Former Easley Press Secretary to Head
Brogan & Partners Public Relations Practice

[Raleigh, NC] - Fred Hartman, former press secretary to Governor Mike Easley and current executive director of the state advertising and communications agency for North Carolina, will leave government in early January to join Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing as Director of Public Relations, the firm announced today.

Hartman served as Easley's press secretary from 2001 until June of 2003. At that time he was appointed by the Governor to revitalize the state's in-house advertising and communications agency, officially known as the Agency for Public Telecommunications. In that role, Fred has driven a 700% increase in revenue for the organization by providing services to other agencies within state and federal government.

"Fred has a rare combination of depth of experience in public relations and great relationships with the media, along with a true entrepreneurial spirit," said Jim Tobin, partner in charge of the North Carolina operation for Brogan & Partners. "We're just thrilled to have him on our team to provide leadership for such an important practice area for us."

Hartman will be busy managing public relations clients and staff in both Brogan's Raleigh office and in Brogan's office in suburban Detroit. Brogan & Partners was formed in 1984 as an advertising agency, but added public relations services in 1990 and digital marketing services in 1996.

"I'm blessed to have been part of first the Hunt Administration and now six years with the Easley Administration," said Hartman. "I'm indebted to Governor Easley for the opportunities and hopefully I've added some value during my tenure. This opportunity presented itself suddenly and it was just clear that it represented the next step for me. Brogan has a great reputation in both North Carolina and Michigan, which was certainly one of the attractions."

About Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing:
Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing, established in 1984, is a $90 million convergence-marketing firm with over 50 employees. Brogan & Partners assists clients through the entire communications process including strategic planning, research, developing creative concepts, production supervision, design and graphic services, media planning and buying, public relations, and digital services. The firm has a founding office located in Birmingham, Michigan and another office located in Raleigh, North Carolina, with service offices located in Washington D.C. and Naples, Florida, as well as a research affiliate located in Chicago, Illinois. Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing has been voted one of the Best Places to Work by both Triangle Business Journal and Crain's Detroit Business, a Workplace of Tomorrow, and a High-Performance Workplace and most recently was ranked among the Top Ten advertising agencies in the Triangle in the Triangle Business Journal's Book of Lists.