Senior Management Team
Charlotte Milan, Founder and Principal
San Francisco native Charlotte Milan brings more than twelve years of strategic media and public relations experience to C. Milan Communications. Her proven track record of success includes high profile media placements in a variety of publications including Fortune, New York Times, Architectural Digest, TIME, Business Week, ForbesLife, Saveur, Newsweek, Robb Report, Bon Appetit, Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine and Wine Spectator. Milan has represented and launched a variety of wineries and luxury industry projects, including Cliff Lede Vineyards, Poetry Inn, Mayacama Golf and Lodging Club and Dana Estates.
Prior to founding CMC, Milan opened the Northern California office of Wagstaff Worldwide as Executive Director, where she handled media relations for world-renowned restaurants including Masa’s, Tra Vigne and Lark Creek Restaurant Group. Milan also served as Director, Public Relations and Corporate Communications for Clos Du Val Wine Co., Ltd, a global network of wineries. At Clos Du Val, she repositioned the 30-year old brand, spearheaded the winery’s product placement and entertainment marketing campaigns and launched a new wine, Domaine de Nizas, from the Languedoc.
Milan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, Milan explored her passion for food by working in the prep kitchen of Roberto Donna’s Galileo. She has lectured on public relations at The Stanford Graduate School of Business, and her work at Clos Du Val has been developed into a marketing case study for University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.
A food and restaurant obsessed San Franciscan, Milan is also an avid hiker and loves to explore the Bay Area’s trails with her dog, Oliver. Her current favorite food finds include Ron Siegel’s amuse of sea urchin panna cotta at The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, steamed spot prawns at R&G Lounge, and Double Doubles at In-N-Out. She’s always on the look-out for old-school, East-Coast-style mozzarella sticks. Thankfully, her annual yoga retreat to Tulum, Mexico is on the horizon, providing a needed respite from her penchant for fried food.
Account Director Keely Garibaldi joined C. Milan Communications in June 2006. An integral part of the CMC team, Garibaldi focuses her efforts on developing relationships with local and national media and hosting media at client properties. A pitching pro, Garibaldi has garnered press coverage in New York Times, Sunset, California Home & Design, Food & Wine and Los Angeles Times.
Originally from the Lake Tahoe area, Garibaldi made a bee-line to the Central Coast wine country for college where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Wine and Viticulture with a concentration in Wine Business at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, making her CMC’s go-to wine expert on everything from the vine to the bottle.
Growing up, Garibaldi had several family members in the wine industry and developed an interest for wine at an early age. While at Cal Poly, Garibaldi was able to turn her passion into reality where she assisted in the redevelopment of Robert Talbott Vineyards’ second label, Pumari. Garibaldi also interned at J.A.M. PR, where she learned the ins and outs of wine public relations, working with Sea Smoke Cellars, Beckmen Vineyards and Duckhorn Wine Company. She also spent a summer studying in Florence, Italy, where she was able to enjoy some of her favorite activities: wine, food and travel.
Garibaldi spends time exploring the city’s different neighborhoods and emerging herself into the Bay Area’s classic and new restaurants, where she has been wowed by Cyrus’ “Peanut Butter and Jelly” Foie Gras and Zuni Café’s “caramel in a pot.” Garibaldi can also be found in the kitchen cooking her family’s secret Italian recipes, at the driving range perfecting her golf game and exploring Northern and Central California’s wineries and vineyards.
CMC Partners
CMC also has long term relationships with a variety of people and companies who we work with to serve as a full-service marketing and communications team for our clients.
Freelance writers
We turn to published pros to craft our press materials, press releases and pithy pitch letters. These journalists regularly write for top publications including New York Times, Golf, Saveur, Bon Appetit and Outside Traveler.
Entertainment marketing companies/celebrity “wranglers”
Have an interest in getting coverage in People or US Weekly? We know the wranglers that can get celebs to your property or your product in an Oscar or Emmy gift bag.
Golf course raters
Want an unbiased opinion of your course? We’ll send in one of our secret shoppers to play your course and provide invaluable feedback before media and other raters hit the links.
Anonymous restaurant critics
Another weapon CMC has in its arsenal is one of the country’s few true anonymous restaurant critics. We can bring him in to evaluate all aspects of service, presentation and food, making sure that when media visit your property, they have a superb dining experience.
Web and graphic designers
We work with top, reasonably priced web and graphic designers.
Photographers
We’ve researched and worked with the best photographers for food, lifestyle images and architectural coverage—so our clients don’t have to do the leg work.