About Us

SWAY is a strategic communications and multi-media production company that specializes in production of top-quality content for TV, radio and digital. At SWAY, we deliver break-out strategy and media that help win campaigns, build support for issues, and improve positioning and imaging of organizations and non-profits.

SWAY is designed to be a smaller, more hands-on firm that delivers on what it promises: day-to-day strategic partnership and attention-getting TV ads, radio, and digital content. SWAY limits the number of clients we take on so we can really dig in and spend the time and energy it takes to craft strategies and ads that are singularly unique to each campaign.

Our Work

Team

JEN BURTON
JEN BURTONFOUNDER
Jennifer Burton is the founder of SWAY, with 25 years of experience working for campaigns in over 40 states. Her flair for producing creative, original ads has helped elect dozens of members of Congress, state-wide office holders and mayors, as well as pass several critical ballot measures and state-wide initiatives.

Jennifer’s clients have included: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, Congresswoman Marie Newman, Attorney General TJ Donovan, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, New Mexico Auditor Brian Colón, Congressman Peter DeFazio, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, County Executive Calvin Ball, State Senator Sydney Batch, Planned Parenthood, VoteVets, and numerous ballot initiatives and independent expenditure efforts.

Prior to starting SWAY in 2013, Jennifer was a partner in Envision Communications and Murphy Putnam Media. Previously, Jennifer worked at the DCCC and for Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt.

BOBBY GRAVITZ
BOBBY GRAVITZPARTNER
Bobby has spent the last decade helping progressive candidates win tough races up and down the ballot. He’s led efforts to pick up legislative swing-seats in across the county and flipped legislative chambers in Oregon and Washington—winning races with millions in TV spending. He’s helped elect 5 statewide constitutional office-holders from Auditor to Lt. Governor and 5 women to the New Mexico State Court of Appeals. In 2020, his ads helped to pass a statewide ballot measure to reform elections in Alaska, a rare bright spot in the state.

Prior to joining SWAY, Bobby spent 3 years as head speechwriter for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Before that, he served as press secretary in 6 states—starting in Iowa—on the 2008 Obama campaign. Bobby made his first political ads in a radio studio he built himself in the Tulsa, Oklahoma headquarters of Brad Carson’s 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate.

BRETT 'COOP' COOPER
BRETT 'COOP' COOPERSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Brett Cooper has 15 years of experience working on issue, independent-expenditure, and candidate-centered campaigns, including recent tenures as a Regional Political Director at the DLCC and EMILY’s List.

Over the years, Coop has helped flip over 100 state legislative seats and five legislative chambers, served as Senior Campaigns aide for both NEA and SEIU—where he handled issues from democracy reform to developing a pipeline for minority candidates—and worked on redistricting strategy for AFSCME.

Coop got his start in politics managing legislative races in New Hampshire and has also worked as a field operative on campaigns in Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Louisiana, and Florida.

Chris Leist
Chris LeistSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT - DIGITAL
Chris Leist leads SWAY’s digital strategy efforts and team. Since 2015, Chris has crafted strategy and implemented persuasion, mobilization, voter registration, advocacy, and fundraising campaigns, helping to elect dozens of candidates at the state, local and federal levels, including Senators Doug Jones and Jon Ossoff, and Governor Steve Bullock, as well as advocacy organizations including Protect Our Care, Voto Latino, End Citizens United, the Maryland State Education Association, and Collective PAC.

Before coming to SWAY, Chris had executed over $90 million in digital media spend, helping to elect more than 80 Democratic candidates and register over 250,000 new voters.

Chris got his start in politics working for President Obama’s re-election campaign in Iowa. He went on to serve as a field operative on campaigns at the state, federal and local levels, including Ed Markey’s 2013 U.S. Senate victory. He is a Massachusetts native and a graduate of Syracuse University.

Jordan Spalding
Jordan SpaldingLEAD VIDEO EDITOR
Jordan has served as SWAY’s lead video editor since 2021, helping evolve and strengthen the firm’s visual style. He specializes in visual effects and motion graphics to give a unique feel to modern media. In 2022 he produced more than 200 campaign ads for SWAY on races from State Legislature to Congress and Governor.

Prior to joining SWAY, Jordan spent 3 years with Progress Now in Colorado where—among other things—they produced an award-winning documentary on electric vehicles and helped bring awareness to the plight of the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea superfund site. Before that he worked with Chipotle’s internal creative team producing and hosting weekly content for an audience of 70,000 associates, managers and corporate staff.

Services

TV, Digital & Radio Ad Production

Digital Media Planning & Ad Placement

Strategy & Message Development

Communications & Crisis Management

Long Form Video Production

Media Training

Our Clients

  • AFSCME

  • ALASKANS FOR BETTER EDUCATION

  • ARKANSAS TOURISM ALLIANCE

  • BRIAN COLÓN – NM Auditor

  • BRIANA ZAMORA – NM Supreme Court

  • CALIFORNIA HYDROGEN COALITION

  • CALVIN BALL – Howard County Executive

  • CARY MOON – Seattle Mayor

  • CHRISTINA STEPHENSON – OR Labor Commissioner

  • CLINT ZWEIFEL – MO Treasurer

  • COTTIE PETRIE-NORRIS – CA State Assembly

  • DAN MCKEE – RI Lieutenant Governor

  • DAVID THOMSON – NM Supreme Court

  • DCCC

  • DEB HAALAND – NM Congress IE

  • DESIREE TIMS – OH Congress

  • DUSTIN MCDANIEL – AR Attorney General

  • FLORIDA FAIR DISTRICTS

  • GEORGIA HOUSE DEM. CAUCUS

  • GERALD BACA – NM Court of Appeals

  • IOWA HOUSE DEM. CAUCUS

  • IVAN BATES – Baltimore State’s Attorney

  • JAMIE MCLEOD-SKINNER – OR Congress

  • JENNIFER ROBERTS – Charlotte Mayor

  • JESSICA CISNEROS – TX Congress

  • JILL KAROFSKY – WI Supreme Court

  • JILL SCHUPP – MO State Senate & Congress

  • JIM HIMES – CT Congress

  • JOE SESTAK – PA U.S. Senate

  • JULIE VARGAS – NM Supreme Court

  • KATIE WRAY – NM Court of Appeals

  • MARIE NEWMAN – IL Congress

  • MARTIN HEINRICH – NM Senate & Congress

  • MEASURE K – San Mateo County, CA

  • MIKE SPANO – Yonkers Mayor

  • NADARIUS CLARK – VA State Delegate

  • NEA

  • NARAL

  • NELLIE GORBEA – RI Secretary of State & Governor

  • NICOLE GALLOWAY – Missouri Auditor

  • NO on 1, 2, 3 – Idaho

  • NORTH CAROLINA HOUSE DEM. CAUCUS

  • NORTH CAROLINA SENATE DEM. CAUCUS

  • OREGON HOUSE DEM. CAUCUS

  • OREGON SENATE DEM. CAUCUS

  • PETER DEFAZIO – OR Congress

  • PLANNED PARENTHOOD

  • SABRINA CERVANTES – CA State Assembly

  • SHANNON BACON – NM Supreme Court

  • SIERRA CLUB

  • STEUART PITTMAN – Anne Arundel County Executive

  • STEVE SIMON – MN Secretary of State

  • SYDNEY BATCH – NC State Senate

  • T.J DONOVAN – VT Attorney General

  • TISH JAMES – NY City Public Advocate

  • UFT

  • VOTEVETS

  • WASH. STATE LEGISLATIVE I.E

  • WENDY DAVIS – TX State Senate

  • WILL JAWANDO – Montgomery County Council

  • YES on MEASURE 85 – Oregon

  • YES on U & P – San Francisco, CA

Contact Us


hello@swaydc.com
T. 301.760.7718
4350 East-West Highway
Suite 350
Bethesda, MD 20814

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