About Us-Senior Staff

Jules Feiler:

For over twenty-five years, Jules Feiler has been employing his unique style of public relations and creative media strategies. Building a formidable Rolodex of media insiders and establishing a reputation that is highly regarded in the industry. He is considered by many to be one of the most creative PR Professionals working in the industry today.
After leaving a vice president/media director position at a well-known public relations firm, Feiler returned to the way of operating, which is most comfortable for him. In October, 2008 Feiler re-established his boutique firm, The Pitching Staff. This time, however, his staff includes former senior members of other respected Public Relations firms.
Jules Feiler consults for a number of major PR firms as a creative media and crisis communication specialist. He is a long-time (10 years) Adjunct Professor of Public Relations at NYU’s School of Professional Studies. Feiler sits on the Board of Governors of the Friars Club. He is also an Emmy nominated producer (“The Garden’s Defining Moments- The Fight of the Century”).

Carol Klenfner:
PR specialist Carol Klenfner has been bringing media attention to arts, entertainment and business projects for more than 25 years. Her career in publicity began in music as the go-to rock and roll publicist whose clients included everybody who was anybody. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Elton John, The Doors, Cat Stevens, Aerosmith and many others, hired her to help create and preserve an image, run interference, and when necessary, unleash damage control. Klenfner continues to publicize clients such as Bob Gruen, who was the personal photographer to John Lennon; the Park Slope 5th Avenue Business Improvement District; Brooklyn’s Brave New World Repertory Theatre and The Billie Holliday Theatre. High-profile coverage has ranged from features in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Post and the Daily News to broadcast television news including CBS Sunday Morning and Fox & Friends. She is especially proud of her work for a class action lawsuit filed by indigenous people in Ecuador against ChevronTexaco over an oil spill in the Amazon; results were front-page stories in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times, plus a 60 Minutes segment.

Hanif Sumner:
Hanif is a 10 year public relations professional and graduate of the SI Newhouse School of Communications. He grew up in Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical HS. After high school, he attended Syracuse University. After college Hanif began his professional career working for a small boutique public relations agency handling music clients. He would then go on to lead the entertainment and lifestyle division at a mid-size agency as an Account Supervisor. He then took a role with the Northstar Group, parent company to Black Girls Rock and publishers of The Source and Jones Magazine. As their public relations director he relaunched The Source magazine and helped establish Jones Magazine across television, print and digital media. Recently as Media Relations Manager for eOne Music (North America) he oversaw national outreach for all music acts in its urban department. Acts included Ashanti, Joe Budden, Faith Evans, Bilal and The Game. Hanif currently consults with Combs Enterprises and lives in Brooklyn with his twin brother, also a Syracuse graduate.

Danielle Lerner:

Danielle has been with TPS for 9 years. Ms. Lerner helps with the daily activity for all TPS clients and works closely with the national and regional broadcast media to create successful media campaigns. Prior to her working with The Pitching Staff, she worked on the media campaigns for a wide variety of experts and brands in the baby, food, health and beauty industries, including Hain Celestial Natural Brands, Kira Stokes Fitness, The Betches, Davids Bridal, ChefsDiet (formally Zone Chefs), Plum Organics, WaddaJuice, Pure Inventions Green Tea Extract, Loreal brands La Roche-Posay and Vichy, Newel Rubbermaid brands Parket Pens and Goody, BebeAuLait, and Drs. Garth Fisher and Anthony Griffin from ABC’s Extreme Makeover. By working with a wide variety of consumer goods and health experts, Ms. Lerner has expanded her rolodex of contacts to include an extensive list of both regional and national producers and editors. Danielle earned her B.A. in Media Studies at Queens College.

Courtney Rachel Culkin:

Courtney is Director of New Business Development for The Pitching Staff. She is a model, actress, and Playboy Playmate. She has appeared in numerous feature articles and on various TV shows. She has extensive contacts in the worlds of entertainment, fashion and beauty.