Everybody has a story.
Stand out for yours.

Stand out for your story

How do you want to tell your story to the world? And how do you want the world to hear it, feel it and act on it?

I’m your partner and your “pitch coach,” your right hand for your left (and right) brain. I can help you rise above the noise and make your story land with the right audiences at the right times in the right ways. Let’s raise awareness of what you do, promote third-party advocacy that builds brand reputation and trust, and drive trial and engagement that promotes growth and success.

And it starts by answering the most important question your customers have: “Why should I care?”

McDonald's golden arches on restaurant

Building connection through standout storytelling

New tastes, new convenience, new ways to love McDonald’s

I partnered with owner/operators, corporate staff, supply chain and agencies in several states to direct the successful launches of several game-changing initiatives that customers loved, including McDelivery, All Day Breakfast, Fresh Beef Quarter Pounders, different sizes of the Big Mac and the Archways to Opportunity education program.

Defining parents’ struggles during COVID-19 and strategies to help

I collaborated with two nationally-recognized pediatric experts and media partners in crafting and creating a comprehensive report on working parental burnout during the pandemic. The report, which included a first-of-its-kind tool to gauge burnout in real time and provide strategies to help, was featured in media around the world, including NBC’s TODAY Show, The New York Times, USA Today and podcasts from California to Australia.

O-Heart-I-O: An award-winning strategic campaign for heart health

Ohio outpaces the U.S. in many major risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including blood pressure, obesity, tobacco use and physical inactivity. A broad partnership including The Ohio State University College of Nursing and Office of the Chief Wellness Officer, the Ohio State Marching Band, the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention and the Ohio Mayors Alliance encouraged Buckeye football fans to know their numbers and take action to decrease their cardiovascular risk. This campaign received an international Circle of Excellence Gold Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, with the judges calling this “literally a life-saving campaign.”

How I can help you and your team

  • A standout story isn’t just about reciting talking points. It’s about crafting authentic messaging through a strategic cadence that resonates with your audiences and creates an emotional connection that elevates your leadership and your brand engagement. Let’s work together to make your messaging work for you.

  • Let me be your “pitch coach.” My proprietary, interactive workshop helps you and your team answer five key questions to craft distinctive elevator speeches and idea pitches that will not only make your target audiences care about what you do and how you do it, but also support what’s next.

  • As a former news anchor, reporter and Emmy-winning producer, I can help you and your team become seasoned spokespeople. This training includes real-time guidance on staying on point, avoiding pitfalls and speaking in resonate, relevant soundbites.

  • Need a freelance reporter to craft storytelling for your website, magazine or annual report? Just give me the assignment and word count, and I’ll take it from there.

  • Whether you’re talking to a room of ten people or a conference of thousands, we’ll work together to make sure your messaging is strong, your delivery is confident, your slides (if needed) are striking and your audience is enthralled.

  • Let’s further position you as the leader, innovator and influencer you deserve to be. Content for blogs, podcasts, social media posts and video reels are all on the table.

  • I can help you and your team craft a comprehensive strategic plan based on why you exist (your mission), your North Star (your vision), what you stand for (your values) and your priorities for growth and success.

Who am I?

I am Phil Saken. I’m a recovering TV journalist and proud music theatre kid who found a spark in telling stories, performing comedy routines and writing parody song lyrics for the delight of my family.

I’ve spent much of the last three decades channeling that spark to delight and inform a wide variety of audiences in a diverse set of businesses. I ushered in Y2K doing live shots as a TV reporter and anchor, and I built Emmy-winning newscasts as a news producer. I drove communications strategy during a consequential legislative session in Ohio, and I helped elevate a Cabinet-level Office of Outreach and Engagement at one of the nation’s largest land-grant universities. I collaborated with cross-functional teams to launch crowd-pleasing initiatives for the most ubiquitous restaurant brand in the world, and I worked with an extraordinary team of creatives and storytellers to build brand loyalty and leadership at one of the nation’s premier colleges of nursing.

I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications.

Of all of the jobs I’ve held, my all-time favorite is “dad.” I live in Columbus, Ohio with my wife and our three sons. While I’m based in Columbus, I can work remotely with great effectiveness, and I’m excited to work with you and your teams no matter where you might be.

Please share your story with me, and let’s talk about how we can make it stand out together.

Phil Saken new portrait

Photo credit: Luke Smith Photography

Effectiveness, in their own words

“He is a proactive thinker and strategist who has been extremely successful in getting our faculty national/international media attention. He has led elevator speech development workshops with research faculty, which have been raved about by them. I trust him implicitly.”

Dr. Bernadette Melnyk
Former College of Nursing dean and university chief wellness officer
The Ohio State University

“Phil is the epitome of a strategic communications professional … He understands the allure of a strong narrative, the importance of relationships and audience assessment, and the power of strategic, proactive communications planning.”

Suzelle Tempero Knisley
VP, Corporate Communications
Dairy Management Inc.

“I am impressed with your ability to provide feedback on the spot—a skill that’s taken years to refine, I’d expect … you are an awesome model of an active listener, skills you must have honed over time. My young team benefitted from being validated for their worth to Ohio State.”

Kathleen Ojala
Chief Compliance Officer
HIPAA Privacy Officer
The Ohio State University

Want to chat?

Let’s start a conversation about how we can partner to focus your brand-building strategy through impactful storytelling that sharpens your narrative, strengthens emotional connections and drives success.