bio
Rodney Taro* is a public affairs and marketing consultant who specializes in strategic communications planning. He works with clients to create successful media outreach, ally development, and product launch plans.
Rodney has performed multiple senior communications roles in government, corporate relations, marketing, and issue advocacy, making him a helpful ally in a time of sharply divided audiences and fragmented media.
He also supports progressive artists and entertainers who are using their leadership roles in media and culture to influence public policy and address some of society’s greatest challenges.
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Before becoming an independent consultant, Rodney was Director of Public Affairs and Marketing for Rockstar Games, the publisher of such groundbreaking video games as the Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Redemption, and several other genre-defining titles. Prior to joining the Rockstar team, Rodney advised Take-Two Interactive and other entertainment companies on intellectual property issues and crisis communications. Other major clients from this period include prominent civil rights leaders, arts advocacy groups, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Early in his consulting career, Rodney was a public affairs director at Burson-Marsteller, where he advised Fortune 100 companies on media strategy, social responsibility, and reputation management. He was also the Director of Corporate Identity Strategy at Altria - the former parent company of Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Miller Beer, and Philip Morris - during its name change and supported the leaders behind the historic federal regulation of tobacco.
Rodney’s first political experience was in 1990 as a college student on Senator J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.’s, (D-LA) re-election campaign. A year later, the Senator hired Rodney as a press secretary and speechwriter. Following that role, Rodney served as press secretary and speechwriter to Congressman John Conyers, Jr., (D-MI).
*Government name: Rodney Taro Walker. Rodney Taro to family and friends.