David Viggiano

David has worked with a number of companies recognized as leaders in their fields including Abt Electronics, Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating, Susan G. Komen Chicago, IES Abroad, Turkish Airlines, Shark|Ninja, Haier, It’s Just Lunch, and Protection 1.

David specializes in working with clients to develop stories that journalists find original, exciting and newsworthy and securing placements in top publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time, U.S. News and World Report, Home & Garden Magazine, First for Women as well as with Reuters and the Associated Press. As a journalist, David’s experience with being pitched by PR professionals for years and has made him understand how to create innovative, compelling pitches that grab a journalist’s interest.

One of David’s passions is Media Training. Being in front of the camera and having conducted literally thousands of interviews has honed his skills in understanding what journalists are looking for and how and clients can be most effective in an interview. It’s not just knowledge that makes a compelling interview subject, it’s how you tell your story and David knows all the tips and tricks of effective communication.

David has worked with many clients to help develop their skills and become go-to experts in their field. Rene Ficek, a Registered Dietitian with Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating, has gone from never doing an interview with a journalist to being quoted in hundreds of articles and giving advice on dozens of TV shows. She has become a sought-after expert in the field of healthy eating and weight loss. David has trained more than a dozen experts at Abt Electronic in practically every area of the business including technology and innovation in electronics, trends in appliances, luxury home goods, green business practices and e-commerce. David has also been a spokesperson himself for a number of clients and has traveled the country promoting products and trends as “The Gift and Gadget Guy” on TV stations in numerous markets.

David also has a passion for writing and authored numerous articles including a monthly feature on residents and employees of The Clare, a luxury Continuing Care Retirement Community in downtown Chicago.

David is an active volunteer with many Chicago non-profits inclu ding Chicago House, a provider of housing and services for low-income people living with HIV-AIDS. He is also a Board Member of Unity in Chicago, a community center in Rogers Park.

Before joining Mekky Media Relations, David was the Media Relations Director at O’Malley Hansen Communications and Alpaytac PR and was a founding partner at MediaPros 24/7. David spent many years as a broadcast journalist, television personality, producer and director. He was the Entertainment and Feature Reporter at WFLD-TV, Fox 32 in Chicago for more than a decade. During his tenure at Fox, David interviewed hundreds of celebrities, traveled the world covering movie premieres, anchored a daily, live entertainment segment, and hosted the regularly featured segments, Fox in the City and Man About Town.

David holds an MFA in Acting and Directing from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb and a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia. He appeared in numerous stage productions including being an original cast member of the Chicago production of “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding”, as well as appearing in dozens of commercials and corporate videos. He was a founding member and director of Brewhaha Comedy Troupe and Artistic Director of the Toucan Players, a traveling children’s theatre company, and toured extensively with the National Theatre for Children.