Communications
and public affairs
counsel

For organizations shaping what’s next.

  • Strategy that lands.
  • Projects that finish.
  • Counsel that continues.

Luminary Counsel is an independent communications and public affairs practice, working alongside leaders and their teams with an outside read, strategic counsel and, where it helps, added capacity to act.

Find your starting point

01 / The moment

When to Call

A major move is planned.

An acquisition, a leadership change, a new market, a launch. The story has to be defined before it has to be told.

Start withNarrative

The ground is shifting.

What your audiences expect of you, and how they see you, is changing — and the best response is the one planned in advance.

Start withReadiness

The business is asking for more than the function was originally built for.

The mission has evolved. The capabilities now need to evolve with it.

Start withFunction

That’s where Luminary Counsel can help.

See where engagements start

Where Engagements Start

Three focused engagements, each shaped around the situation you are facing. Any can continue as ongoing counsel.

Narrative

Narrative and Message Architecture

Your new story, packaged to plug into your team and process.

A merger. A new strategy. A launch, or a shift in what the organization stands for. When something big is changing, the story is what moves everyone in the same direction.

This work settles the story first: what’s changing, where it leads and why it matters now. That can be the whole organization, a launch or a single initiative. Then it builds what sits underneath: the core messages, the proof behind them and how each adapts by audience.

It’s built with the rollout in view, so you can use it the day it’s finished.

The result: every leader tells the same story, and every audience hears what it means for them.

You leave with

  • A narrative platform
  • Message architecture by audience
  • Executive talking points
  • A rollout map
I can help bring the story to life, from the announcement through the rollout.

Readiness

Reputation and Stakeholder Readiness

Foresight and a plan, so you’re ready to act when the moment calls for it.

A new entrant in your market. A regulatory change. A competitor’s move, or an issue that could shape how you’re seen. When something is in play, the strongest response is the one already prepared. This engagement takes one challenge and works it all the way through — who holds a stake, how the situation could develop at each stage, and what you do at every one, with posture, strategy and messaging set by audience in advance. The Exposure Map is the instrument.

The result: when the situation moves, your team already knows who needs to hear what, from whom, and when.

You leave with

  • Stakeholder groups defined
  • The issues landscape
  • Clear escalation triggers
  • The Exposure Map
When the moment comes, I can help put the response strategy into action.

Function

Communications Function Review

Clarity and a path forward, so the function is built for where the business is headed.

What the business is asking for, where the team’s time goes, which capabilities to build, and what’s being measured. You leave with an operating model for the function, sequenced priorities, and — perhaps the most critical lever — what to stop doing and how much capacity that frees up.

The result: one clear picture the business can act on — what the function does, what it should do next, and what it takes to get there.

You leave with

  • Demand and time analysis
  • A capability assessment, including AI readiness
  • A measurement audit
  • A new operating model, with a stop list
I can help put it in place, through a focused reset or as fractional communications leadership.

If none of these quite fit what you’re working toward, I can shape the work around what you need.

Let’s talk

02 / Working together

Ways to Work Together

Whatever the starting point, you work with me directly — from a defined project to ongoing counsel or added leadership capacity.

A Focused Project.

Defined scope, a real deadline, something you can use at the end of it. The engagements above all take this shape.

Ongoing Counsel.

A standing relationship — regular time for the decisions, drafts and conversations that benefit from an outside read. Where a project can lead.

Leadership Capacity.

For an interim stretch, a leadership gap, or a period when there’s more to carry than the team can absorb.

Areas of Expertise

Executive and Leadership Communications

Narrative, executive voice, and preparation for the moments that carry weight.

Reputation, PR and Public Affairs

Media, issues management, policy, and the stakeholders who shape outcomes.

Employee and Change Communications

Transitions, alignment, and the voices inside the organization that shape what people believe.

Data, Measurement and AI Visibility

What gets measured, what it means, and what AI is saying about your company when asked.

03 / Matt Freeman

The Experience Behind the Counsel

Matt Freeman, founder of Luminary Counsel, smiling in a navy jacket and light blue shirt against a warm gray wall.
Matt FreemanFounder & Principal
LinkedIn

I’m Matt Freeman, founder of Luminary Counsel.

For more than twenty years, I’ve been the person leadership calls when something consequential is happening and the way forward isn’t obvious.

Much of that time has been in regulated, reputation-sensitive industries, where a communications decision may have a regulator, policymaker, workforce or front page attached to it. That experience teaches you to distinguish the risks that are truly consequential from the ones that simply feel urgent. Much of what I bring is that calibration.

Most recently, I led corporate communications and public affairs at Cox Communications, advising senior executives across a multibillion-dollar business serving nearly seven million customers in eighteen states. There, I helped shape the strategy behind a major rural broadband expansion, guided communications through enterprise realignment and the Cox–Charter combination, and built partnerships that connected business priorities with meaningful community outcomes. The work earned recognition from PRSA, PRNEWS, PRovoke Media and Chief Marketer—but the more important measure was whether it helped leaders make better decisions, strengthened trust and moved the business forward.

Before Cox, I built Republic National Distributing Company’s first corporate communications department from the ground up, creating the strategy, team and infrastructure for a $9 billion enterprise operating across 23 states. Earlier roles at AGL Resources (now Southern Company Gas) and Edelman grounded me in corporate reputation, media relations and public affairs.

AI is changing how reputations are formed, and it’s now a core part of my work. At Cox, I helped modernize the function with AI-enabled tools and Smart Brevity, and shape the department’s first AI communications strategy. I also hold advanced AI certifications and training across communications, public relations and marketing.

A Vanderbilt graduate and Atlanta native, I still call the city home and work with leaders at moments of consequence. When the stakes are high and the path is not yet clear, I bring both a sound point of view and a practical way forward.

Career

  1. EdelmanGlobal communications agency
  2. AGL Resources / Southern Company GasNatural gas utility
  3. Republic National Distributing Co.Wine and spirits distribution
  4. Cox CommunicationsBroadband and telecommunications
  5. Luminary CounselCommunications and public affairs counsel

04 / A conversation

What Needs to Become Clearer?

The aim is simple: leaders aligned on one story, a team ready for what’s coming, and communications that match where the business is going.

Let’s start with a conversation. Tell me what you’re facing. If I’m not the right person, I’ll point you to someone who is.

Luminary Counsel LLC

Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 8, 2026

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Luminary Counsel LLC (“Luminary Counsel,” “we,” “us” or “our”) operates seekluminarycounsel.com (the “Site”). This policy explains what information we collect through the Site, how we use it and the choices you have.

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Contact

Questions about this policy can be sent to matt@seekluminarycounsel.com.

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Luminary Counsel LLC

Terms of Use

Effective date: October 8, 2026

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These Terms of Use govern your use of seekluminarycounsel.com (the “Site”), operated by Luminary Counsel LLC (“Luminary Counsel,” “we,” “us” or “our”). By using the Site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

Informational purposes only

The Site provides general information about Luminary Counsel and its communications and public affairs consulting services. Nothing on the Site is professional advice for your specific situation, and you should not rely on it as such.

Not a law firm

Luminary Counsel is a communications consulting firm. It is not a law firm, does not practice law and does not provide legal advice. Nothing on the Site creates an attorney-client relationship.

No client relationship

Using the Site or emailing us does not create a client or consulting relationship. An engagement begins only when both parties sign a written agreement. Please do not send confidential information until one is in place.

Intellectual property

All content on the Site, including text, frameworks, graphics, logos and case studies, is owned by or licensed to Luminary Counsel and protected by copyright and trademark law. You may view and share Site content for personal or internal business reference with attribution. You may not otherwise copy, modify, republish or use it commercially without our written permission.

Client names, logos and third-party trademarks shown on the Site belong to their respective owners. Their appearance does not imply endorsement.

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Case studies and examples describe past work and outcomes. They are not a guarantee or prediction of results for any future engagement.

Acceptable use

You agree not to:

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The Site may link to websites we do not control. We are not responsible for their content or practices, and a link is not an endorsement.

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The Site is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Luminary Counsel and its members, officers and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Site will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Privacy

Your use of the Site is also governed by our Privacy Policy.

Governing law and venue

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute relating to the Site will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Fulton County, Georgia.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The revised version will be posted on this page with a new effective date. Continued use of the Site after a change means you accept the updated terms.

General

If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in effect. These terms are the entire agreement between you and Luminary Counsel regarding use of the Site. They do not govern any consulting engagement, which is covered by its own written agreement.

Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to matt@seekluminarycounsel.com.

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