Based in Silicon Valley, Dave leads Big Valley Marketing’s Media and Influencer Relations practice, combining strategy, relationships, insights, energy and wit to drive a steady stream of results for clients, as well as value for reporters, bloggers and analysts. Dave also co-leads story mining and media training programs for Big Valley. Previously, Dave served as head of Weber Shandwick’s West Coast Media Relations team, a specialty group focused on media strategy and media relations for West Coast clients in tech, biotech, healthcare, consumer and corporate. He also headed up the agency’s Technology Media Relations team, a media network designed on a distributed relationship model. Dave brings 20 years of agency success from Weber Shandwick, OutCast and Bite Communications. Before entering marketing and public relations, Dave previously worked for seven years as a reporter with The Washington Post and the San Jose Mercury News. He also published dozens of freelance articles in publications around the nation, including the Dallas Morning News, the Seattle Times, Providence Journal, the Arizona Republic, the Houston Chronicle and San Jose Magazine. His work was also featured on ESPN.com. With his reporting background, he provides clients with an intimate understanding of the media. As a media trainer, Dave has counseled and trained hundreds of spokespeople to deal with press and analysts successfully, including executives, engineers and scientists at Qualcomm, Agilent, Sutter Health, NXP, Nokia, VEVO, and the Gates Foundation, to name just a few. Dave has led several award-winning public relations campaigns, including global press tours, regional and national community relations efforts, and media outreach spanning three continents. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, cum laude, from American University.