From writing a column for The Washington Post to creating advertising campaigns for Viacom, C. Baxter Carter has encountered just about everything in a media career that spans two decades in journalism, advertising, marketing and public relations.
As an up-and-coming journalist in the 1980s, Chip (in Tampa Bay, he writes as C. Baxter Carter to avoid confusion with a local FOX Sports broadcaster) was an award-winning humor columnist and feature writer with The Atlanta Journal and Constitution who moonlighted as a creative consultant with Atlanta’s Briggs & Sunshine Advertising and Public Relations.
From 1984-88, Chip worked on national accounts for Chevron, Southland Corporation (7/11 stores) and Sheraton Hotels, as well as dozens of state and local accounts. He also branched out as a Special Features Producer for Atlanta’s most-popular morning radio show on WZGC/Z-93 FM.
Meanwhile, his writing gained fans outside Atlanta, and his work began appearing regularly in newspapers across America like The Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Pittsburgh Press.
Before long, he’d landed a two-year stint as a columnist with The Washington Post and in 1990 signed on as a nationally syndicated columnist with The Chicago Tribune, a position he still holds today.
Chip had left Briggs & Sunshine in the late 1980’s to focus on journalistic pursuits. But he soon found that national recognition brought new clients in search of his creative skills.
In 1993, SEGA of America hired Chip to create, script and co-direct (he also appeared on-camera as spokesman) a national television news feature for the American launch of a new video game system.
After that, Nintendo of America came knocking for help with a similar project – the national rollout of the runaway hit “Donkey Kong Country”.