Editor in chief
Maynard is an award-winning journalist and media communications professional with a career spanning more than three decades.
As a broadcast journalist, political columnist, media/public relations consultant, freelance writer/editor and journalism professor, on and off camera, Maynard has parlayed his experience as a pioneering 8-time EMMY Award-winning television news reporter into one of Atlanta's most influential multimedia communications professionals.
Maynard has been the National Communications Director and chief spokesman for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference [SCLC] where he serves as the press secretary and media relations consultant for the President/CEO of SCLC.
Maynard served as Press Secretary for 2009 Atlanta Mayoral candidate Jesse Spikes and Deputy Press Secretary for former Georgia Lt. Governor Mark Taylor, the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
He also helms E M Group, a PR consulting firm specializing in communications, writing, and film and video production; and serves as the senior partner, co-founder, and editor-in-chief of The Newsmaker Journal, a weekly online magazine/newsletter with a readership of more than 40,000. In addition to managing The Journal, Maynard is responsible for hosting its companion infotainment broadcast, the preeminent live-to-web cast political talk show, Newsmakers Live, a first of its kind journalism production where prominent political and business figures are expertly interviewed.
Maynard was also a founding member and contributing political writer for the Georgia Online News Service [GONSO] and now is a journalism professor at Clark-Atlanta University.
In 2008 Eaton served as press secretary for Republican Congressional candidate Dr. Deborah Honeycutt and has worked as a media consultant/writer for Atlanta Mayoral candidate Kasim Reed.
From 1991 to-date, Maynard has been a political columnist and contributing editor for The Atlanta Voice, Atlanta's premiere, African-American weekly newspaper. His award-winning column, Politics 411, is provocative and informative with a readership of more than 50,000. He is also a contributing writer for The Sunday Paper, a popular weekly alternative publication, and has been a media consultant to Atlanta, Mayor Shirley Franklin and Macon, Mayor C. Jack Ellis.
Maynard has regularly appeared as a political analyst on the Bill Campbell Morning Show which aired on WAOK-AM in Atlanta. He was a regular panelist on Atlanta This Week, a weekly TV news talk show, featuring prominent Georgia journalists.
During the 1999 and 2000 political seasons, Eaton served as a writer and media consultant for Republican presidential aspirant, Steve Forbes. During that time, he was one of three Atlanta journalists selected as a panelist for the televised 1998, Georgia Governors race debate; and the 1997 and 2001 Atlanta Mayors debate. He has also served as an Associate Professor of Broadcast and Print Journalism in the Communications Department of Clark Atlanta University.
From 1990 to 1993, Eaton served as the Southeast Bureau Chief and political correspondent for Black Entertainment Television [BET]. He was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), and former president of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists (AABJ).
In 1988, the Georgia Democratic Party selected Eaton to write and produce their video presentation welcoming all the Democrat delegates to the Atlanta Convention.
From 1986 to 1991, Maynard operated as managing editor for The Atlanta Tribune, a premier African-American monthly, business magazine. During this tenure, The Tribunes readership, and advertising revenue doubled. Following that he was the managing editor of World African Network [WAN], the nation's first African-American-owned Internet news service where he directed a 12-member news team until the operation folded in 1998.
Maynard has garnered numerous awards and accolades during his illustrious career. Most recently he was named 2008 Journalist of the Year by the Rainbow/PUSH civil rights group. From 1978 to 1986, Eaton was a multi-award winning political reporter for WXIA-TV in Atlanta. He won eight EMMY Awards for television news reporting/writing, while at WXIA, WPLG-TV in Miami and WVEC-TV in Norfolk.
He has also been honored for his work as a political commentator for WTLK-TV and WATL-TV in Atlanta; a producer/reporter for World News Monitor; southeast field producer for USA Today television; and writer/talent for Ebony Journal and Prime Time, two highly regarded and locally produced television magazine shows.
In addition to honors in broadcasting, Eaton won two Atlanta Association of Black Journalist Awards for his excellence in writing and reporting, including the Journalist of the Year award in 1985 from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists [AABJ] and several significant honors from the National Association of Black Journalists [NAABJ].
He has received honors from Communication Excellence to Black Audiences [CEBA], and three writing awards from the Associated Press. He landed a 2nd place honor with the National Newspaper Publishers Award (NNPA) in 2007; a coveted Gannett News Service reporting award and, for ten consecutive years, has been named to the list of prestigious individuals with Whos Who in Black Atlanta.
Maynard has also written cover stories for that prestigious publication on Ambassador Andrew Young, civil rights icon Rev. Joseph Lowery, and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
Maynard received his Master of Arts degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism where he was mentored by the late Fred Friendly (former president of CBS News), and holds a BA degree in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University.
