Our Staff

Email Burke

Burke Allen brings over two decades of entertainment business experience as a radio and TV host, writer, top-rated morning show personality, radio station owner, national booking agent, broadcast consultant and educator to his role as CEO/President of Allen Media Strategies. The full-service media and marketing consultation and strategy firm located in Washington DC was launched in 2003. The firm currently works with national entertainers, best-selling authors and media personalities on their individual strategic goals.

Allen's varied broadcast background includes stints with top radio stations at companies including CBS Radio, AMFM, Bonneville Broadcasting and many others. He's been involved in stations in markets including Washington DC, Miami & Orlando, FL, Huntington and Charleston, WV, Savannah, GA, Roanoke VA, Salt Lake City, UT, Las Vegas, NV, and Sioux Falls, SD with many impressive #1 finishes along the way.

Burke's numerous industry awards and achievements include Billboard Airplay Monitor Magazine's Program Director of The Year and Pop Music Survey Music Director of the Year honors. Burke's stint as a number one ranked morning talent has given him a unique perspective on coaching high profile on-air talent.

In addition to his work with Allen Media Strategies, Burke is currently a tenured faculty member at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting's Arlington, VA campus. He also does some special radio projects with international broadcast consultants Alan Burns and Associates and does occasional voiceover work for domestic clients.

	In 2004, Allen's book Becoming Semi Famous was released, and his writing appears regularly in industry publications including Radio and Records and All Access. Burke is also a sought after public speaker on media and marketing strategy. Burke's extensive background in the music business includes roles as a national booking agent, club owner, concert promoter and artist manager. He has overseen and organized dozens of successful concert events with national headliner talent from small club shows to festivals for over 50,000 people. In the past two decades, he has worked closely with some of the biggest names in entertainment, and Burke's passion is helping performers to realize their goals through innovative media marketing techniques.

Email Wayne	Allen Media Strategies Director of Sales, Wayne Roland brings over a deep professional background of over twenty years in sales, marketing, writing and study in the field of human development to our menu of client services. His work with many top tier professional speakers has led him cross-country to events that have inspired tens of thousands to realize their potential, in every role they play. Wayne’s own book “Internal Wealth” was published in 2006 and has completely sold out of its first printing. His consistent, enduring track record of excellence in sales, promotion and marketing has made a lasting impact on the careers of the speakers he has worked with, and the lives of the people at events he's involved with. As Director of Sales for Allen Media Strategies, Wayne focuses on creating and maximizing opportunities for our roster of authors, professional speakers, and world-class entertainers.

Email Cristi	Cristi Babin-Adkins is Allen Media Strategies' Director of East Coast Sales and Marketing. Her background includes over a decade of sales and marketing in the medical and personal development field. Cristi's background as a Registered Nurse and frequent public speaker on health and nutrition has been particularly helpful to our author and entertainer clients. Cristi has appeared as a television health correspondent, a frequent morning drive radio guest and has released her own workbook and audio series called Fat Loss Forever.

Email Judith	Judith A. Thomas: Media Booking Specialist , has more than 20 years of diverse experience in the areas of radio and television, communications, client relations, media relations, event management, project development and management, fundraising, research and general consulting. Ms. Thomas has served as both Studio Director and Associate Producer for the popular Larry King Radio Show on the Mutual Broadcasting System. In addition to her work with the Larry King Show, she was also responsible for booking guests for the Jim Bohannon Show, which airs nationally on the CBS/Westwood One Radio Network. Ms. Thomas has booked some of the nations most distinguished politicians, celebrities and newsmakers such as President Gerald Ford, President Jimmy Carter, President Richard Nixon, Entertainer Don Rickles, Billy Crystal, Bill Cosby, sportscaster Bob Costas and business leader Donald Trump. Judith’s long association with Larry King also includes stints as Associate Producer for CNN’s Larry King Live and Vice President/Assistant to Larry King. In this capacity, she handled the daily operations of Larry King Enterprises, developed and coordinated media tours, press conferences, speaking engagements, responses to media inquires and created print and visual media opportunities. Ms. Thomas was also named Executive Director of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, where she created and produced the Larry King Cardiac Foundation Gala; managed meetings and negotiations with vendors, hotels, and talent and developed other types of publication material that enhance the organization’s image and increase awareness. In this capacity, Thomas was responsible for working with artists including Shania Twain, K.T. Oslin, Sinbad, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Jose Feliciano, Julio Iglesias and Stevie Wonder to perform at the annual Larry King Foundation Galas held in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. . Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois in the field of Radio and Television Production. She has been featured in Sister 2 Sister Magazine, Afro American Newspaper, Federal Express Magazine and Jet Magazine. Thomas contribution in broadcasting is recognized in several books and articles. Her volunteer activities have focused on mentorship programs for disadvantaged youths. A native of Chicago, Illinois she resides in Savage, Maryland and her son is studying Business and Psychology in college and plays NCAA basketball.

Email Bruce	Bruce Smith serves in both a copywriting and media booking capacity for Allen Media Strategies clients. Bruce brings almost 20 years of newspaper, magazine and internet writing to our company. Bruce worked his way up the ladder at newspapers in the Intermountain West, writing news and sports articles for newspapers including the Idaho Statesman and the Salt Lake Tribune. He has covered the NBA Finals, the NCAA Tournament and even interviewed former President George H. Bush. Bruce gained insider knowledge that helps our clients get noticed. Bruce left the media business for a time in the 1990’s to start his own travel company, where he received rave reviews and earned media attention in the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle and many trade publications for his mystery vacations. He was also a guest speaker at a national travel convention. His topic? How to be creative and use it to generate media attention; a perfect fit for Allen Media Strategies.

Email Aaron	Aaron Leistner, Director of Client Services, is a native of Northern Virginia. He is an honors graduate of Connecticut School of Broadcasting, with a background in audio and video editing. Aaron has been on the air at radio stations in Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia, has been a show producer and on air personality at Washington DC station WJFK and has appeared on the nationally syndicated Jenny Jones television show. Aaron assists our clients with media bookings, audio and video production, on-line marketing initiatives and more. He is the proud father of L.J., and is a passionate Redskins fan.