Sen. Charles Schumer’s press shop is known for making or breaking aspiring flacks. For Mike Morey, who worked in Schumer’s office for six years, his desire to be an actor growing up helped prepare him to excel as Schumer’s New York communications director. “It certainly eliminates any camera shyness, press shyness, public speaking. It certainly helps develop presence, which is really necessary in this business,” Morey says.
Morey, who gave up acting in college to pursue a career in politics, now represents clients ranging from SoulCycle to the Rockefeller Foundation for SKDKnickerbocker, and has also worked on campaigns for some of New York’s biggest power players, including Andrew Cuomo and Christine Quinn. But his first exposure to high-level politics came while he was attending SUNY Purchase College, and with a very high-profile politician: Hillary Clinton. When Clinton visited campus, Morey was offered a job helping her advance team on planning the event, as well as later helping coordinate then-President Bill Clinton’s visits.
“It was wild, it was so inspiring. I realized at that moment that the skill set for this business, you can build some of the skills necessary but a lot of them are innate,” says Morey.
When he isn’t managing messaging for his clients, Morey likes to spend time at home brewing his own “Morey Brewing Company” beers. But when it comes to any sort of politically themed brew, Morey isn’t particularly interested. “I like to keep it focused more on the beer and less on the politics.”