Ron Antonette is a 25-year brand communications and public relations professional, based in Long Beach, Calif., with experience that includes in-house and national agency roles leading programs for Fortune 100 companies, start-ups, established consumer brands and entertainment properties. Ron previously worked in-house at Mattel and ConAgra Foods, and led agency PR accounts and projects for Disney, Nestle, Toyota, Playmates Toys (a 12-year client relationship) and Cold Stone Creamery. He currently also serves as the managing director of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, led by Golin Chairman Fred Cook.

A Southern California native and USC Annenberg journalism graduate, Ron’s résumé includes 14 years at the international public relations firm Golin (part of Interpublic Group), and an additional 2 years at Fleishman-Hillard (part of Omnicom). He was fortunate to have had some of the West Coast’s brightest and most accomplished communications professionals to learn from and as mentors in his career, from Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, Richard Kline and Maureen Crow, to Fred Cook, Judy Johnson and national organizational consultant Daniel Pitlik.

As an independent consultant, he is available to serve as a Communication Director For Hire for small- and mid-sized companies, providing leadership and experience to its full-time PR and social media team and strategic counsel to its executive and marketing leaders. On a per annum basis, bringing in part-time consultants to round out your full-time staff is like adding a senior PR director at a junior staff salary.

Ron also serves clients across a variety of industries as principal of R. Antonette Communications, a “micro agency” based in Long Beach, Calif., that provides PR and marketing communications counsel and services through Ron’s national network of independent contractors. Through this approach, clients get senior-level counsel and execution, and scalable services ranging from brand public relations and strategy, to SEO and Web design, to media buying and national-scale media relations projects. Current and recent clients include Hampton Products International, The Little Gym International, Bike Long Beach, Discover Claremont, MemorialCare Health Systems and Technicolor.

Active in community and youth sports in Long Beach, Ron served two terms on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and is board president of Partners of Parks. He is a member of the Long Beach Century Club and the Long Beach Team 100 Food for Kids project, and also is is a member of the Motor Press Guild, and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and its national PRSA Counselors Academy. 

Ron and his wife, Cynthia, have 2 children who participate in arts programs and high school sports in Long Beach, where Ron is a volunteer AYSO soccer referee and longtime co-ed softball pitcher and manager.

Contact Ron at ron [at] rantonette [dot] com.