Matt Batt, President and CEO

Pipeline Media Relations was founded by Matt Batt. Batt has spent the past 10 years bringing “relationships” back to the media relations profession working for both corporations and agencies. Most recently, Batt has worked exclusively with the national business and consumer media regularly landing clients in outlets such as Associated Press, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Inc., MSNBC, USA Today, USA Weekend and The Wall Street Journal. Batt has worked with clients throughout a wide variety of industries including consumer, financial services, franchise and technology.

Prior to founding Pipeline Media Relations, Batt served as National Media Relations Manager at Tech Image, a leading public relations firm specialized in working with growing technology companies. While at Tech Image, Batt built their first national media relations-focused program which resulted in hundreds of placements for Tech Image clients in print, broadcast and online national media outlets. Batt’s work with the national media has garnered multiple industry awards, including several Golden and Silver Trumpets from the Publicity Club of Chicago, and Tower Awards from the Business Marketing Association.

Batt also has significant account management experience serving as Vice President at Fishman Public Relations, the leading public relations agency for the franchise industry. At Fishman Public Relations, Batt’s responsibilities included account and team management, new business and strategic counsel for clients looking for national media relations. While at Fishman Public Relations, Batt managed a team of professionals focused on customized media relations programs for more than 12 franchise concepts including well-known concepts such as Cartridge World and Money Mailer.

Batt graduated from Drake University with degrees in journalism and marketing. While not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball and golf, and analyzing news stories and overall industry trends. Matt and his wife Allison live in Cary, Ill., with their two-year-old son.

Michelle Damico, Vice President

Michelle Damico brings a diverse professional background to Pipeline Media Relations with experience in the fields of business-to-business media relations, broadcast journalism, government, and politics. As Vice President, Michelle works with clients to create a media relations strategy, identify target audiences, polish key messages, and develop strong media relationships.

Prior to joining Pipeline Media Relations, Michelle was Vice President, public relations at Slack Barshinger, where she developed b-to-b media relations programs that led to national media placements for clients in the technology, manufacturing, financial services and food ingredient industries. Her successful placements have appeared in the Associated Press, New York Sun, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit Free Press, Asbury Park Press, WHO-AM Radio, Fortune Small Business, as well as several trade publications and Web sites.

Before Slack Barshinger, Michelle was the senior manager of communications and marketing for the Illinois Tollway, where she played a key role in marketing I-PASS electronic toll collection and Open Roads for a Faster Future, the Tollway’s $5.3 billion congestion-relief program. She also served as Tollway spokesman and headed up its “Radio Rapid Response Team” tasked with correcting erroneous or biased Tollway facts discussed live on radio talk shows. She also led all media relations, wrote annual reports and budget books, provided media training to Tollway executives and managed a staff of eight. Her work there led to three Golden and Silver Trumpet Awards from the Publicity Club of Chicago as well as many transportation industry awards.

Michelle’s previous b-to-b experience included serving online travel, homeland security, technology, telecom and financial services clients at Tech Image, a boutique PR firm for the hi-tech industry. At Tech Image, Michelle secured two front page placements in the Wall Street Journal, and stories in the New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald as well as appearances on NPR, CNN Financial, MSNBC, and Voice of America.

Michelle joined the PR profession after nearly 15 years as an award-winning news reporter and newscaster at WXRT and WBEZ (NPR) Radio. Upon leaving radio, Michelle was deputy director of communications at the Chicago Park District before being named communications director for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s 1995 re-election campaign. Following the campaign, Michelle was named the first director of www.cityofchicago.org, the city’s official Web site.

Michelle attended Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill., where she received a bachelor’s degree in radio/television with a minor in journalism.