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Thomas J. Madden

Thomas J. Madden (born Oct. 5, 1938) is an American author, speechwriter and public relations expert, founder of the international public relations firm TransMedia Group.

Career
Mr. Madden received a BS degree in journalism from Temple University in 1962 and an MA from The Annenberg School of Communications at The University of Pennsylvania in 1970. After graduating from Temple in Philadelphia, Mr. Madden moved to New York City where he studied acting at Herbert Berghof Studio in Greenwich Village, acted in a number of plays in Off-Broadway theaters, became a member of Actor’s Equity and appeared in summer stock productions at the Lake Luzerne Playhouse in upstate New York.

After getting married in 1964, he and his native Italian wife, Angela, moved to Atlantic City, NJ, where he had grown up and he went to work as a reporter at The Press of Atlantic City. In 1966, Madden and his family relocated to Philadelphia where he became a reporter and feature writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer. After completing his graduate studies at Penn while working the night shift as a reporter, Mr. Madden taught journalism part-time at Rutgers University before moving his family to New Orleans in 1970, where he became an assistant professor of journalism at Loyola University. In 1974, Madden left college teaching, moved his family back to the Northeast and took a position with the well-known public relations firm Dudley Anderson Yutzy (Present day Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations Group) in Manhattan, where he worked on the firm’s largest accounts, including Kellogg’s of Battle Creek, MI, writing speeches for the company’s then CEO, William LaMothe, which were printed in The New York Times and Vital Speeches of the Day.

In 1977, Mr. Madden joined American Broadcasting Company as Director of Public Relations Planning. At ABC he wrote speeches for and media-trained senior executives, including the company’s founder Leonard Goldenson and programming whiz Fred Silverman who in 1980 brought Madden with him to NBC after becoming its president and CEO. Silverman appointed Madden as his right hand assistant with the title of Vice President, Assistant to the President. Madden worked at NBC in both executive administration and programming before leaving and starting TransMedia Consultants, Inc., in 1981, which became a boutique PR agency in Manhattan, serving such clients as AT&T, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Met Life and The City of New York.

In 1987, Mr. Madden and his wife and partner, Angela who had become the firm’s CFO, relocated the business to Palm Beach, FL, renaming it TransMedia Group and in 1989 relocated the firm again to The Arvida Park of Commerce in Boca Raton, FL. In 1999, Madden and his wife bought a building in downtown Boca Raton, which became The TransMedia Building, where the firm grew to become one of the largest independent PR firms in Florida and where it currently operates. The firm’s clients have included AT&T, American Red Cross, City of New York, GL Homes, Jordache Enterprises, McCormick and Schmick’s, Rexall Sundown , Stanley Steemer.

Achievements

 * Inventor of the Knife and Forklift, a patented combination of utensils and dumbbells designed to help overeaters show down and exercise while eating. As seen on MSNBC's Today Show FitnessMagazine.com and the Palm Beach Post blog


 * Accredited Member of the Public Relations Society of America.
 * Author of several books, including a memoir, SPIN MAN (1997)  and KING OF THE CONDO, (1999) a satiric murder mystery novel based on his personal experiences as a “tormented” president of a Florida condo.
 * Author of numerous articles that have appeared in such national and international publications as TV GUIDE, the IPRA newsletter and <ref.OurBlook: Political Blog Exploring Journalism and Politics


 * Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com


 * Named 'Writer of the Month' for his screenplay 'Father's Day Ghost Story(C)'by Literary Agent Showcase


 * SpotLight Trustee member of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce

Awards
Received a Bronze Anvil Award in 1981 from The Public Relations Society of America for a public service campaign promoting fair housing in New York City, which Madden created for The City of New York.