Sean Dowdall Promoted to be Landis President after David Landis Retires
Martech Outlook | Tuesday, September 21, 2021
David Landis, who launched San Francisco-based Landis Communications, is retiring on October 1st, after a 43-year career in marketing communications.
FREMONT, CA: After a 43-year career in marketing communications, David Landis, who established San Francisco-based Landis Communications, Inc. (LCI) at his kitchen table in 1990, is retiring on October 1st. Sean Dowdall, the agency's present General Manager, has been promoted to President.
"I started this integrated communications agency with the lofty goal of creating a corporate culture that values employees, clients and those in need. Our commitment to the community, award-winning work and partnership with clients is a testament to the teams who have worked at LCI for more than 30 years," stated Mr. Landis. "During that time, we've donated hundreds of thousands of dollars – and volunteer hours - to San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits. LCI's staff is ready to take the next step in the agency's evolution and I'm excited to see what's next."
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Mr. Landis was a public relations instructor at Golden Gate University's MBA program in San Francisco. A receiver of many awards, he is a successful writer and has been a featured speaker at several industry conferences and a guest lecturer at Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, and Golden Gate University. David presently contributes to Forbes and the San Francisco Business Times, and even writing a column for the "The Gay Gourmet," a food or restaurant column for the San Francisco Bay Times. He also serves as the Curator of the Amateur Music Network, where he takes interviews of opera, symphony, jazz, and Broadway stars.
Mr. Landis worked as the Public and Community Relations Director for KPIX TV, a CBS affiliate in San Francisco, before founding LCI. He assisted the station in earning a Peabody Award and a National Emmy Award for the breakthrough AIDS Lifeline national-televised AIDS education series when he was there. He formerly worked as the PR Director of the San Francisco Symphony, where he assisted in the opening of Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. Mr. Landis has served as President of PRGN in the past.
"David is a true example of someone succeeding by following his passion," said Sean Dowdall, President of LCI. "He has run LCI based on the tenets of superior client service, creativity and service both to the community and our employees. The business he built has shaped the industry and led service evolution - whether that was the rise of social media and digital marketing, joining an international public relations network like the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) or focusing on employee well-being. I'm humbled to be following in those footsteps."
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