Knowlton and Vice President of the National Cable Telecommunications Association, where she helped to develop the first television ratings system and the cable industry’s first on-time guarantee. In her timely book, Lipstick on a Pig: Winning in the No-Spin Era by Someone Who Knows the Game, Torie Clarke offers a complete guide to media relations in today’s transparent society. Ms. Clarke's book was reviewed in the Washington Post: "...flashes of her funny, down-to-earth manner come through ... Lipstick on a Pig (the title refers to the adage that trying to sugarcoat bad news is like putting lipstick on a pig) is pitched as practical advice for people who find themselves caught in the public eye. Learn to get your story out, Clarke preaches, and make sure your story is the truth...there's something appealing about a press secretary who offers this motto: 'Own up, stand up, speak up.' And there's something useful in that advice for just about everyone."