Expert Positioning & Book Publicity for Dr. Robin Bernstein

Coriolis Company developed and executed a national publicity campaign for Harvard University professor Robin Bernstein and her book, Freeman’s Challenge: The Murder That Shook America’s Original Prison for Profit (University of Chicago Press, 2024). Through the story of William Freeman, an Afro-Native teenager whose wrongful conviction and imprisonment sparked a tragic chain of events, the book uncovers the little-known origins of prison labor and incarceration for profit in the United States. The campaign faced a distinct challenge. Although Bernstein was a prominent scholar and department chair at Harvard, she did not have the recognition outside of academia that her work merited. Coriolis set out to translate her established academic authority into a visible public platform, positioning her to engage broad audiences on history, race, criminal justice, and public policy. Over ten months, Coriolis secured national media coverage, broadcast interviews, speaking engagements, and book events while equipping Bernstein with the training and infrastructure needed to sustain that visibility. The agency provided media coaching, developed promotional content, and created a dedicated digital platform for the author. The result was a comprehensive campaign that brought Bernstein’s research beyond academic circles, connected an overlooked historical story to urgent contemporary debates, and established Bernstein as an experienced public intellectual.