Communications and Media Priorities, Principles, Philosophy

Real Time News and Policy Content

Working in politics, government and issues advocacy, sm/c/p principal Gordon Hensley has long prioritized and excelled at playing offense in the news cycle to news cycle media mosh pit.

Frequent multi-platform content dissemination, message repetition and purposeful, reasoned engagement with opponents earns coverage, frames reporting and shapes public opinion.

There’s no mystery to “making your own luck” by out-hustling and out-thinking competitors for limited reporting space in a specific national, state or policy news marketplace.

Deliverables, Deliverables, Deliverables

Hensley specializes in crafting compelling, sophisticated, policy-driven earned, owned, shared and paid media content emphasizing value proposition, rationale, and moving the desired narrative forward.

Hensley has collaborated with dozens of prominent government affairs, media, polling, strategic communications and research firms across America on political and corporate projects.

He’s accustomed to developing successful strategies and products in a team manner — premised on clear business objective, concise rationale, informed by research and managed in real time.

Actionable, Seasoned Counsel and Advice

CEO’s and other decision makers want actionable counsel when they need it — not jargon and bromides after the fact. 

Having served in the most competitive political campaign environments as a communications director, speechwriter or primary on-camera/on the record spokesperson, clients benefit significantly from Hensley’s unusually diverse multi-discipline background and skill sets. 

Transparency, Candor, Accountability, Availability

Procedural transparency, constructive candor, accountability for results and full-time availability are a given.

Client projects and engagements are limited to ensure availability.

Five Most Common Projects and Engagements

sm/c/p’s most requested services:

  1. Boost output and subsequent coverage of informed, timely policy messaging in desired media marketplaces; re-orient message, content strategy and platforms as necessary.
  2. Improve and sharpen message saliency; develop and optimize narrative across all content platforms.
  3. Write and manage major congressional testimony, speechwriting and national/state op-ed projects.
  4. Counter and reframe false narratives and storylines; systematically undermine opposition arguments and viewpoints with data and 3rd party surrogate mobilization.
  5. Help design and package proprietary research/data for maximum media impact and legislative advocacy purposes.

Corporate History

sm/c/p Corporate History
2023
February 25

2022-2023

As of July 2023, sm/c/p is working with Boston, DC, Texas and Tennessee-based public affairs firms on projects related to health policy, energy, land-use and cannabis banking reform. A Westchester County, NY law firm also retains sm/c/p to assist in litigation communications related to a local zoning dispute.
2021
February 3

2020

As Covid accelerated in early 2020 Hensley was offered a unique short-term opportunity to join the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a senior advisor. Provided wide latitude by Sec. Alex Azar’s office to work with CMS and FDA on pandemic response communications, Hensley eventually served as media counsel for Admiral Brett Giroir in his duty as “national testing czar.” In addition to helping develop policy messaging and preparing for daily media briefings and TV appearances, Hensley was also a primary collaborator on a joint HHS-DOD report to Congress detailing Operation Warp Speed’s (OWS) proposed vaccine distribution timeline and methodology. Hensley resumed sm/c/p projects in 2021.
2019
May 24

2017

In May 2017, sm/c/p became a strategic partner with Tennessee and DC-based Bridge Public Affairs, formed by former senior aides to TN Senator Bob Corker.
2016
March 2

2016

Hensley retained as a primary collaborator on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s presidential campaign announcement speech; later works with Walker campaign on its health, labor reform and foreign policy proposals and subsequent media roll outs in Minneapolis MN, Las Vegas NV and Clemson SC, respectively. Following the election of Donald Trump as President, Hensley was offered the opportunity to merge sm/c/p into the operations of two large GOP-oriented government relations firms (One DC-based and another state-based) and begin direct lobbying of two U.S. Senators with whom Hensley had relationships. Despite being thankful for the opportunity, Hensley knew lobbying and Capitol Hill glad-handing was not his forte and remained focused solely on communications work.
2015
January 9

2015

sm/c/p begins five-year collaboration with Schmidt Public Affairs and BGR government affairs to help launch and successfully establish the Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) in the competitive DC pharmacy space — advocating for Long Term Care (LTC) pharmacies and their elderly patients. sm/c/p was primary creator of SCPC website content and led news/messaging efforts related to drug pricing reforms, federal and state PBM regulation, FDA drug repackaging, opioid abuse, “21st Century Cures” legislation, Medicare Part D PBM fee reform and legislation requiring a specific federal LTC pharmacy definition.
2012
January 19

2012

sm/c/p forms partnership with Alexandria-based Schmidt Public Affairs (SPA) and establishes Health Media Management Group, LLC (HMMG). The collaboration creates paid media and manages polling and research projects on behalf of DC-based Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (AQNHC), Austin TX-based Texas Health Care Association (THCA) and Baton Rouge LA-based Louisiana Nursing Home Association (LNHA). sm/c/p concurrently serves as primary day to day writer for both the American Health Care Assn (AHCA) and AQNHC on long term and post-acute care federal and state issues.
2006
January 19

2006

Following Corker Senate win, SMI rebrands in December 2006 as sm/c/p inc. and moves from Georgetown to Prince Street in Old Town Alexandria, VA. The re-brand completes transition to non-partisan corporate communications work with added focus on digital content strategy and social media platforms. The firms widens its scope as The City of New York/Bloomberg Administration retains sm/c/p for a major international business content project, and a former Clinton Admin cabinet official seeks assistance on testimony before the U.S. Senate.  
2005
January 19

2006

TN GOP Senate candidate Bob Corker shakes-up his 2006 U.S. Senate campaign just 3 months before the Nov. election and brings in a new team after falling behind to U.S. Rep. Harold Ford. Hensley takes role in Nashville as senior communications adviser and re-organizes the press and communications operation. Corker wins narrowly while Senate GOP candidates suffer major losses in disastrous GOP election cycle.  
2000
January 19

2000

SMI initiates shift from partisan GOP campaign firm to bipartisan corporate public relations entity. Working for the first time as a B2B subcontractor to larger public relations firms in DC and NYC firms including Edelman, Mercury, Ruder-Finn and Ketchum. Primary focus is long term and post-acute health care sector’s federal and state Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Initial services include executive speechwriting, Capitol Hill testimony, and communications counsel. Writing services eventually extend to all of the day to day writing of news content directed at U.S. Senate and House congressional committees of jurisdiction — including the Senate Finance Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, House Ways and Means Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee.
1997
January 19

1997–2000

After serving as NRSC communications director and speechwriter from 1995-’97, Hensley founds GOP campaign consulting firm Strategic Media, Inc. (SMI) at 1230 31st Street NW in Georgetown. The three core services offered by the four-person start-up were daily campaign communications strategy and management, speechwriting, and converting raw opposition research into actionable media materials. SMI’s client roster included incumbent U.S. Senators Paul Coverdell (R-GA) and Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY), Governor George Pataki (R-NY), the New York Republican State Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s 1999 GOP presidential primary campaign.