Suggestions
Michael Kassin
President MK&A
Professional Background
Michael Kassin is a seasoned senior media executive who has cultivated an impressive career spanning over 20 years in public relations. His expertise in cultivating robust media relations and executing effective public relations strategies is evident from his diverse portfolio that includes corporate giants and innovative nonprofits alike.
Throughout his career, Michael has represented a wide array of clients across various sectors such as B2B, education, philanthropic efforts, and the arts. His notable clients encompass renowned names like Reader’s Digest, Johnson & Johnson, 3M, and the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds. Additionally, Michael has worked closely with numerous emerging technology companies, including Data Conversion Laboratory, demonstrating his adaptability and understanding of the evolving media landscape.
Within his impressive tenure at Reader’s Digest, Michael spearheaded national and local publicity campaigns for the American Heroes in Education Awards for an entire decade. His work not only highlighted the exceptional contributions of educators but also established a strong media presence that amplified the reach of this prestigious award.
One of the highlights of Michael’s career is his work with Johnson & Johnson, where he led the national publicity efforts for the Head Start-Johnson & Johnson Management Training Program. This initiative was designed to provide MBA-style training to Head Start managers, empowering them with the tools necessary to improve educational outcomes.
Moreover, during his time with 3M, he played a pivotal role in promoting an innovative apprentice/training program aimed at students interested in tool-and-die making. This initiative resulted in numerous students achieving full-time employment, showcasing the tangible impact of effective PR in transforming lives and communities.
In collaboration with Stanton Public Relations, Michael made remarkable strides in promoting the groundbreaking research of Edward R. Flynn, who pioneered a radiation-free method for diagnosing specific breast cancer strains with remarkable accuracy. This important technology garnered extensive media coverage by prominent outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and is currently utilized at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Michael's dynamic capabilities extend to supporting charitable organizations that focus on youth and education. The Pinkerton Foundation, which has consistently worked to improve conditions for at-risk children in New York, benefited significantly from Michael’s media expertise; his efforts led to coverage in The New York Times, Huffington Post, and NY1 News. Similarly, his work with the MET Schools highlighted their innovative initiatives, such as a “Summer Olympics” event, and their progressive sex education programs, which received coverage from ABC News Online.
Furthermore, his commitment to promoting STEM education for at-risk youth through organizations like the Salvadori Center is a testament to his passion for using media as a force for good. He successfully arranged media exposure for the Salvadori Center in noteworthy platforms like The Huffington Post and NY1 News, effectively raising awareness for their invaluable initiatives.
Education and Achievements
Michael Kassin’s academic foundation is reflective of his broad interests and skills. He commenced his educational journey at Niles Twp H.S. East and Niles East High School before pursuing his higher education at the University of Minnesota. Here, he obtained both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in areas that encompass English Language, Literature, Theatre, Communications, and Theater, furthering his ability to communicate effectively and meaningfully in the public relations domain.
His educational background has undoubtedly played a crucial role in shaping his career, providing him with the linguistic adeptness and creative thinking necessary for excellence in public relations.
In addition to his experience and education, Michael has held notable positions that have contributed to his well-rounded skill set. He previously served as the PR Director at the Salvadori Center, where he honed his abilities in strategic communications and media outreach. Michael also ventured into the creative side of storytelling as a Screenwriter at Virtual Pitch Fest, showcasing his multi-dimensional expertise in both PR and creative writing.
Achievements
Michael Kassin's career is highlighted by numerous achievements that not only speak to his skill but also illustrate his dedication to impactful public relations.
- Reader’s Digest American Heroes in Education Awards: For ten years, Michael led the national and local media campaigns, effectively securing visibility for this impactful accolade which honors the efforts of extraordinary educators.
- Head Start-Johnson & Johnson Management Training Program: His strategic publicity efforts significantly enhanced the program's reach, ultimately benefiting numerous aspiring educators and leaders.
- Success with 3M: Through his advocacy, he successfully promoted a training program that provided students with hands-on experience and career opportunities in a competitive field.
- Promoting Medical Breakthroughs: Michael’s collaborative work regarding Edward R. Flynn’s innovative breast cancer diagnostic technology garnered significant media exposure, highlighting transformative advancements in medical science.
- Media Coverage for Philanthropic Organizations: His ability to generate press coverage for organizations like the Pinkerton Foundation and the MET Schools underscores his commitment to social betterment and advocacy for at-risk youth.
- STEM Education Initiatives: By working with the Salvadori Center, he has played a pivotal role in leveraging media to promote STEM education for underprivileged youth, showcasing his dedication to this essential educational domain.
Michael Kassin continues to be respected in the field of public relations as he remains committed to using his expertise for the greater good. His passion for storytelling and advocacy through media is not just a career—it's a calling that reflects in every project he undertakes.
Location
People also viewed
Related People
Clay is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Clay centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Clay's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.