Len Cercone | Founder & CEO, CerconeBrownCompany (CBC PR) | PR & AI Visibility Expert | Earned-First Campaigns That Influence Audiences and Fuel Growth I help mission-driven consumer brands earn media that influences what people read, watch, and share — and drives measurable growth. As Founder and CEO of Cercone Brown Company (CBC PR), I lead an earned-first approach that integrates media relations, content, and AI visibility to keep brands relevant and discoverable in a rapidly changing landscape. For more than two decades, I've partnered with brands across food and beverage, wellness, clean beauty, and natural products to turn PR into a genuine growth engine. My focus has always been on impact — strategies that move the needle, not just fill headlines. CBC PR is best known for the HOUSE Programs, immersive, multi-day editorial experiences that bring top consumer editors and journalists from publications like EatingWell, Well+Good, Bon Appétit, and Healthline together with brand teams in curated settings across the country. Those relationships are the foundation of everything we build — and increasingly, the engine behind our clients' AI visibility. The publications our House editors write for are the same ones ChatGPT and Perplexity cite most when answering consumer questions. We built Credibility Architecture™ around that insight: coordinating earned media, thought leadership, creator programs, and owned content into programs that make brands discoverable by both people and AI platforms. The agency has been recognized with Effie Awards, Ogilvy Awards, Bulldog PR Awards, Bell Ringers, and a Silver Stevie for Marketing and PR Agency of the Year, among others. What I bring to the table: * Launching and scaling national earned-first campaigns for household names and high-growth challengers across food, wellness, and clean beauty. *Building AI visibility strategies through Credibility Architecture™, helping clients surface in the new channels where consumers discover and trust brands. *Speaking and writing on PR's evolving role in AI visibility, measurement, and brand growth. Some of my most important lessons came outside the office. In long-distance adventure racing — multi-day events covering 45 to 65 miles of orienteering, climbing, and paddling — the rule is simple: you can only go as fast as your slowest teammate. Through exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and getting lost, you learn what it actually takes to succeed: working together, asking for help, and being both the strongest and weakest person on the team at different moments. Those lessons mirror PR exactly — you hear plenty of "no," face setbacks, and still need to stay focused on reaching the goal. I've performed more than 500 shows as a lead singer and guitarist. From small clubs to standing solo before 5,000 people with just a guitar, music taught me how to hold attention, tell stories that resonate, and let people in. Those are skills I bring directly into brand storytelling. I'm also a two-time cancer champion. That experience sharpened my perspective and deepened my commitment to helping worthy brands tell their story and drive meaningful change. Most mornings I hike with my golden retriever Cody and German shepherd Anya — a daily reminder to stay curious, play in the mud, and never fear looking silly. I'm open to connecting with agency leaders, CMOs, and brand builders who want to make PR a smarter, more measurable driver of business outcomes.