Together, we can share stories that connect & inspire people
As an accomplished communications strategist, I help elevate brands within travel, technology, hospitality, and design by focusing on the narratives that matter most.
Effective PR transforms what’s singular about a brand into experiences that resonate with the audiences it wants to reach. I take a tailored approach to that goal, creating layered PR strategies that achieve results. As a passionate leader, I care about nurturing creativity and fostering teamwork in every project. Let’s collaborate to bring your brand’s story to life and make a lasting impact together.
Let’s collaborate
Account Management
With nearly 15 years of experience in agency and in-house roles, I have successfully motivated and coached teams to execute impactful PR programs. As a fractional or interim account director, I will collaborate with your agency or in-house team to provide strategic planning, direction setting, client management, and media relations.
Media and Influencer Relations
I entice media and influencers with the tools to tell stories at every scale — from introducing Hangzhou, China, to the U.S. travel market to celebrating the award-winning PR launch of a boutique Honolulu hotel — by tailoring approaches that will raise awareness and generate interest.
PR Planning
Throughout my career, I’ve implemented strategies crafted on comprehensive media and industry audits, as well as thoughtful planning and research. I’ll partner with your agency or in-house team to do the groundwork that leads to PR success: fact-finding, strategy, partnership development, and more.
Media Coverage
I constantly seek new platforms to bring brands’ narratives to audiences in meaningful ways. The below samples represent just some of the media coverage I’ve delivered.
Campaigns
When I partner with brands, I share their stories in ways that resonate and entice audiences to engage.
Event Marketing: Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Sleepover
I created and launched the first-ever Travelers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best Sleepover’ event, generating transformative influencer content and media coverage for Tripadvisor. This three-day event featured bespoke culinary and entertainment experiences that attracted prominent guests like Netflix’s Love is Blind stars Tiffany and Brett Brown, as well as editors from Thrillist and ABC. The campaign reached over 7 million across social and digital channels, including 1.8 million social views and 350,000+ engagements.
Brought into Tripadvisor to lead global consumer PR, I was charged with increasing relevance among Millennial and Gen-Z travelers for the brand’s flagship Travelers’ Choice Awards. Partnering with Tripadvisor’s brand marketing, social, and creative teams, we set the stage for media and influencers to experience firsthand what made the #1 rated Top Hotel in the US a winner to Tripadvisor users.
Brand PR: Reopening Australia to North American Travelers
As Australia reopened to the post-COVID world in early 2022, I spearheaded the PR campaign inviting North American travelers to return Down Under, securing 15 media and influencers from the U.S. and Canada to travel to Australia. This effort produced inspirational coverage and social content, garnering a combined 83+ million impressions and underscoring the destination’s “cool” factor to entice audiences to book trips.
Part of the challenge Tourism Australia faced was attracting Americans and Canadians to choose the long-haul destination over many other closer, more accessible countries already welcoming travelers. I led the initiative by touting restored airlift and recentering the destination through activations like sending media, content creators, and broadcast teams to Australia, including placing a Travel + Leisure writer on the inaugural flight.
Hotel Opening: The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club
In partnership with my client, Aqua-Aston Hospitality, I orchestrated the PR campaign for the grand opening of the Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, securing over 100 placements in top publications like The New York Times, Vogue, Travel + Leisure, and Harper’s Bazaar within the first 5 months. The campaign generated 442M+ media impressions, driving significant buzz and a 20% growth in website referral traffic, surpassing goals by 5%.
As agency account lead at Quinn, I partnered with Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Hawaii’s premier hospitality management company, to make a splash through strategic media relations, organic influencer partnerships, and experiential activations that brought the hotel to life as a first-of-its-kind, art-driven boutique hotel in Honolulu.
What folks are saying about me
“You won’t find a better PR practitioner, mentor or strategist than Chris Maggio. He is simply the best of the best.”
“Whether you’re looking for media coverage, corporate communications counsel, or account/team management — Chris can do it all!”
Ivy Chiou
Director, Media Relations & Strategic PR,
Samsung Electronics America
“Above all, Chris’s collaborative approach to internal and external stakeholder management has been a cornerstone of his success.”
“Chris’s dedication, vision, and collaborative spirit made a significant impact on our PR efforts. He is an outstanding professional whose positive energy and outgoing personality make him an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Lisa Verbeck
Managing Director
Verbeck Consulting Inc (formerly with Tourism Australia)
“Chris makes it happen!”
“Need to find a rare spot for production? A unique voice to feature in your report? He gets it done and has always been there when I need him for sources, data, location and contacts. As an investigative and consumer producer, Chris’s public relations and marketing skills always make my reports stronger and more engaging!”
David Paredes
Producer | 7 On Your Side | WABC-TV New York
(formerly with NBC’s The Today Show)
“Chris is a true thought partner, conducting business with both savvy and kindness, and taps into emerging trends to secure excellent media placements for his clients.”
“One of the proudest achievements in launching The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club in Hawaii was its front-page feature in The New York Times travel section, which named it “Waikiki’s Hip New Place to Stay.” Chris Maggio played a pivotal role in securing this and other placements, notably conveying what truly differentiated The Surfjack at the time.”
Theresa van Greunen, APR
Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications
Aqua-Aston Hospitality
An avid traveler and foodie with a keen curiosity about the world, I’ve built my career through a decade and a half of agency and in-house PR experience, spanning destinations, hotels, airlines, restaurants, technology and design. After spending most of that time in New York City, I’ve relocated to Pittsburgh, where I’ve begun savoring the Steel City’s burgeoning culinary and cultural scene.
Prior to working independently with clients, I led Tripadvisor’s global consumer PR team, elevating its content, trip planning products and experiences through the power of dynamic earned media coverage. From strategic partnerships to innovative direct-to-consumer offerings, I was at the forefront of Tripadvisor’s evolving narrative around how to support travelers.
As Tourism Australia’s PR Manager for North America, I honed my expertise developing external communications strategies to showcase the iconic Land Down Under. I consistently delivered coverage showcasing the best of Australia and led the post-COVID reopening PR strategy in the North American market, enticing Americans and Canadians with stories about everything new and noteworthy.
My expertise draws on my agency background at leading firms including Quinn and Grey, managing PR strategies for global innovators, executing campaigns that pushed the boundaries of traditional PR. Whether it was leading Marriott’s first LGBTQIA+ travel PR campaign or amplifying Canon’s immersive PIXMA PRO tour, I thrived on delivering work that captivated audiences and garnered acclaim.
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Chris Maggio Public Relations 