As a political and tech analyst and the former senior campaign director at Color Of Change, Brandi Collins-Dexter shines as a cultural translator who can uniquely make sense of the many topics swirling through the news cycle and draw connections between seemingly unrelated issues. Ahead of the release of her book “Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future,” Collins-Dexter sought to influence and shape conversations on technology, deregulation, media and their implications for Black and brown people in this country. To further establish her thought leadership, Spitfire worked directly with Collins-Dexter to support an in-depth media strategy to identify how to best engage her audience, how to connect themes from the book with timely news hooks, and how to position Collins-Dexter to share her perspectives on new platforms.
Spitfire pursued media opportunities for Collins-Dexter with strategically aligned outlets, journalists and podcast hosts and prepped her for media engagements and book events. Spitfire leveraged pop culture media moments to secure her published op-ed in ESSENCE that repurposed her previous speech on Hurricane Katrina and disinformation. During midterm election season, Spitfire secured an interview for Collins-Dexter on “The Kristal Knight Show” podcast, which focused on the Georgia runoff election and how Black Republican identities are shaped through digital spaces. Spitfire partnered with her on numerous opportunities, from keynotes at notable conferences to a guest spot on KCRW’s “Press Play.” When Collins-Dexter’s book tour brought her to Washington, D.C., Spitfire was honored to moderate a discussion at East City Bookshop with thought leaders Joseph Torres and Nidhi Hegde!
By establishing a deep understanding of Collins-Dexter’s communications priorities, Spitfire was able to draw timely connections between her overall thesis and of-the-moment news. From drafting a set of talking points around the book’s key themes to conducting a media training with Collins-Dexter to bolster her already excellent skills for media guest spots, Spitfire strategized around her unique voice, developing ways to assess media opportunities whenever they came her way so that she was well-equipped to say no as well as receive the opportunities that were right for her.
Spitfire partnered with Collins-Dexter as a Ford Technology and Society grantee.
