Heather Freeman
Heather Freeman has been involved with publicity work in the food, retail, and hospitality industry for over three decades. Since 1984, she has been a presence in Washington, D.C. working in the public relations arena. In 1994, Freeman launched her own business as an independent media consultant. Before becoming a consultant, Freeman worked for several four-star hotel companies as the director of public relations including the Four Seasons Washington, DC, The Hay-Adams, The Westin Hotel, the ANA Hotel, and the Grand Hotel. In this capacity, she was responsible for executing special events, creating, and managing media plans, as well as directing publicity campaigns, many of which benefited nonprofit organizations. She has also been a guest lecturer covering public relations strategy for the tourism and hospitality industry at American University and at George Washington University.
Over the years, Freeman has orchestrated several highly publicized restaurant, hotel, and retail openings in Washington, DC such as AjMadison, the industry’s largest appliance authority, Rasika, Rasika West End, La Bise, Bibiana, Bindaas, Ambar, Annabelle, El Centro, Masa 14, Pearl Dive Oyster Bar, Blue Duck Tavern at Park Hyatt Washington DC, Legal Sea Foods, Kellari Taverna, BRABO by Robert Wiedmaier, BOURBON STEAK by Michael Mina, Brasserie Beck, Co Co Sala, Fogo De Chao, Zola, minibar by jose andres, Jaleo, Oyamel, Zaytinya, Dino, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC, Marcel’s, Sofitel at Lafayette Square, Washington Terrace Hotel, Café on M, Salvatore Ferragamo at Tysons Corner and Shiseido.
In Florida, she has helped launch AjMadison’s Miami showroom, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Hotel at Universal Studios, the Four Rivers Smokehouse, as well as multiple openings across the south for the franchise, Another Broken Egg. Current clients are represented with press kits on the company website: www.heatherfreeman.com
Clients have been featured on/in: Food Network, NPR, Forbes, Wine Enthusiast, Esquire, Diversion, Town & Country, Southern Living, Wall Street Journal, Nation’s Restaurant News, Bloomberg News, Washingtonian, DC Modern Luxury, Washington Life, Washington Business Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Delta Shuttle Sheet, Elle, Vanity Fair, USA Today, In Style, Newsweek, Associated Press, American Way, Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Chef, Vegetarian Times, Travel & Leisure, Miami Herald, Where, Women Around Town, Zagat, Eater, Thrillist, DC Fray, Eat The Capital, DC Modern Luxury, and Tasting Panel.
Freeman’s ongoing restaurant projects include grand openings, anniversary celebrations, wine and beer dinners, fashion shows and product launch events, sushi etiquette classes, guest-chef appearances, and cookbook author promotions. These happenings are featured in the media and covered by local influencers.
Heather Freeman has also conducted highly publicized special events including the Wine Caucus’ Vintage Affair in Washington, DC to benefit Children’s National Medical Center; the renowned International Gold Cup steeplechases in The Plains, Virginia and Georgetown’s 250th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, DC. She also assisted in supporting the PR efforts for DC Central Kitchen’s popular Capitol Food Fight with celebrity chef José Andrés for many years. Freeman was the public relations representative that assisted José Andrés and ThinkFoodGroup for two decades helping the company grow in Washington and beyond. She worked for Clyde’s Restaurant Group for two decades promoting 1789 Restaurant, as well as the grand opening for The Hamilton and the annual sellout event, the Oyster Riot at Old Ebbitt Grill. She has also been part of the Knightsbridge Restaurant Group team since 2005, opening the company’s numerous successful restaurants, most recently La Bise and Little Black Bird.
Beyond creating promotional campaigns and obtaining media coverage for clients, Freeman has also been a contributing writer for Car & Travel/AAA World Magazine, Washingtonian, and Association Management magazine, and she pens a monthly column in the voice of a sassy pony Pebbles, for Life in Our Foothills Magazine.
A native of South Carolina, Heather Freeman pursued an art history degree at Sweetbriar College in Virginia and the University of Georgia, where she graduated with top honors. Renovating houses and interior design work is a major passion of hers along with horseback riding and gardening.
Freeman also founded a 501c3 Helping Equines Regain Dignity (HERD), with her husband in 2016, which rescues horses before they reach the slaughter pipe across the USA borders. She conducts the grant writing for funding and leads the initiatives to save, rehabilitate and find new careers for these equines. On average 25 horses are saved, retrained, and rehomed each year. Additionally, during COVID, Freeman designed and installed a large shade garden and a food forest with her husband to become more self-sustaining with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Lindley Thornburg Richardson
PR Consultant
Lindley is our public relations consultant who is actually a native Washingtonian, growing up in Arlington, and graduating from Virginia Tech. She has been with our firm since 2005 and assists on the daily public relations efforts on multiple, successful projects including Rasika, Bombay Club, The Oval Room, Ambar, Masa 14, El Centro, City Tap House, and 1789 Restaurant. Lindley was instrumental in the successful launch campaign for Salvatore Ferragamo in Tysons Corner and Shiseido’s new product media events in Washington, DC. She also helped to open Washington’s most popular new restaurant in 2006, the Blue Duck Tavern, which has garnered rave reviews in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, National Geographic Traveler, Washingtonian, The Washington Post, Washington Times, DC Magazine, Capitol File, Travel & Leisure to name a few. Lindley came to work for Heather Freeman Media & PR by way of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, who highly recommended her to us as she worked for them for several years learning the restaurant business via the front-of-the-house during college.
Scott Homstead
Vice President
Scott handles all business and operational dealings for the company. He is instrumental in building and maintaining our expansive data base of local and national media outlets, as well as notifying us of media leads concerning upcoming articles. Scott also electronically distributes press releases to our media contacts as well as utilizing the social networks to spread the word. He maintains the company website which is designed to be a useful tool for our press audience, and is based in the home office in Florida.