Client case study · Legal & political commentary
From Atlanta attorney to national political analyst
Madeline Summerville hired us to make her the expert reporters call. Within months, national TV was introducing her by the title she wanted.
“There’s just no one better and no one else I would trust with my personal brand.”Madeline Summerville, Attorney and Political Analyst
Request a consultationMarch 2024 · 11Alive, NBC Atlanta
November 2024 · LiveNOW from FOX
Results from August to December 2024, tracked with Critical Mention media monitoring. Every placement was earned: no paid ads, no paid interviews, no sponsored features.
On air · September 2024
Madeline weighing in on legal challenges to Georgia’s new election rules on Atlanta News First (Channel 46, Atlanta)
The goal
Become the expert reporters call
Madeline Summerville is an accomplished attorney. She wanted to move beyond the courtroom and into the national conversation as a go-to political commentator for major news outlets. She hired Spotlight Communications Group to rebrand her, build her credibility with news reporters, and turn that visibility into influence and new clients.
The coverage
Where she appeared
- LiveNOW from FOX
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Yahoo News
- Washington Examiner
- The Denver Gazette
- ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations nationwide
She covered the 2024 election, ballot measures, the Georgia election case against Donald Trump, Trump’s executive orders and tariffs, and Georgia’s lawsuit reform fight.
Asked by the Washington Examiner about a novel legal argument in the Georgia case, she gave them the soundbite: “It’s a new question. It’s unprecedented.”
The work
How we did it
Sharpened the message
We built Madeline’s narrative around expertise reporters could not get elsewhere: a working attorney who reads political news through the law. Then we wrote soundbites she could deliver in 20 seconds.
Rebuilt her press kit
New headshots, a bio written for producers and bookers, and a resume restructured to lead with her qualifications as a political analyst.
Pitched with a news reporter’s eye
We sent her to outlets covering the stories she could explain best and timed each pitch to the news cycle. Pitching is how a publicist gets an expert in front of the right reporter at the right moment.
Trained her for the hot seat
Madeline worked one-on-one with Spotlight CEO Crystal Bui, an Emmy-nominated former TV news reporter, so she walked into every interview ready for the follow-up question.
Turned each hit into the next one
Every appearance became proof for the next pitch, and outlets started booking her again.
For founders, executives and AI experts
The same playbook works for you
News moves faster than most people can explain it, and reporters need someone credible who can make sense of it on deadline. When that person is you, the title next to your name in the story becomes your positioning. Prospective clients and event bookers see it before they ever get on a call with you.
We’ve done this in tech too. For the founder of AI consultancy TAG US Worldwide, we secured a CNBC feature and a Newsweek story syndicated to MSN that reached more than 16 million readers from a single placement.
Our team includes former news reporters and public relations veterans. We know what reporters need, and we position your story and your work so they want to tell it.
In her words
“Crystal is literally the best there is. I set a very specific media goal and she helped me achieve and surpass it in such a short amount of time. Not only is her strategy brilliant, but her media training to make sure you’re ready for whatever is next is superb. There’s just no one better and no one else I would trust with my personal brand.”Madeline Summerville, Attorney and Political Analyst
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