Checkey Beckford

Journalist - Media Strategist - Speaker at Mastering The Media: Why Your Pitches Aren't Landing

Education: Florida Atlantic University
New York, NY, USA

Biography

I’m a 3x Emmy-winning journalist with two decades in broadcast news and a stint in PR. I've been on both sides of the communications fence, reported from America’s heartland, its bread basket, and now the Big Apple for the past 13 years. I’ve chased breaking news, uncovered systemic failures, and elevated untold stories — but the most overlooked stories? The ones buried in your brand.

Passion

Helping everyday people, brands and nonprofits uncover the stories they're not telling. If you want to land media coverage, you have to think like a reporter. Far too often pitches miss the mark (if they're even seen!). I help audiences mine the stories already in-house, add a dash of heart and character-centered storytelling to create pitches the media will want to cover. I teach audiences who, when and how to pitch newsrooms, how to prep for appearances and how to turn that one story into multi-platform marketing content. Let's land that pitch!

Best Story

A few year ago, I covered the story of Dr. Arlene McTeer, an emergency room physician in Brooklyn who had saved countless lives at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But her sacrifice took a personal toll. She contracted the virus herself and never recovered. This fearless woman who wanted to be a doctor since she was 6 and chose to work in underserved hospitals found herself on the other side of the equation, bedridden from Covid complications—desperately in need of a kidney. The irony, right? Several months after covering her story a donor came forward. She told me she saw Arlene's story which was picked up in other markets and could be viewed online and got tested to see if she was a match. Can you believe it??? That coverage gave Arlene more than visibility. It literally gave her life. Yet, I might never have even heard about her need for a donor. It just so happened word spread at her hospital and someone just happened to know someone at my news station. But for such a desperate need I just kept thinking: her family, her doctor's association, anyone who cared about this woman should have sent out a news release or request for media coverage. They should have partnered with the National Kidney Foundation; I can only imagine they would have been happy to raise awareness about Arlene's donor search and elevate the conversation about kidney donation, overall. But those are not the kinds of things "regular" people think about doing. And, unbelievably, I've found many brands and nonprofits don't think outside the box about ways to generate media coverage. I think that's what really drove home this career-long frustration I've had with knowing countless stories out there are going untold because people just don't think like I do, they don't think like a reporter.

Origin Story

Home alone, watching "Oprah" as a child while my single-mom worked double shifts, I could never have imagined I would build the life and career I have. But somehow it all led to this. I've spent 20 years crossing the country, telling thousands of stories on TV. I've always believed "movement is life." This pivot -- teaching others how to tell their own stories -- feels both natural and necessary.

I am willing to travel

More than 100 miles

Topics

media strategy media strategist media pitch woman and entrepreneurship press earned media marketing communication communications strategic communications strategic communications for effective change breaking into television television television production business strategy public relations public relations and communications public relations entrepreneurship mentoring public relations and marketing marketingpublic relations public relations and public policy video marketing digital marketing marketing strategies surprising tools for marketing that really work media outreach personal branding brand management branding the importance of branding in a noisy world building a professional brand online brand yourself discover storytelling as your secret sales weapon storytelling storyteller interactive storytelling storytellers master storyteller content writer and storyteller content creation content strategy content development overcoming obstacles visibility strategies business visibility overcoming challenges overcoming selfdoubts overcoming adversity pivoting pivot in your career career pivots pivot nontraditional marketing nonprofit fundraising divergent thinking uncomfortable overcoming the imposter syndrome free publicity publicity pitching for publicity national and local message development messaging content creation and messaging making your message sticky standing out the right way telvision tv getting booked on tv life of a tv news reporter live television television industry success in life minority success overcoming barriers to success how to promote your brand on a budget selfpromotion self promotion promotiontal partnerships strategic partnerships shifting the narrative underrepresented narratives human narrative human centered human centered marketing human centered leadership inventive story telling sales brand storytelling women entrepreneurship broadcast journalism broadcaster broadcasting broadcast media brand journalism interviewer journalism business print journalism journalism and media relations product launches how to get noticed

Best Story

A few year ago, I covered the story of Dr. Arlene McTeer, an emergency room physician in Brooklyn who had saved countless lives at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But her sacrifice took a personal toll. She contracted the virus herself and never recovered. This fearless woman who wanted to be a doctor since she was 6 and chose to work in underserved hospitals found herself on the other side of the equation, bedridden from Covid complications—desperately in need of a kidney. The irony, right? Several months after covering her story a donor came forward. She told me she saw Arlene's story which was picked up in other markets and could be viewed online and got tested to see if she was a match. Can you believe it??? That coverage gave Arlene more than visibility. It literally gave her life. Yet, I might never have even heard about her need for a donor. It just so happened word spread at her hospital and someone just happened to know someone at my news station. But for such a desperate need I just kept thinking: her family, her doctor's association, anyone who cared about this woman should have sent out a news release or request for media coverage. They should have partnered with the National Kidney Foundation; I can only imagine they would have been happy to raise awareness about Arlene's donor search and elevate the conversation about kidney donation, overall. But those are not the kinds of things "regular" people think about doing. And, unbelievably, I've found many brands and nonprofits don't think outside the box about ways to generate media coverage. I think that's what really drove home this career-long frustration I've had with knowing countless stories out there are going untold because people just don't think like I do, they don't think like a reporter.

Origin Story

Home alone, watching "Oprah" as a child while my single-mom worked double shifts, I could never have imagined I would build the life and career I have. But somehow it all led to this. I've spent 20 years crossing the country, telling thousands of stories on TV. I've always believed "movement is life." This pivot -- teaching others how to tell their own stories -- feels both natural and necessary.