Dan Ferrelli Email & Phone Number

Media Relations Manager; June, 1996-February, 2019Act as primary city and police spokesperson/Public Information Officer to assure consistent messaging on a wide variety of issues in Illinois’ second largest city. Cultivate and maintain excellent working relationships with local, Chicago regional, and national media outlets. Write and/or oversee and respond to news releases, media advisories, and story pitches. Plan and stage various news conferences including writing talking points and speeches for the Mayor, Police Chief, and other key city managers. Write or edit copy for city and police department social media accounts, website, public access cable TV station and electronic bulletin boards.Responsible for marketing and external communication efforts through effective utilization of mainstream and electronic media as they relate to government and police/public safety operations. Supervise and direct a staff of four employees in the city’s Public Information Division.Responsible for daily inquiries of both crime and non-crime related incidents. On-Call 24/7 for response to any situation that attracted media attention. Proficient as department spokesperson under high pressure situations dealing with sensitive topics. Frequently interviewed by print and broadcast media for news and feature related stories.

Design and teach “hands-on” training courses for police, fire, and government Public Information Officers and law enforcement supervisors from northern and central Illinois. Recruit reporters from Chicago and other regions to assist during reality-based scenarios and panel discussions. Courses have been adopted by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board which recruited me to also teach through their organization.

Responsible for researching, writing, and producing numerous video productions used in marketing, training, safety, and custom communications applications for a variety of companies including Caterpillar, Inc., MHI Machinery Systems (A Division of Mitsubishi International), Hollywood Casino Aurora, BASF Polystyrene, and numerous other large, medium, and small companies.