ABOUT US
Altitude Creative Industries is a unique strategic writing and communications firm.
Our clients are visionaries, leaders, and luminaries at the highest levels of business, entertainment, activism, sports, politics, and beyond – people and organizations with important ideas and powerful stories to share with the world. We specialize in working closely with them to engineer and execute the right communications strategy, from takeoff to touchdown.
Unlike other firms, Altitude Creative Industries doesn’t offer scale; we offer seniority – and a SkunkWorks-style approach that fosters out-of-the-box thinking in pursuit of radical innovation. You won’t find junior associates here. Our team of seasoned practitioners offers decades of combined speechwriting, ghostwriting, and strategic advisory experience. From the Great Recession through the pandemic, and beyond — in speeches and op-eds, TED talks and books, presidential debates and primetime TV segments — we’ve helped CEOs, world leaders, philanthropists, and public figures navigate turbulence that has reshaped our world and revolutionized the ways people communicate.
It’s never been harder to break through, change the conversation, or launch a new idea. It’s never been tougher to move an audience to action. But in this rarefied air where leadership is put to the test – where the stakes are high and the margins are thin – we do our best work.
WHO WE ARE
Riley Roberts, Founding Partner
Riley L. Roberts is a seasoned author, speechwriter, and strategist. A veteran of the Obama Administration, Capitol Hill, and the private sector, he has spent his career advising leaders on the world’s biggest stages, from prominent CEOs to activists, pop stars, professional athletes, senior political leaders—including three U.S. presidents—and royalty. His writing on behalf of clients has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, VOGUE, and The Atlantic, among other publications—and his speeches have been delivered at the White House, the United Nations, TED conferences, foreign parliaments, and chambers of commerce from Berlin to Hong Kong.
A Chicago native, Riley is a graduate of the University of Illinois, an Eagle Scout, and a licensed pilot. He lives with his wife, son, and their intrepid rescue hound in Washington, DC.
Jake Maccoby, Founding Partner
Jake Maccoby is a speechwriter and communications strategist who has worked with presidents and vice presidents, global philanthropists, leading executives, professional athletes, and rock stars in the United States and around the world. An Obama administration and campaign alum with extensive private-sector experience, Jake has helped some of the world’s most influential leaders shape and share their stories in packed arenas, at international summits, and in publications from The New York Times to Teen Vogue. Jake is a veteran of high-stakes live television, having served on the debate preparation team for every Democratic presidential campaign since 2012 and appeared regularly on cable news channels including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, and HLN. He got his start writing jokes for The Colbert Report on Comedy Central.
Jake is a graduate of Tufts University and a frequent guest lecturer at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He lives in Washington, DC.