Dr. Paul Fitzgerald, Entrepreneur, Author, Publicist & Journalist, Accepted into Rolling Stone Culture Council for 2025
Dr. Paul Fitzgerald (PhD), who is the Founder and CEO of Salt & Pepper Media Inc., was invited into the community because of his innovative contributions to public relations, journalism, and entrepreneurship.
As a member, Dr. Fitzgerald joins leaders and senior executives across industries to build connections, share their expertise, and influence cultural trends. Dr. Fitzgerald has been contributing columns to Rolling Stone Culture Council since the summer of 2023 and will continue in this role until late 2025 – and even beyond.
In his thought leadership column with Rolling Stone Culture Council, which is published on Rollingstone.com, Dr. Fitzgerald will offer readers a fresh and innovative outlook when it comes to connecting culture with thought leadership in many spaces. Additionally, he will also be busy offering his expertise with the publication’s Expert Panel that probe a variety of topics that involve business, media relations, press coverage, leadership, trust, and ethics, to name a handful.
“It feels amazing to have the opportunity to join Rolling Stone Culture Council for a second year in a row – I am in good company, that’s for sure,” says Dr. Fitzgerald, who holds a PhD in Communication Sciences & Journalism.
He adds, “I really look forward to writing lots of interesting columns that connect music, media, and film themes with public relations, branding, entrepreneurship, and more. The goal in my work with one of the world’s biggest publications is to inform, engage and empower readers who want to do great things in their lives and communities.”
Rolling Stone Culture Council is the definitive network of senior executives and influential leaders selected for their accomplishments in art, food, beverage, sports, cannabis, gaming, television, entertainment, hospitality, theater, fashion, media, film, and music.
Dr. Fitzgerald has sure made a name for himself in the business world since launching Salt & Pepper Media Inc. 15 years ago. The firm started out small and now has offices and field office locations in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles. Salt & Pepper Media Inc. now works with some of the biggest news networks in both the USA and Canada, including NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS, CBC, CTV, Global, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Forbes, Business Insider, C-Net, and The Toronto Sun, to name a handful.
For over the last decade, Dr. Fitzgerald has helped scores of start-ups launch their brands on the market. His firm works with new app companies, and innovative home, lifestyle, and software brands. To date, he has worked with nearly 400 start-ups that have experienced tremendous success. His company does it all on the public relations-journalism-digital media fronts – all while “pushing new envelopes” to ensure brands reach new heights. From press releases and media coverage to news stories, and from website design and building apps – an everything in between – Dr. Fitzgerald and his team offer “out-of-the-box” ideas and solutions that are making brands and start-ups household names
Dr. Fitzgerald is also a PR Mentor/Advisor for a number of esteemed institutions and networks, including The Forge at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, The Atlanta Tech Hub in Atlanta, Georgia, Idea Pros in San Diego, California, and One Item/Sports Science Index in Seattle, Washington.
Dr. Fitzgerald, who also holds a Master of Arts (MA) Degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree, and Broadcast Journalism (BJ) Diploma, has also been active as a journalist while running a popular international public relations and digital media company. He is currently a new innovations, science and technology, business, and lifestyle columnist with The Toronto Sun, The Toronto Tribune, The New York City Herald, and The Toronto Post-Gazette. His work has also appeared in The Associated Press, USA Today, and CNN International Report.
Dr. Fitzgerald has also won a number of awards for his work in journalism, communications, innovations, and community outreach, including The Rising Star Award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), The James Ryan Memorial Award for Journalism and Communications from SMU, and The CHML Radio Award for Best Documentary on “Canadian Vets in Vietnam.” He is also the author of Smoke on the Water: The Canadian Media and Lobster Wars; This is the News: Donald Marshall, The Supreme Court and Troubles on the Water at Burnt Church; and, The Role of Media Representations in the Racial Discrimination Against Asian and Black People During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
He has also worked on many major news and promotional campaigns with notable celebrities, including Lennox Lewis (World Champion Boxer), Olivia Newton-John, (Songwriter, Singer and Actress), Leeza Gibbons (Entertainment Tonight Host/Talk Show Host), Donny Osmond (Singer and Entertainer), and Jose Yenque (Actor, Film Director).
“These are interesting times as our world is shifting in many new directions,” says Dr. Fitzgerald. “The ultimate goal of my column with Rolling Stone Culture Council is to help business leaders and readers look at life and growth in different ways: ‘If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’ – that’s the well-known expression that encapsulates the real vision and meaning with my new column.”
To read Dr. Fitzgerald’s columns in Rolling Stone Culture Council, visit www.rollingstone.com/author/paul-fitzgerald/
