Mike McKeon

Background

About Mike McKeon

Michael McKeon is a Partner of Mercury. Mike’s understanding of government, politics and journalism gives him a unique understanding of how the news media frames current events and opinions; it’s an understanding born of more than 10 years working as a reporter for three New York newspapers and winning several awards for local and political reporting. During his time with Mercury, Mike also served as a senior communications advisor to Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 Presidential campaign. Prior to joining Mercury, Mike served as New York Governor George Pataki's Director of Communications. In that role, he advised Governor Pataki on major policy and strategic decisions, while developing and overseeing all communications plans. Mike served as chief spokesman for the Governor, responding to national, state and local media inquiries on a daily basis, while shaping a pro-active media strategy to promote the Governor's agenda. He was responsible for overseeing the State's crisis communications, including during the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, several major plane crashes and numerous natural disasters. In addition, Mike oversaw development of all advertising involving Governor Pataki, scheduled and planned events to further the Governor's goals, and was responsible for the development of all major speeches, including the annual State of the State. Prior to that, Mike served as Press Secretary to the Governor, overseeing the daily communication operations of the Governor's office and all state agencies and authorities. He directed more than 100 communications professionals throughout State government to ensure a consistent presentation of the Governor's agenda. Mike's efforts to promote the Governor's record and his agenda helped Governor Pataki achieve record-high approval ratings for a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. Specialties: Public Affairs, Government Relations, Political Consulting, Strategic Media Relations, Rapid Response, Issues & Crisis Management, Public Opinion Research, Polling, Grassroots Coalition Building, Online Contextual Marketing, Advocacy Advertising