About John

John Fries is a marketing and public relations professional, writer and graphic designer with 30+ years of strategic, creative, consultative and leadership experience and an extensive track record of results.

His experience includes leading the communications departments at UPMC Passavant, UPMC Shadyside, The Washington Hospital, the Port Authority of Allegheny County and Butler Gas Products Co.; serving as manager at Burson-Marsteller, one of the world's largest public relations and advertising firms; and starting and running his own marketing, communications and media firrn.

John has been responsible for creating or supervising the creation of numerous print, broadcast, advertising, online and public relations materials for clients that range from corporations (UPMC, PNC, Heinz, Highmark, Duquesne Light,Schering-Plough and others) to mid-sized businesses, health and medical practices, technology firms, entrepreneurial ventures, entertainment initiatives and non-profit organizations.

He provides strategic marketing and communications counsel to business owners in a range of industries.
His public relations initiatives have resulted in feature placements in numerous media outlets (including ABC-TV, CBS-TV, NBC-TV, CNN, MTV and a wide range of newspapers, magazines, radio stations and websites) and developing messaging and serving as spokesman for numerous crisis communications situations.

John is active as a filmmaker, and was honored for writing and directing Blue Myst Road, a film about Pittsburgh urban legends, in the Pennsylvania Senate by Senator Jane Clare Orie. He has also received awards for photography and website development.

A longtime journalist, he has contributed dozens of articles to a number of publications, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Magazine. He has also produced and hosted afternoon drive and evening radio programs on which he interviewed newsmakers in a wide variety of fields. He now creates online radio programming/podcasts.

John is active in a variety of community and faith-based organizations and has served on a number of boards and committees. These organizations include Brightwood Civic Group, North Hills Community Outreach, Northern Allegheny County Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Orthodox Christian Communications Committee and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. He's also a writer and producer on the television program Orthodoxy Now, for which more than 100 episodes were created.

John holds a B.A. degree from Duquesne University.