Keith R. Pillow, APR, MBA: Executive Biography
Based in Camarillo, California, CMAC is exclusively owned, operated, and managed by Keith R. Pillow, APR, MBA, a Ventura County native, and a long-time marketing and communications professional with almost two decades of agency and client-side experience in a broad spectrum of industries. These domains include the professional services, high technology, clean technology, sustainable energies, consumer products, non-profit, sports, entertainment, media, manufacturing, retail, cable and telecommunications, travel and hospitality, and aerospace and defense sectors.
Before establishing CMAC, Keith was vice president of Abelson Group, Inc., a technology and telecommunications public relations (PR) firm where he spearheaded a broad range of agency operations and client-driven initiatives. These responsibilities included the management of critical client relationships and day-to-day account execution activities; the supervision of multiple teams of practitioners; new business development in key growth segments; and recruiting and mentoring of agency personnel. He was also managing director of the agency’s EnterPRiseDirect practice group, which exclusively services early-stage, growing, and mature companies in the enterprise hardware, software, and solutions markets.
Previously, Keith was the global PR manager for the Entertainment Services division of Technicolor (NYSE: TCH; formerly Thomson, SA), where he oversaw all worldwide internal and external communications programs for the $3.5 billion business unit. Prior to joining Technicolor, he was founder, president, and chief executive officer of KRP Communications, Ltd., a marketing consulting firm specializing in the creation and implementation of marketing strategies for technology, professional services, and non-profit concerns in Southern California. In addition, Keith managed marketing communications programs throughout the Western Hemisphere for Paris, France-based Dassault Systèmes (NASDAQ: DASTY), a $2.5 billion global enterprise software company which develops product lifecycle management (PLM) applications for the aerospace and defense, automotive, and industrial equipment sectors.
His additional professional experience includes senior account management positions at two of the largest PR firms in the world, Fleishman-Hillard and Shandwick International (now Weber Shandwick Worldwide); PR specialist at Quarterdeck Corporation, an international developer of consumer PC diagnostics software products acquired by Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC); and an account director at Smith PR, a Los Angeles consumer marketing and brand enhancement consulting firm acquired by Allison & Partners.
Keith began his career as a sports marketing manager at Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc., where he worked with some of the most prestigious organizations, companies, and personalities in sports. These clients included such notable entities as Alien Sports, Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), ESPN, National Football League (NFL), International Management Group (IMG), Los Angeles Galaxy, Major League Soccer (MLS), Mirage Resorts and MGM Grand (now MGM Resorts International), PGA of America, PGA TOUR, SET Pay Per View, SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, and World Cup USA 1994.
Keith holds B.S. degrees in marketing and international business from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, and a MBA in marketing from the George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. He received his accreditation in public relations (APR) from the Universal Accreditation Board in 2008. He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the Phi Beta Kappa equivalent for business graduates; the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA); PRSA Counselors Academy; the American Marketing Association (AMA); and the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce.
An expert on marketing and communications, career advancement, and business development strategies, Pillow is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), where he teaches public relations writing and other communications courses. He is also a frequent guest lecturer and panelist at other major area colleges and universities, including Ventura College, Santa Barbara City College, California State University Northridge (CSUN); the Graziadio School of Business and Management (GSBM) at Pepperdine University; University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension; and the Annenberg School for Communication at University of Southern California (USC).
A native of Southern California, Keith plays golf, tennis, racquetball, Trivial Pursuit, Guitar Hero, and backgammon in his spare time, and he enjoys Rollerblading, physical fitness, fine dining, and reading classic and contemporary literature. In addition, he also takes pleasure in cooking gourmet cuisine, listening to jazz and classical music, attending musical theater and world cinema productions, and traveling to exotic destinations around the world.