Storyteller + Communications Strategist
I'm Bryan Wendell, Director of Communications for USA Fencing. For 18 years, I've helped organizations tell their stories: an Olympic sport, a 180-year-old university and the Boy Scouts of America.
Stories placed in The New York Times · The Wall Street Journal · The Washington Post · Bloomberg · The Today Show · Fortune · Forbes · Time · Vogue · Business of Fashion · Sports Business Journal · CNBC · AP · CNN · CBS · NPR · Slate · Sports Illustrated · ESPN
My title says communications, but the work covers a lot of ground. Here's the map.
Building reporter relationships from scratch and finding the story a journalist actually wants to tell.
Speeches, op-eds, newsletters and quotes written in a leader's voice — faithfully enough that readers feel they know the person.
Blogs, magazines, podcasts and video. I've built two newsrooms from scratch, and I still write every week.
High-stakes communications in close coordination with legal teams, including preparation for congressional testimony.
Launch communications for 25+ corporate partners, plus a creator program that introduces fencing to new audiences.
The operating rhythm that keeps a distributed staff and 750+ member clubs informed and aligned.
Direct reports, freelancers, contractors and our PR agency of record — hired, coached and pointed at the same story.
On-site press operations at major events, from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to the world's largest fencing tournament.
AI workflows my team uses daily, plus answer engine optimization (AEO) — hands-on work shaping how USA Fencing appears in AI-generated answers.
Features, profiles and projects from three chapters of my career. The PDFs open right here on the site.
Jack Schmidt '72 spent decades sounding the alarm about the Colorado River. Now 40 million people are listening. A long-form story about water, science and being right too early.
The Chang family brought grandparents, parents and kids to the same Summer Nationals. A story about what it looks like when a sport becomes a family tradition.
A conversation with the former Secretary of Defense — and Eagle Scout — about leadership, service and what Scouting taught him.
The director of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet was also an Eagle Scout. One of these facts surprised everyone I told.
Sophia Bardunias '28 stood over a long, curling putt with a championship on the line. A profile of the golfer who capped a historic season for Bucknell women's golf.
The BSA's official news blog, built from zero to 5.4 million annual page views across 3,286 articles. It continued as Aaron on Scouting and lives on today as On Scouting — proof that the model worked.
USA Fencing's official podcast: athlete stories, Olympic previews and a sport explained one episode at a time.
A monthly newsletter written in our CEO's voice, reaching 70,000+ readers in all 50 states. Readers tell him they feel like they know him — which means it's working.
Bucknell's biweekly podcast, translating the admissions process for students and families — launched during the years the university set application records.
Bigger than a byline: initiatives I've led from idea to outcome.
A New York City media event that drew 60+ journalists, months of proactive pitching and on-site press operations in Paris. U.S. fencing climbed from 12th to 6th in Olympic social prevalence.
Led the full rebuild of the organization's website — architecture, content and voice — growing traffic 42%.
Built a creator and influencer program from scratch — spanning Olympic medalists, actors and everyday athletes — introducing fencing to audiences traditional media can't reach.
Created the narrative platform our CEO is known for: a monthly newsletter to 70,000+ readers, op-eds, keynotes and preparation for every high-stakes interview — including congressional testimony.
Hello! I'm a storyteller, communications strategist and idea generator. For the past four years, I've been the right-hand partner to USA Fencing's CEO — writing his speeches and op-eds, advising on strategy and reputation, and turning organizational priorities into stories that move members, media, sponsors and policymakers to act.
The work spans brand, content, media relations, partnerships, internal communications and the occasional fast-moving crisis. None of it is a solo act: I lead a team of direct reports and oversee the freelancers, contractors and PR agency of record that extend our reach — everyone pointed at the same story. I ask my colleagues to think of us as spotlight operators, ready to cast our glow on their hard work and find the right outlet for their message.
The results are measurable: membership past 50,000, a website rebuild that grew traffic 42%, 25+ partnership launches and a sport that climbed from 12th to 6th in Olympic social prevalence.
If the topic is complicated? Even better. I get a thrill out of taking a complex new program and explaining it in a way that makes people nod — not scratch — their heads. It's the same approach I used at Bucknell University when meeting with professors to learn about their latest breakthroughs, and at Boys' Life, where an article about brake systems had to work for an 11-year-old and the engineer who reviewed it.
These days, that work includes a new audience: AI. I build the AI workflows my team uses every day, and I lead USA Fencing's answer engine optimization work — deciding how we show up when people stop searching and start asking.
I'm a trained journalist (M.A., University of Missouri; B.A., Texas Tech University) based in New York City. Thanks for checking out my site, and please reach out if you have any questions.
"Prolific. That's what Bryan is. I've never known someone to connect with audiences at the frequency and with the quality Bryan can… Bryan builds camaraderie, trust and buy-in like a seasoned (well-liked) CEO."
— Gina Circelli Mulcahy, award-winning writer and producer, via LinkedIn
