O'Dwyer's History & Staff

John O'Dwyer
John O'Dwyer
Publisher
john [at] odwyerpr.com

 
Kevin McCauley
Kevin McCauley
Editor-in-Chief
kevin [at]
odwyerpr.com
 
Jon Gingerich
Jon Gingerich
Sr. Editor, magazine & website
jon [at]
odwyerpr.com
 
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes
Asst. Editor,
magazine & website
steve [at]
odwyerpr.com
 
Jane Landers
Jane Landers
Dir. of Operations & Finance
jane [at]
odwyerpr.com
 
Fraser Seitel
Fraser Seitel
Sr. Editor
yusake [at} aol.com
 
Melissa Werbell
Melissa Werbell
Dir. of Research
melissa [at]
odwyerpr.com
 
Christine O'Dwyer
Christine O'Dwyer
Dir. of Marketing
christine [at]
odwyerpr.com

Jack O'Dwyer as a young reporter in the late 60s and (left) seated at his desk in the mid-70s at 271 Madison Ave. in NYC where O'Dwyer's is still headquartered.Jack O'Dwyer as a young reporter in the late 60s and seated at his desk in the mid-70s at 271 Madison Ave. in NYC where O'Dwyer's is still headquartered.

Jack O'Dwyer (1933-2018) launched his pioneering Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter in 1968. Previously, he was a financial reporter at two of the five biggest daily newspapers in the U.S., the New York Journal-American (six years) and the Chicago Tribune (four years). 

Respected and sometimes feared by leaders in the PR business, Jack took pride in his role as an old-school reporter dedicated to chasing down stories and revealing the good and bad of PR.

The New York Times and Washington Post have lauded Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter, which was originally printed on distinctive yellow pages, as the "bible of PR."

Jack was a fierce advocate for transparency in PR. His annual financial rankings, which require the submission of financial proofs, chronicled the growth of the industry. He believed the rankings contributed to the "professionalism" of PR, which helped the business earn the respect that it so richly deserved.

He was an advocate for the "little guy," and railed against the acquisition wave by conglomerates that not only reduced the number of independents in the business, but robbed it of some of its heart and soul.

Started out as a paperboy

Jack just loved news and the world of newspapers and the press. From the time he was a paperboy as a young child, his love of the news never wavered. He was also always a very hard worker, paying his way through college playing the piano in a band. He also was a caddie, busboy at a resort and worked at a factory.

Chicago Tribune promoChicago Tribune promo

Writing was his passion. Writing stories was something he did every day, even when he was in grade school, high school and also while studying English Literature at the University of Connecticut.

Jack led a very disciplined home life, always writing and completing all his work at nights and all during the weekends in between his leisure activities and time spent with family and friends. Even when he finished his work and articles for the day, he was always thinking about his next story. 

For those entering the field of public relations or journalism, his advice was to write every day and keep improving. He understood the importance of public relations firms and corporate communications professionals in helping companies to get their messages out honestly and with the goal of educating the public and also assisting reporters with their stories. He believed PR pros should always promptly return reporters’ calls, or today, e-mails.

Jack would always say if someone wanted to start out in the PR business, they could go to a local restaurant or local business and offer to come up with some sort of a publicity idea that would help them get new business. That would then in return help the PR pro gain experience.

This advice still holds true today in the world of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the explosion of social media.

55 years covering the PR industry

O'Dwyer editors have decades of experience covering the PR field. They come up with stories and insights that appear nowhere else.

First issue of Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter July 10, 1968First issue of Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter July 10, 1968 (PDF)

Editor-in-chief Kevin McCauley, who graduated from New York University in 1978, has been writing about public relations, lobbying, advertising, marketing and corporate management for 45 years.

McCauley began his career at the Los Angeles Times, where he worked in the paper's New York national advertising office. In 1979, he joined the Gallagher President's Report, a weekly newsletter that covered trends in corporate management, as reporter/researcher. In 1985, he became senior editor of The Gallagher Report, a newsletter that focused on the advertising, marketing and publishing worlds.

McCauley joined the O'Dwyer Co. in 1989 as feature writer for O'Dwyer's PR Services Report (now O'Dwyer's magazine), becoming senior writer in 1990, and editor of both the magazine and Jack O'Dwyer's Newsletter in 1995. He assumed the editor-in-chief slot in 2018.

Jon Gingerich is senior editor of O'Dwyer's monthly magazine. He additionally teaches creative writing at the Gotham Writer's Workshop in New York City. His short story "Thornhope, Indiana" won The Saturday Evening Post's "2020 Great American Fiction Contest." In 2022, he published a satirical novel about the crisis management industry titled The Appetite Factory.

Gingerich was previously a reporter for both a daily and a weekly newspaper in Columbus, Ohio. 

Steve Barnes is associate editor at O'Dwyer's. His publishing career includes stints at Conde Nast, Hearst and the Wall Street Journal, where he served as assistant news editor for the Weekend Journal. He was also managing editor at ARTnews and production editor at Medical Marketing & Media.

Contributing senior editor Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for 40 years. He is author of the Pearson text “The Practice of Public Relations,” now in its 14th edition, and co-author of “Rethinking Reputation" and "Idea Wise.”

In addition to the experienced editors generating content every day on odwyerpr.com, O'Dwyer's relies heavily on the expertise of Director of Research Melissa Werbell who has guided the company through the production of its annual directory of PR firms and many other guides and reports for the past 30 years.

Director of Operations and Finance Jane Landers tackles the myriad of duties necessary to keep the lights on at O'Dwyer headquarters at 271 Madison Ave. in New York City, the same building the company has been in since Jack founded the company in 1968.

John and Christine O'Dwyer are forever grateful to the loyal team helping to carry on Jack's legacy and are actively involved in all aspects of the company.