Lynn Fox

Lynn Fox

398 West Portal Avenue #405 | San Francisco, CA | 94127 | 408-431-0700 (mobile) | lynnfox2@gmail.com

Career Overview

Corporate communications executive with over 20 years of experience in major, multi-national corporations, including Apple, Google, Palm and DIRECTV.

Expertise includes:

• Company, brand & product positioning • Strategic communications planning

• Executive communications • Social media

• Reputation management • Crisis communications

• Product introductions • Internal communications

Extensive experience in:

• Global media relations • Broadcast media relations

• Investor, analyst, government & relations • Consumer awareness

• Event & trade show planning & production • Product placement & entertainment PR

Corporate Communications Experience

Palm, Inc. | VP, Corporate Communications    March 2008 – Present

Sunnyvale, CA

• Followed CEO Jon Rubinstein from Apple to transform this iconic, yet struggling smartphone pioneer.
• Responsible for global PR and events; includes media, analyst, executive, internal communications and event management.
• Partnered with executive team to determine company and product positioning, branding, messaging and go-to-market strategies.
• Conceived, planned and executed CES 2009 introduction of the Palm Pre and webOS -- widely recognized as one of technology’s most impressive product introductions.
• Used established media and analyst contacts to create positive, widespread anticipation for upcoming Palm product launches (e.g., major feature stories in BusinessWeek, TIME, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Newsweek and more).
• Worked closely with Investor Relations team to drive financial communications positioning.
• Launched highly regarded social media program, boasting over 18k Twitter followers, over 60k Facebook fans and a regularly updated Palm blog.
• Set crisis communications process in motion to deal with unexpected product, corporate and financial issues at a moment’s notice.
• Achieved impressive results through extremely low-cost product placement program, seeding product on high-profile network TV programs like 24, Modern Family, CSI:NY, Glee, and many others.

Apple | Director, Mac PR    September 2006 – March 2008

Cupertino, CA

• Recruited back to Apple from Google to run all strategic PR initiatives for Mac division, including Mac OS X, Apple TV, Mac laptops, desktops, apps and professional software.
• Played significant strategic role in iPhone PR launch.
• Drove positive review results for Apple TV at its initial product launch despite several product limitations.
• Achieved household name status for MacBook Air through national TV and print coverage and extremely positive reviews.
• Successfully minimized the PR impact of product crises, such as Mac OS X security vulnerabilities, product explosions and battery recalls.
• Managed team of 12 PR professionals, ranging from intern to senior level.

Google | Sr. Manager, Corp Comm     September 2005 – September 2006

Mountain View, CA

• Joined this quickly growing PR team to return to technology PR and play a senior role in executive communications, internal communications, PR-focused events and any major corporate initiatives requiring high-level attention.
• Worked closely with CEO and Founders on a variety of initiatives, including speaking engagements and major appearances.
• Managed the company’s quarterly earnings process, including executive script-writing and media relations.
• Drove the strategy and execution of Google TV launch.
• Conceived of, secured, produced and managed Larry Page’s successful 2006 CES keynote, featuring Robin Williams.
• Produced successful 2006 Press Day on Google campus with over 150 media, analysts and VIPs, and a full program of news content.

Lucasfilm | Director, Domestic Publicity    May 2004 – September 2005

San Rafael, CA

• Moved from Tech PR to Entertainment PR to expand experience, and with young family desired to shorten commute.
• Planned and executed all domestic publicity for releases of Star Wars DVD box set and Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
• Secured major consumer print and TV news coverage, including Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, People, US Weekly, TIME, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, 60 Minutes, Nightline, MTV’s TRL, The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman and more.
• Worked extensively with comedy writers, directors, producers and talent to create compelling news content.
• Partnered with studio (Twentieth Century Fox) and brand sponsors, such as Burger King, Pepsi, Master Foods (M&Ms, Skittles), Kellogg’s and Hasbro to amplify the Star Wars story and brand across news channels.
• Played a Storm Trooper on Jeopardy! and did live dub-in of Chewbacca’s voice on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
• Managed time full-time PR professionals, plus PR agency.

Apple | Director, Corporate PR    July 2000 – May 2004

Cupertino, CA

• Recruited by Apple toward the end of Snowball.com’s run.
• Responsible for all corporate PR matters, including business, finance, legal, advertising, HR, government and internal communications. 
• Orchestrated CEO media strategy and communications and provided strategic counsel to all members of the executive team.
• Placed major business news stories in BusinessWeek, Fortune, TIME, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and more.
• Partnered with senior executives to determine initial product positioning and messaging for the iTunes Music Store.
• Worked with investor relations on financial communications issues, such as quarterly earnings, CEO and executive comp inquiries and company SEC filings.
• Drove strategy and PR execution for the rollout of special corporate initiatives including Apple’s retail stores.
• Lead team of five PR professionals, plus an additional team of five agency support staff.

Snowball.com | Director, Corporate Communications    September 1999 – July 2000

Brisbane, CA

• Joined this promising startup to gain experience in driving corporate communications and  marcom strategy and taking a company public.
• Directed all PR, IR, internal and marketing communications, as well as government and community relations for this Internet startup.
• Led the company through a successful IPO in March 2000, just before the Internet bubble burst.
• Put the company on the map with an aggressive, results-driven PR strategy that positioned the affiliate business model as groundbreaking and brought awareness of the youth-oriented networks to young adults.

Alexander Ogilvy PR | Account Supervisor    September 1997 – September 1999

San Francisco, CA

• Joined one of technology’s premiere PR agencies after moving to the Bay Area.
• Ran accounts for large and small clients in the technology boom era: 
• • CitySearch 
  • ZDTV
  • Ziff-Davis
  • Realtor.com
  • AmericanGreetings.com
  • Hewlett-Packard
  • NCR
• Played instrumental role on a team of PR strategists who won award for major NCR repositioning and re-branding.
• Managed 16 direct reports who worked with clients scaling from small, $15k/month accounts to large, multi-million dollar accounts, all demanding equal time, attention and creativity.
• Worked on the AOPR marketing and employee communications task forces.

DIRECTV, Inc. | Communications Manager    November 1993 – September 1997

El Segundo, CA

• As an early employee, was on the ground floor of launching the nation’s leading direct broadcast satellite company.
• Mastered every possible communications discipline, including media relations, speechwriting, presentation preparation, employee communications, financial communications, events marketing, community, government and investor relations.
• Orchestrated PR activities for two satellite launches prior to the consumer service launch, then drove major news results for the national launch of DIRECTV. Without any advertising, DIRECTV gained a 30 percent increase in awareness just after launch.
• Created the company’s first employee communications program, newsletter and all-hands meeting format.

Hughes Electronics | Program Administrator    September 1988 – November 1993

El Segundo, CA

• Ran the Hughes Fellowship, Rotation & Co-Op Program, a recruitment program for math and science students at high-caliber schools.
• Recruited, retained, conducted student relations and issued stipend allowances for over 1,500 students in the program over the course of each cycle.
• Produced the annual luncheon for graduating Fellows.

Education

Loyola Marymount University

Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies

Magna Cum Laude

Awarded Outstanding Graduate in Communication Studies

Some graduate work at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication