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Author Bios
Christopher (Chris) Ingram is the president and founder of 411 Communications, a boutique project management, public relations, and media communications firm and is the publisher of Irreverent View.
As the former chief of staff to United States Rep. Max Burns (R-GA) and Washington, D.C. press secretary to the late U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell (R-GA), Chris is well versed in the language of Capitol Hill. Chris also served on the staff of U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA).
Chris is frequently requested to provide commentary and political analysis on television and radio news programs. He has appeared on a variety of programs including The O’Reilly Factor, Inside Politics, The Big Show, Newsstand, Dayside, and Hannity and Colmes as well as other programs on CNN, BBC World News, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN, MSNBC and National Public Radio, among others. Chris is also called to provide colorful quotes and commentary for the print media. He has been featured or quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, Campaigns & Elections, PR Weekly, and Roll Call among others.
An accomplished writer and editor, Chris headed the re-write of the Language of the 21st Century for Luntz Research. The book is a political communications manual for Republican candidates. Chris is a contributing columnist to the Washington Times, National Review Online, United Press International, and the non-partisan political website FreedomChannel.com. He has also ghost-written op-eds and speeches for numerous members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and Fortune 500 company executives.
Chris has worked for clients including: American Express, the Republican National Committee, the National Rifle Association and Mirage Resorts, and countless political candidates including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Chris also has extensive experience promoting brands and legislative issues for clients including the Employment Policies Institute, the American Beverage Institute, and Seagrams spirits. Chris’ work on behalf of these clients has included “hits” in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many smaller newspapers, trade magazines, and journals. His company’s work on behalf of Seagrams included promoting athletes at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Chris writes a weekly political column for The Tampa Tribune and is the Republican political analyst for Bay News 9, the only 24-hour news channel in Florida’s largest media market.
Chris has extensive experience in politics, campaigns, public speaking and grassroots political organization. He has served in a number of political leadership roles including Republican State Committeeman, and as a Delegate to the 1996 Republican National Convention. In 1994, at the age of 23, Chris was elected the youngest county party chairman in Georgia GOP history. He has also served as a trainer or guest lecturer for the Republican National Committee, the Leadership Institute, the Close-up Foundation, the National League of Cities, the American Council of Young Political Leaders, the International Republican Institute, and the U.S. Department of State for whom he has trained political leaders including Branco Crvenkovski, President of Macedonia, and members of Parliament from Sudan and Kenya.
A native of Naples, Florida, Chris graduated from the Georgia Southern University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in history and a minor in political science. Chris is a member of the Downtown Tampa Rotary Club, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, and is a volunteer for the OASIS Network — a children’s charity in Tampa. He and his wife Amy and their three daughters live in Tampa.
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Jamie Miller is a political consultant specializing in political campaign management, strategic planning, public relations and crisis communications. He has been involved with running and managing political campaigns since 1994.
Jamie’s experience includes serving as Regional Political Director for the Republican Party of Florida, and as Director of Field Operations for all of Florida’s 67 counties. His service as director includes the recount that followed the disputed presidential election in 2000.
Miller has consulted for candidates to the Florida legislature and managed two statewide campaigns and launched the Republican National Committee’s inaugural 72-hour program for Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.
Frequently called upon by Florida’s political reporters, Jamie has been quoted in every major daily newspaper in the state and many national publications. He has been referred to as a “veteran Florida political operative” by the Tampa Tribune.
Jamie is frequently requested to speak at campaign schools and has also served as a guest lecturer for the University of Florida’s Master level campaign management program.
Miller is the Vice-president of Communications for the Sarasota Area Gator Club, a member of the Florida Public Relations Association — Central West Coast Chapter, and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
After living in Tallahassee for more than six years, Miller moved with his wife of nearly 20 years and two children to Sarasota in 2005.
Miller’s client list includes non-profits, state government, candidates, political parties, and fortune 500 companies.
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Elan Barnehama was raised in New York City, not far from Shea Stadium, and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he remains a Mets fan.
After teaching at-risk high school students Elan attended the University of Massachusetts and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction. He went on to teach writing and literature at several colleges while coaching baseball, working as a weekend radio newscaster, and having his commentaries air on public radio and appear in newspapers. He left teaching to become the writer for the president of Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
Currently, Elan is a freelance writer for non-profits. He is shopping his novel and recently completed a screenplay.
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Chuck Muth is President and CEO of Citizen Outreach and a professional political consultant. He also is a former executive director of the American Conservative Union, a former National Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, a former county GOP chairman, state party executive director, communications director, press secretary, direct mail fundraising consultant and legislative candidate.
His extensive political education back-ground includes: The Republican National Committee’s “Campaign Management College” and “Campaign Finance School,” as well as the Leadership Institute’s “Direct Mail School,” “Grassroots Activists School,” “Public Relations School,” “Campaign Leadership School” and “Campaign Internet School.”
Mr. Muth is a professional campaign trainer and volunteers as a national field instructor for numerous groups and organizations. He is also the publisher of various online newsletters, an independent correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal, an author, and a featured columnist who regularly appears on political TV and radio programs.
Mr. Muth lives in Carson City, Nevada, with his wife and three kids.
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Larry Thornberry is a contributing editor and columnist for Florida Real Estate Journal. He’s been associated with FREJ since its beginning and was editor from 1993 through 1996.Larry has been in journalism and media relations since 1972, with stops as a reporter and editor with The Ledger in Polk County, press spokesman for the Florida Phosphate Industry, press secretary to Florida Congressman Andy Ireland, managing editor of Maddux Business Report, and reporter and editorial writer for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Larry also contributes columns on politics and culture to the daily edition of The American Spectator Online and reviews books for The Washington Times.
Larry is a Tampa native, a graduate of the University of South Florida, and a Navy veteran. Good glove and occasional power.
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Debra Cole lives in Atlanta and is originally from South Georgia. She graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor’s degree in music. She also earned undergraduate degrees in history and French, along with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University.
Debra is a self-proclaimed “lefyy” but she calls it like it is. She was a public school teacher for 9 years. Currently, she performs regularly in Atlanta area comedy clubs. She’s known for her sophisticated and smart humor that’s delivered with a seemingly sweet and yet surprising sarcastic Southern Georgia twang. Her stories, daily experiences, sassiness, sharp observations, and lyrical style stem from a unique lifestyle, and a perspective derived from having grown up in a paradoxical household-literature teacher mother and redneck handy-man father.
Debra’s an accomplished flutist and directs a small church choir. She’s also an independent filmmaker. She’s producing, directing, and writing an educational comedy. Her hope is to gain notoriety with the film, and make a series of comedic films that deal with themes surrounding character education.
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Screenwriter author and teacher, Mike Matteo was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Brooklyn College (CUNY) and received a BA in Economics with minors in Theater, Film and Psychology. He moved to Florida where he taught public and private high school classes in economics, history, psychology and philosophy. During this time he began writing. His first published article was an essay titled: The Danger Of Allowing Racial Stereotypes To Color Your View Of Right And Wrong. It was published by Chicago based AIM Quarterly. In 1987 he left teaching to pursue a career as an entrepreneur and opened up a small costume business in Tampa. The business quickly grew to two large successful stores and he continued writing essays, short stories, magazine articles, books and stage plays.
In 1992 Dan Lauria (Wonder Years) of Patchett Kaufman Entertainment contacted him and his first stage play, PATHS, was one of five plays out of twelve thousand, to be selected for a staged reading featuring Bryn Thayer and Anthony Denison. In 1994 PATHS was produced by New American Stage Company and performed as an Equity approved showcase. It was also produced as a staged reading at the Organic Theater in Chicago in 1994.
Mike began writing screenplays in 1995. German agent and producer, Andreas Gruenberg, optioned two of Mike’s comedies, SCAMMIN’ and GETTING PERSONAL, to two separate German production companies (Almedia Films and Filmpool) in 2002.
In 2005 J. M. Kipikash contacted him regarding the development of an idea for a screenplay about roadside memorials approached Mike. The idea became the SAG indie film, Descansos, which was produced in 2005 and featured the talents of Tom Nowicki, Charles Durning and Gary Busey.
Mike has written twenty full-length feature films, has taught screenwriting at the University of S. Florida and at several other institutions. He has also written or co-authored three books (The Politically Incorrect Jokebook written by 4 white males published by Push Pull Press, Romance Recipes For The Soul published by Pisces Press and How To Survive The Public School System published by M & P Publishing)
He sold his business in December of 2007 and now writes screenplays, articles and stage plays, full time.