Eric H. Schultz

With nearly two decades of experience at the highest levels of politics and government, Eric Schultz navigates clients through the intertwined national media and political landscape.  Schultz counsels high-profile individuals, organizations, and companies across the political, financial, tech, and entertainment sectors seeking to cultivate relationships, raise their profile, and shape conversations among key policymakers, journalists, and stakeholders. 

Since 2017, Schultz has served as a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama.  In this capacity, he helped launch Higher Ground Productions, President and Mrs. Obama’s production company; managed President Obama’s political engagement; and advised on the release of President Obama’s best-selling memoir, A Promised Land. Through his consulting firm, Schultz has helped a range of clients expand their respective footprints in Washington, including Everytown for Gun Safety, JPMorgan Chase’s Corporate Responsibility team, as well as venture capital and fintech companies.  Schultz consults for several hit television programs, including HBO’s Succession and Netflix’s Designated Survivor and advises HGTV’s Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott. 

During the Obama Administration, Schultz served as White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, speaking on behalf of the Administration on Air Force One and in the White House briefing room, and managing the Administration’s proactive messaging and news-of-the-day responses. Schultz was originally hired by the White House to handle the Administration’s response to congressional oversight investigations, gaining recognition in Politico as the strategist “White House officials turn to in a crisis to handle communications.” 

Before joining the White House, Schultz spent nearly 10 years on Capitol Hill working for key U.S. Senators, including as communications director to the current Democratic Leader, Charles Schumer and for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, overseeing messaging strategies of campaigns in 18 competitive states.  He is also a veteran of numerous statewide and national campaigns including as New Hampshire Communications Director for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and Deputy Campaign Manager for Al Franken’s 2008 Senate race, to which the Washington Post credited Schultz for bringing “order and discipline.” In each of these roles, Schultz worked to proactively define opponents, becoming “well-known among Washington reporters for his aggressive, behind-the-scenes approach,” as noted by Politico. 

Schultz is originally from Syracuse, New York, and got his start in politics as an opposition researcher on then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign. Schultz earned a B.A. in political science at Washington University in St. Louis and received the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. Schultz volunteers as a tutor and serves on the regional board of directors for Reading Partners, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting literacy among young students. He is also an advisory board member of Democracy Docket, which funds voting rights litigation to enfranchise and protect the rights of citizens to vote.