Sam Hassell – Managing Partner
Sam Hassell is an accomplished political strategist, entrepreneur and national advertising and media executive. He has worked with a wide array of political candidates, issue and policy organizations, PACs and Super PACS as well as national and international brands, direct-to-consumer companies driving multi-million dollar national and state media and grassroots campaigns.
As the CEO of The Association of Mature American CItizens (AMAC), The Conservative Alternative to the AARP, primarily through political messaging, Hassell drove membership from a few thousand to more than 1.5 million members in two years, securing their position as the second largest senior advocacy organization in the country.
As CEO of his own companies, Marketel Media and Intelimarc, Hassell worked with Super Pac’s, PAC’s and issue organizations such as: Adelson-backed, Winning Our Future in support of Newt Gingrich for President, America Continues, Dinesh D’Souza’s record-breaking movie: 2016 Obama’s America, National Right To Life and the New American Energy Opportunity Foundation, among others.
Hassell also founded and led Cross Platform Media, which included USA Radio Networks and USA Headline NEWS with 24/7 news and nationally-syndicated conservative news talk programs reaching an estimated 15 million listeners weekly. Syndicated programs included The Steve Deace Show, Tony Perkins and Family Policy Council.
HIs company Intelirep, became the second largest media sales representation firm for Christian radio and web networks with an audience of over 45 million through clients K_LOVE, Keep the Faith, Focus on the Family, Todd Starnes, Moody Broadcasting and others.
Prior to building his own media, advertising and consulting firms, Hassell was National Sales Director for Salem Media Representative, a division of Salem Media where he worked closely with numerous campaigns and talk show hosts Dennis Prager, Bill Bennet, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher and others.
Laura Macklem – Managing Partner
Laura Macklem started her career in journalism and quickly moved into the political sector working as a U.S. Congressional Press Secretary in both the House and Senate. While working in Congress, Laura managed public relations on an array of policy issues and specifically acquired national and international press for “The Ten Commandments Defense Act Amendment.” She has planned, scripted and managed major press conferences featuring speakers such as Riley Gaines, Payton McNabb, Charlton Heston, Congressman Sonny Bono, and Senators John Ashcroft, John Warner, Orrin Hatch, and Mike DeWine. Laura has crafted State of the Union responses and managed national and international public relations for Congressman Aderholt regarding the Clinton impeachment. She also served as Press Secretary for a gubernatorial campaign, two U.S. Congressional campaigns, and worked on local campaigns as well. Laura was a Communications Director for a D.C. based non-profit and worked for a public relations firm where she coordinated closely with Virginia’s Technology Secretary while messaging and managing media for the state’s first technology conference.
Most recently, Laura was Press and Political Director for one of North Carolina’s top lobbying and political organizations where she created unique messaging on high profile pieces of legislation including the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” earning significant state, national and international press coverage. Laura helped prepare remarks for committee witnesses, press conference speakers, legislators and wrote guest opinion pieces for The Carolina Journal, The North State Journal and Blue Ridge Christian News. In her capacity as Political Director Laura served as an advisor to the Executive Director on elections, wrote election reports, oversaw endorsements, and conducted candidate interviews and research.
Laura won the Summit Award for Media Relations 2004 from the Public Relations Society of America, and an Honorable Mention for Spot News from the Maryland, D.C. Delaware Press Association. A die-hard foodie, Laura is a food writer and won First Place for Non-Daily Food Column from the Society of Professional Journalists San Diego Chapter in 2021, and earned an Honorable Mention for a Non-Daily Food Column in 2021 from the San Diego Press Club. Laura graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in Communications and Journalism.