Celebrating Charlie Brotman’s 92nd birthday with a Washington Nationals-themed party was the perfect tribute to the D.C. PR icon. Brotman was decked out in his characteristic Nats gear as were many of the nearly 60 people who also enjoyed ballpark food and toasted him in grand style.
Sports notables and longtime friends who attended the December 29 event included former Washington Redskins Dexter Manley; Jerry Sachs, former president of Centre Group, the operating entity that included the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals; Andy Ockershausen, who managed several of the top D.C. stations, including WMAL Radio,WMAL TV and Channel 50, and spent more than two decades at NBCUniversal/Comcast Sports Net; Phil Hochberg, an attorney who was the first baseball and last football stadium announcer in the 54 years of D.C.’s R.F.K Stadium and who spent 38 years with the Washington Redskins; Chris Gordon, NBC NEWS4; Cary Hatch, CEO of MDB Communications; and Phil Rabin, editor of Capitol Communicator.
Hatch told Capitol Communicator that “few, if any, marketing communications pros have had such a storied and impactful career in Washington D.C. As a beloved leader, Charlie has always had a front row seat to history, if not creating it himself. He still leads the parade as a distinguished advocate and fanatic for our region in so many ways.”
During his long career, Brotman launched his own PR firm, served as presidential announcer for decades, and was the announcer for the Washington Nationals and at major tennis tournaments. In addition, Brotman has been inducted into 11 Halls of Fame during his more than 50 years in public relations and announcing, including the Washington Hall of Fame, the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Jock’s Hall of Fame, the Public Relations Society of America Hall of Fame, the Advertising Club of Washington Hall of Fame, the Greater Washington Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame, plus his induction in 2014 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation Hall of Fame.
At a lunch to honor him when he turned 90, Brotman, a long-time publicist, said “What a lunch! Best ever!”
PHOTO: (Left to right): Phil Rabin, Charlie Brotman and Cary Hatch.
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