Contact: Bill O'Reilly, 212-396-9117
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The November Team Names McKinstry Managing Director
Award-Winning Journalist, Experienced Communications Pro
to Lead Corporate Communications Unit
New York (November 2015) -- The November Team (TNT), a leading New York political and corporate communications firm, today announced that it has named Jerry McKinstry managing director.
Mr. McKinstry, a seasoned communications executive and a former
Newsday
columnist and editorial board member, will oversee TNT's corporate communications unit and buttress the firm's rapidly expanding political communications operation. (A headshot of Mr. Kinstry is below.)
"Jerry McKinstry is a number one draft pick -- as a strategist, writer, and client manager -- and The November Team couldn't be more excited to welcome him aboard," said TNT co-founder Bill O'Reilly. "As a former journalist and editorial board member, Jerry will offer November's clients extraordinary insights into the news media and a deep intellectual maturity to help them develop winning press strategies."
"We first came to know and respect Jerry as a tough and even-handed journalist, and later as a friend and PR colleague," said TNT partner and co-founder Jessica Proud. "Jerry is smart, honest, fearless and hard working, and that's exactly what we were looking for in a managing director. The November Team is a growing firm and we have every confidence that Jerry is the right professional to manage that growth."
McKinstry, a Yonkers native who now lives in Ridgefield, Conn., most recently was a senior account executive at Thompson & Bender, a leading full service advertising, marketing and public relations agency based in Briarcliff Manor where he was responsible for a wide array of corporate, government, real estate, not-for-profit and education clients.
Prior to working in public relations, McKinstry was a columnist and Editorial Board member for
Newsday
where he was responsible for coverage areas including New York State politics and policy issues pertaining to the northern suburbs of New York City and the Hudson Valley. While at Newsday, McKinstry covered the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.; the 2012 presidential debates between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney; the federal housing settlement between the Obama Administration and Westchester County and was a regular commentator on News 12 Hudson Valley.
Before
Newsday
, McKinstry was an investigative reporter and political correspondent for
The Journal News/LoHud.com
where he covered county government, state affairs and politics. During his nearly 12 years with Gannett, McKinstry covered just about every beat and municipality in the region and was a regular contributor to page one of the newspaper.
While at Gannett, McKinstry was for 10 years an adjunct professor at Iona College, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in journalism, editing and media history. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Manhattan College and a Masters of Science degree in Print and Online Journalism from Iona College.
At The November Team, McKinstry will be working with existing clients, which include candidates for office, issues campaigns, crisis communications and corporate media training, while also being tasked with growing the firm's corporate clientele in the Tri-State area.
During his distinguished journalism career, McKinstry has won many awards from the Associated Press, New York Press Association and Gannett. During his tenure on the
Newsday
Editorial Board, the board was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. He's appeared on National Public Radio, Regional News Network, FIOS 1 and News12, where he was a panelist on live debates for the Westchester county executive and district attorney races as well as "The New Tappan Zee Bridge: A News 12 Town Meeting," which was a finalist for the Deadline Club's Public Service Award in 2012.
That same year, he also won top honors with a Judge's Choice Award for a "Dancing with Our Stars" fundraiser benefiting Hillside Food Outreach, a nonprofit that provides meals to families in need in Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield counties.
McKinstry co-hosts a weekly radio show -- "The Sounding Board" -- on WVOX 1460 AM in Westchester County.
He lives in Ridgefield, Conn. with his wife Amy, and two children.
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