In 1999, following a 20 year journalism career, Curtis became the first vice president for media relations at Direct Impact, the Burson-Marsteller grassroots firm. He has managed national programs involving Fortune 500 clients like Ford Motor Company and Merrill Lynch, along with issues-based campaigns including stem cell research, nuclear waste storage and Internet regulation. From Direct Impact, Curtis became a partner at Qorvis Communications (now Qorvis/MSL Group after joining Publicis Groupe in 2014) where he focused on national narrative campaigns.

Curtis is a founding member of the Aspen Journalism Publisher’s Circle, a non-profit helping empower the next generation of producers, and is a recipient of the “Edgy,” the Digital Edge award presented annually by the National Newspaper Association for excellence in online publishing.

Curtis is an “active press” member of the New York Press Club and an owner of The Phoenix, a weekly newspaper in New England. He has helped develop non-fiction books with authors including Hunter S. Thompson, Douglas Brinkley and Dan Dunn and is a consultant to several media groups, including start-up projects in New Orleans and Los Angeles.