fter nearly a decade as an award-winning television anchor, reporter and talk show host, Kathleen Hessert changed competitive arenas. She took her ability to ask tough questions and put it to work for those on the receiving end. Since 1988, Hessert has been media and speech coach to Olympic gold medalists and college gridiron greats, to those in the ranks of the NBA and the PGA. Race car drivers, bull riders and tennis pros are among the many who have sought her counsel in learning how to excel in the increasingly important arena of public opinion and reputation management. In 2004, Hessert launched SMC's Digital Media & Fan Engagement division with the introduction of Buzz Manager™, a proprietary search engine that mined, monitored and analyzed internet word-of-mouth conversations.

Clients have included Madison Square Garden, the Texas Rangers, the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, The PGA TOUR, Super Bowl MVPs Peyton and Eli Manning, and NASCAR's Kasey Kahne and Jeff Go