Howard Bragman

Howard Bragman has been a communicator, educator, entrepreneur, writer and lecturer for more than two decades. He founded a strategic media and public relations agency, Fifteen Minutes, in 2004. The agency represents a variety of clients for media relations, media training, crisis management and strategic consulting.

Previous to that, Howard founded Bragman Nyman Cafarelli Public Relations and Marketing (BNC) in 1989. The company is one of the most respected public relations agencies in the United States with billings of more than $10 million annually and a blue-chip client roster of celebrities, consumer products and events. In 2001, BNC was purchased by Interpublic, one of the world’s largest holding companies for marketing companies.

Under his leadership, and with his partners and senior management, BNC has publicized events that have raised more than $150 million for a variety of causes, including AIDS, breast and women’s cancers, gay and lesbian civil rights, Multiple Sclerosis and Juvenile Diabetes.

Howard was also an Adjunct Professor of Public Relations at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications for six years. He has been honored for his teaching excellence by his students and the University.

In 2001, Howard was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and he created and chaired the Jewish Image Awards honoring depictions of Judaism in film and on television.

His record spans more than two decades of activism for the AIDS/HIV community, lesbian and gay civil rights and First Amendment protections. He has received awards and honors from numerous groups including AIDS Project Los Angeles, The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, The Life AIDS Lobby and Congregation Kol Ami.

Howard is a nationally respected crisis counselor and has provided litigation support for a significant number of high-profile cases and individuals. These include: Joseph Steffan who was kicked out of the U.S. Naval Academy for his sexual orientation; the Lewinsky Family; and Sharon Smith of Smith v. Knoller, a high-profile civil rights and justice trial involving a tragic dog mauling death.

He created a visually directed media preparation manual aimed at young actors that is standard preparation for all actors at Nickelodeon Movies and Television. He has also media trained dozens of people including actors, CEOs, physicians, elected officials and attorneys.

Howard has written bylined articles for such publications as Advertising Age, The Advocate, The Los Angeles Times, and Playboy. A frequent guest on issue-oriented television involving the entertainment industry and popular culture, he has appeared on local and network news programs more than 100 times. His appearances have been on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox and E. He has also been featured in hundreds of national magazines and local newspapers, and he has been a featured speaker for numerous groups, including The U.S. Conference of Mayors; The UJC Youth Congress, and many others.

Howard was born and raised in Flint, Michigan and earned a B.A. in Journalism and Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1978. Previous to starting his agency, he was a vice president in the Chicago and Los Angeles offices of Burson-Marsteller Public Relations. He resides in Los Angeles with his partner, Chuck O’Donnell, a nationally-respected horse trainer.

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