🔒After high-profile tourism campaigns, Anthony to leave Lamont administration to launch marketing firm

After nearly three years as Connecticut’s first chief marketing officer, Anthony Anthony is leaving state government in early February to launch his own marketing consultancy, a move he says will allow him to spend more time with his family and significantly increase his earnings.

As the state’s top promoter, Anthony pushed a mix of attention-grabbing stunts and in-depth storytelling. He erected playful highway signs on the New York border proclaiming Connecticut the pizza capital of the world and placed similar billboard challenges in Chicago.

He helped launch tourism “trails” aimed at giving visitors curated ways to explore the state, including ones focused on pizza, oysters and Connecticut holiday movie filming locations.

Anthony also coordinated and streamlined existing state marketing teams to launch and sustain the “Make It Here” rebranding campaign, aimed at recasting Connecticut as a fun and dynamic place to live, work and play. More recently, he rolled out a portal designed to connect online influencers and content creators with businesses and other organizations to better capture Connecticut with modern storytellers.

Now, Anthony says, it’s time to return to the private sector.

“I’ve been in state government for five years,” said the 40-year-old Anthony. “Yeah, that feels like dog years. I’ll say it ages (you). My hair was black when I started, and now I’ve got gray on both sides and all over my beard. It’s time to get back to my roots in the private sector.”

Anthony earns about $150,000 annually as a state employee and estimates his new venture can generate at least $250,000 per year.

His firm, Running Club, will work with nonprofits, businesses, municipalities and other organizations to raise their profiles, improve public perception and support specific initiatives. Although launching as a solo operation, Anthony said he’ll be able to draw on a wide network of consultants and creators he met during his time in state government.

“That’s going to be a key part and, in my opinion, a value proposition for Running Club, which is relationships,” Anthony said.

He’s already positioned to collaborate with Hartford-based public relations firm Intersect Public Solutions, whose co-founder Brian Durand previously served as chief of staff to former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Anthony, Durand said, has demonstrated a talent for marketing and strategy, as well as a deft understanding of the inner workings of government.

Combined, those talents can help public organizations rally support for policies, Durand said.

“I think a lot of folks are interested to see what Anthony’s next step is,” Durand said. “He’s built a really impressive reputation in the state, based on hard work and being just a really nice, smart, hardworking person. That’s at the core of his personal brand, and we look forward to working with him in his next role.”

Anthony said the Running Club brand reflects both his passion for athletics and his marketing philosophy — which he described as turning individual motion into collective movement.

“Everybody is running for something,” Anthony said. “Whether you are running for office, you’re running to capture hearts and minds and market share. You’ve got a budget you need your board to vote for. You’ve got investors you need to woo, or customers you need to make purchasing decisions. We are there to help you achieve those goals.”

‘Why Connecticut?’

Anthony grew up in northern Virginia and spent a decade living in New York City before coming to Connecticut to work for Gov. Ned Lamont. He said he has no plans to leave the state.

“Why Connecticut? That’s a very easy answer, because we absolutely love it,” Anthony said, referring to his wife and two children.

Before leaving his current role, Anthony plans to unveil one final initiative: a rewards program designed to encourage residents and visitors to promote Connecticut attractions on social media.

The CT Perks and Recreation program will award points to participants who sign up at CTperks.com and post content online. Those points can be redeemed for Connecticut merchandise or experiences, such as a tour of the state Capitol with Lamont or the chance to shoot hoops with a UConn basketball player.

“The higher tier will be one-of-a-kind experiences,” Anthony said. “Things that money literally and figuratively cannot buy. You can only get it with points.”

Big leaps

Anthony’s move back to the private sector is not his first transition between public and private work. In 2018, he left a New York branding agency to work freelance on Democratic campaigns in Washington, D.C. After more than a year, he landed a full-time job as a digital communications manager for a freshman member of Congress, taking a sharp pay cut.

“So, I went from being a creative director in boardrooms with C-suite executives, advising them on crisis management and employee engagement and how to launch products, to reporting to someone 10 years younger than me,” Anthony said.

In 2019, he left that job to produce an independent political documentary series, raising about $10,000 from friends and family before the project stalled due to COVID-related travel restrictions. He later served as communications director for Brooke Pinto’s successful special election campaign for the Council of the District of Columbia, which helped put him on the Lamont administration’s radar.

“And so, the next thing you know, I’m on the phone talking with the first lady, Annie (Lamont), and then six months later, I’m moving to Connecticut to work for the governor,” Anthony said.

Anthony joined the Lamont administration as senior press secretary in May 2021, became director of communications a year later, served briefly as a special advisor, and was appointed chief marketing officer in March 2023.

State marketing’s uncertain future

While Lamont and other officials have praised Anthony’s work, the administration has not committed to filling the chief marketing officer position after his departure.

According to the administration, earned media impressions for Connecticut increased by 841% since 2022, while state pride reached its highest recorded level since tracking began in 2012. Net promoter scores — a common marketing metric that measures how likely someone is to recommend a place or product to others — also rose across several categories.

Announcing Anthony’s departure in December, Lamont credited him with advancing a broader shift in how state leaders talk about Connecticut.

“Early in our administration, I said what I believed then and now — no more bad-mouthing Connecticut,” Lamont said. “I wanted our state to stop apologizing for who we are and start celebrating it. Anthony took that message to heart and turned it into a strategy that people feel every day.”

In a recent interview, Lamont said Anthony’s efforts generated significant attention for the state, citing the national buzz around New Haven pizza and other promotions.

“I think he generated $300 million of publicity,” Lamont said. “Love it or hate it, everybody’s talking about New Haven pizza and the people are visiting. So I put a lot of stock in creativity. He did the state an enormous favor.”

Jim Watson, a spokesperson for the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said agency leadership is still discussing how to handle the vacant position.

At the same time, funding for state tourism efforts is declining as federal COVID-relief dollars expire.

Direct state tourism funding has stayed just above $4 million since 2019, but temporary federal pandemic relief pushed total spending to $12.15 million in fiscal 2022 before declining to $9.28 million in fiscal 2024 and $7.6 million in fiscal 2025.

With the federal dollars exhausted, tourism will rely solely on $4.5 million in annual state funding in fiscals 2026 and 2027.

Anthony said he’s confident the programs he helped establish will continue to deliver results, supported by a tourism staff of about 16 people, including part-time and seasonal workers.

“I believe that team will continue to do the work because that work is designed to support businesses across the state and ensure that other people fall in love with Connecticut as we have,” Anthony said.