About Clairemont Communications:

Our sole purpose is to help our clients meet their business objectives while improving the bottom line. It is our emphatic belief that public relations and marketing communications – both in traditional and emerging forms – have the power to influence purchases, persuade stakeholders and influencers, and to define a brand. It is our relentless mission to deliver quality service and to foster the advancement of the industry because of this.

We take a tactics-agnostic approach to devising PR and marketing strategies using both traditional – media relations and event planning, for example – and emerging tools such as social networking. The difference? Product sketches that turn into top sellers. Campaigns that move consumers from couches to action. Jump starting a start-up to make it a recognized brand. Upholding the reputation of a tried and true company so shareholders continue to hold a special place in their hearts for it year after year.

Clairemont Communications was born out of a moment of clarity. It was a defining moment of professional passion, assessment of strengths and successes, and the realization that there was something missing from the PR agency offering. The clarity revealed an undeniable desire to do not just great, not just outstanding, but monumental work for our clients. Clarity in vision + the promise of monumental results. This is Clairemont Communications.

Leadership:

Dana Hughens

Dana Hughens, chief executive officer of Clairemont Communications, has 16 years experience in public relations and marketing. Her focus on creating magical client experiences began the year she interned in guest relations at Walt Disney World and was the co-founder of a student-run public relations agency on her college campus.

Prior to launching Clairemont Communications, Dana served as a senior vice president of Fleishman-Hillard. During that time, she managed international, national and regional accounts and projects for Thomasville Furniture, Kingsdown’s Sleep to Live, Briar Chapel by Newland Communities, Krispy Kreme, Cheerwine, Cree, Lenovo and RSM McGladrey.

Dana was Fleishman’s global consumer practice group co-chair and led her team to win several industry awards including: a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil for the Darryl Carter for Thomasville launch campaign, a PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for an annual product promotion strategy with Krispy Kreme, an Inspire Silver Best in Show by the North Carolina PRSA chapter for a series of grand opening events for McCormick and Schmick’s in Raleigh, and several other Inspire and Raleigh Public Relations Society Sir Walter Raleigh awards.

In addition to her agency work, Dana has held corporate communications positions, including the role of key lieutenant to Nortel’s chief marketing officer. In that role, she was responsible for global planning and integration of all marketing functions including corporate communications, branding and advertising, employee communications, and tradeshows and events. Prior to that, she led media relations, marketing communications and analyst relations teams at Nortel.

Including work with other companies in the telecommunications and technology sector such as BellSouth and ITC^DeltaCom, Dana spent nearly ten years in the industry. She has also worked with non-profit organizations and small communications agencies.

Dana is a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy, and was recently named to the Raleigh Leadership Council of the American Cancer Society. In 2009, she served as the Fox-Thornburg Visiting Professional to the journalism department of at her alma mater, Eastern Illinois University. Hughens was inducted to the Triangle Business Journal’s “40 Under 40 Hall of Fame” in 2006.

An Illinois native who has lived and worked in New York, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, Dana now considers Raleigh, North Carolina home. She regularly volunteers her time at the Montessori School of Raleigh, and completed Raleigh’s City of Oaks Marathon in November 2009.

Carrie Ferguson Weir

Carrie Ferguson Weir applies her nearly 20 years of deadline newspaper reporting to Clairemont Communications, which means her client service approach is all about speed, accuracy, strong ethics and no fluff.

Her years as a journalist and a blogger, combined with the knowledge gained as a business owner, help Carrie easily identify the best ways to position Clairemont Communications clients to get the attention of media and customers, using traditional pitching, social media, email campaigns and online networking. And, she can do it all in English and Spanish.

Carrie may have a completely Anglo name, but do not be fooled. The pica pica of her Cuban ancestors powers her Spanglish spirit. Carrie, or “Caridad!” when her mother is angry, grew up in Miami in a big tribe of Cuban relatives who left the island nation between 1957 and 1961.

She is a journalist by education and profession, a career inspired by the powerful and colorful stories her own family is known to tell. 

Carrie left daily journalism in 2005 to co-launch Los Pollitos Dicen (The Little Chicks Say), a boutique line of Spanish baby and children’s gifts. Creating the business also led to Carrie’s personal blog, Bilingual in the Boonies; and a second gift t-shirt line, Chichi & Flaco. Carrie is also a founder and editor of Tiki Tiki Blog, a site dedicated to stories about living Latino in the U.S., has served as a weekly columnist for Parenting.com and a guest blogger for several other online publications.

Carrie lives in a little town outside of Nashville with her husband and 6-year-old daughter.