Advocacy media portfolio
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This portfolio contains summaries of a variety of projects I’ve worked on, either for clients or resulting from my own initiative. Beneath each summary is a link to the complete project documentation.
Most of these projects relate to my primary passion: advocating for liberty – the sanctity of individual rights, free enterprise and limited constitutional government. Learn more about my work for liberty here and here.
SaveTheWest.com
Creation of a new website, dedicated to identifying the primary threats facing Western civilization, and insights on how to preserve our freedom.
.- The “Lost Liberty Hotel”
Does a local government have the right under eminent domain to take one person’s home or property and give it to another, if the latter’s use of it might generate more tax revenue or jobs? I helped give voice to an activist campaign that devised an innovative way to say “No!”
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Virginians Over-Taxed On Residences (VOTORS)
Redevelopment of all outreach media for an activist campaign to help prevent low- and fixed-income Virginia homeowners from being taxed out of their homes.
.- American-Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD)
Creative consulting and research services for five years to this pro-liberty, anti-Islamist group of American Muslims, led by nuclear cardiologist Zuhdi Jasser, MD.
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Entitlements Destroy Lives (EDL)
Creative leadership on the development of the business plan and initial website for this new think tank, dedicated to exposing and combating the welfare entitlement mentality, particularly the cruel impact on the people who adopt it.
.- DefundIt.Org
A new logo for an activist campaign that supports repealing the Affordable Care Act.
. - VirginiaPropertyRights.org
A logo and print ad for a new activist organization that was created in the wake of the 2005 Kelo decision.
. - U.S. Sec. of State Lawrence Eagleburger
Creative consulting and blog development services for this widely-respected former U.S. Secretary of State.
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Jefferson-Area Libertarians
A new logo and general creative consulting for this Charlottesville, VA activist group.
.- The Committee for the Moral Defense of Microsoft
Copy and graphic design for a print ad to help defend the software giant against the antitrust actions by the Department of Justice in the late 1990s.
. - My “Support Our Troops” informational flyer
A printed flyer to inform Americans how to send gifts, notes and care packages to soldiers on deployment after 9/11, which created a controversy in Charlottesville, VA.
. - My published rebuttal to a hate editorial against the U.S. military
My reply to an editorial by a nationally-distributed editorial writer, who claimed Americans should not support U.S. soldiers, for the same reason Germans should not have supported Nazi soldiers.
.L - Blue Ridge Home Builder’s Association (BRHBA)
A graphic presentation to educate central Virginia governments on how their decisions regarding land use regulations impact the ultimate price of new housing.
. - Arizona’s Helping Save The Big Easy
Logo art for a campaign to sell custom t-shirts to raise money for New Orleans-based musicians who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
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(1) SaveTheWest.com
Excerpt of STW’s economic slide show, featuring Stanley Thornton, who is receiving an array of federal benefits for his “disability”: he claims he must live as an “adult baby,” be fed from a bottle, and play in a crib all day.
Background: For years, Ken Abramowitz, a New York venture fund executive, has been giving speeches to private groups throughout the U.S. W. Europe and Israel, on the threats facing Western civilization, and common-sense solutions.
The Challenge: With the pace of these threats becoming more entrenched, and metastasizing so quickly, Ken decided it was time to have a website constructed to publicly feature his speeches and writings, items contributed by his friends, and other useful resources. He hired me to develop this site from the ground up.
The Result: Beginning in early 2014, I worked on a part-time, consulting basis to create Ken’s site, SaveTheWest.com. Since 2015 it has become a semi-full time venture for me. In addition to containing content from Ken and his friends, I have developed the bulk of the content on the site, particularly items to help bring uninformed but otherwise intelligent newcomers to the issues up to speed (example). Our most recent feature exposed the controversy that occurred at Brandeis University, between a student journalist who was being victimized by a smear and threat campaign – and the fact that the school’s administration began punishing him, instead of the perpetrators.
See the complete project profile here.
(2) The “Lost Liberty Hotel”
Background: In June 2005, by a 5-4 margin, the U.S. Supreme Court established a “new interpretation” of “eminent domain.” It ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that a city has the right under eminent domain to seize private property, and transfer it to another private party, if the latter’s use would provide greater tax revenue or economic benefits to the community “as a whole.”
The Challenge: To take a fellow advocate of liberty’s raw idea (which I helped to inspire) – to see if this “new interpretation” also applies to property owned by the Supreme Court justices who voted for it – and turn it into innovative, finished media, from press releases to a logo and beyond, that would get attention.
The Result: With the aid of the media tools that I created, the “Lost Liberty Hotel” burst into the American consciousness – and catapulted the client who developed it from obscurity into an interview subject on top TV news programs, practically overnight.
“I love this… this is how you fight this stuff, folks… this is how you do it … you turn it right around on them […] the ‘Lost Liberty Hotel’… you just have to love this…”
– Rush Limbaugh, one day after the project’s press release that I edited was issued
“The pro-liberty movement is fortunate to have 
Jon Sutz among its ranks. [H]e edited our first press release – which led to national media exposure […] and also a vital follow-up press release, and our first newsletter […] and developed a beautiful logo… [J]on’s creativity, passion and strong work ethic were vital assets to us, and any serious liberty-oriented organization would benefit by enlisting him in its development and outreach efforts.”
– Logan Clements, CEO, Freestar Media, developer of the “Lost Liberty Hotel”
See the complete project profile here.
(3) Virginians Over-Taxed On Residences (VOTORS)
Background: From 2000 through 2006, modest- and fixed-income individuals and families throughout Virginia were being taxed out of their homes, due to ever-increasing annual property tax increases. VOTORS was created to advocate for a proposal to limit the power of cities and towns in Virginia to increase property taxes by no more than 1% per year.
The Challenge: To consult on, rewrite and redesign all of VOTORS’ media, including its logo and brochure, to make the entire project more professional-appearing and effective – especially to educate low-literacy homeowners of how they would benefit from its proposal.
The Result: The media tools that I created (and recreated) for VOTORS were deemed a major success by its board.
“Jon has been impressively responsive from the moment I began to work with him to change our logo. So impressed was I with our new logo that I asked Jon to use his abilities to help us to improve our VOTORS brochure… [J]on has become a welcome and essential element in our grassroots effort. I could not be more pleased with his work.”
– Al Aitken, founder and chairman
See the complete project profile here.
(4) American-Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD)
Background: After the 9/11 attacks, the founders of the AIFD – America-loving Muslim professionals in Phoenix, AZ – became determined to help expose and defeat the radical Islamist ideology that (a) presents such a grave threat to American liberty and national security, yet (b) is being propagated by thinly-disguised front groups, on U.S. soil. They created the AIFD to challenge the purveyors and enablers of Islamism, on a theological and ideological basis.
The Challenge: The AIFD’s president, Zuhdi Jasser, MD retained me to recreate major elements of its outreach media, including its logo, website copy and layout, etc., and develop strategic analysis and marketing tools to help its outreach efforts and grassroots support.
The Result: My work was deemed highly successful by the AIFD:
“Jon has provided a vast array of services and input
which have been essential to the success of the AIFD [… His] combination of marketing, graphic design, writing, editing and research abilities and knowledge, along with his deep understanding of the ideas of liberty and security, upon which the AIFD is focused, made his contributions not only superb, but unique.”
– M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., Founder & President
See the complete project profile here.
(5) Entitlements Destroy Lives (EDL)
Background: The Welfare Entitlement industry is driven by one over-arching motive: to convince as many people, organizations, businesses and even foreign nations that they cannot survive independently. EDL was started in 2011 by a welfare reform activist who rose from grinding childhood poverty to become a businessman and inventor, to expose the human and financial cost of this destructive mentality.
The Challenge: To help develop the conceptual framework of EDL, design the architectural framework of the website, and research and develop the business plan.
The Result: My work was deemed a major success by EDL:
“Jon has been tremendously important to the Entitlements Destroy Lives project. Through his graphic design and writing abilities, Jon has been able to convey EDL’s core message in a very coherent and persuasive way. I would strongly recommend Jon to anyone who has a project that needs this kind of clarity brought to it.”
– Jim Morris, Founder & President
See the complete project profile here.
(6) DefundIt.Org; Restore The Dream Foundation
Background: After the health care reform legislation passed its final hurdles in March 2010, Alex Cortes, then a senior at the University of Virginia, became determined to help persuade legislators – and particularly the conservatives who were running for Congress – to pledge to starve “ObamaCare” of its funding. To accomplish this, he created DefundIt.org, and a nonprofit under which it would operate, Restore The Dream Foundation.
The Challenge: I observed that DefundIt.org did not have a logo, and offered his services to create one. As Alex did not have the funding at that time, I volunteered to create one that, in a unified image, conveyed its core message, and worked with Alex towards this end.
The Result: My work produced the results that Alex sought – and is credited 
with helping to position DefundIt.org to be acquired by a larger organization, Let Freedom Ring:
“Jon is a tireless patriot with an incredibly creative mind. He kindly offered his services to create a logo for my organization, and I could not be any happier with his final product.”
– Alex Cortes, founder and chairman
See the complete project profile here.
I also donated his services to create an interim font-treatment logo for Restore The Dream, below, to help enable Alex to get his projects off the ground. That project is profiled here:
(7) VirginiaPropertyRights.org
Background: In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London (above), several principals of the Jefferson Area Libertarians (Charlottesville, VA), a group with whom I had worked in the past (see #7, below), wished to rapidly create a local nonprofit to fight to protect Virginians’ property rights.
The Challenge: I was asked to rapidly develop a logo and an initial print ad for the organization the JAL principals created, VirginiaPropertyRights.org, with which they could seek funding and political support.
The Result: The JAL was thrilled with both the logo and the ad, which I created in less than one week (see testimonial below, in Jefferson Area Libertarians).
See the complete project profile here.
(8) U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger
Background: From 2010-2011, I was a part-time, intermittent consultant to Sec. Eagleburger, in the context of helping him to learn about personal blogging, and to develop his first blogsite. Unfortunately, our time ran out when he passed away in June 2011.
The Challenge: To develop the title and content architecture for his blog.
The Result: We created the infrastructure of the blog, but Sec. Eagleburger passed just before we were about to finalize his first article, discussing the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
See the complete project profile here.
(9) Jefferson-Area Libertarians
Challenge: To redesign the logo of the Jefferson-Area Libertarians (Charlottesville, VA).
The Result: Based on the success of the new logo, the JAL engaged me on a variety of creative, graphic design and writing projects, including public & media relations, policy proposal crafting, and strategic communications consulting.
“Jon’s considerable talents… have helped to raise the profile and effectiveness of [the JAL’s] communications and outreach efforts. [W]henever I am approached by liberty-oriented organizations and candidates in need of help with media materials, Jon is the first person I recommend. Jon is a tremendous resource for the liberty movement.”
– Jim Lark, Ph.D., Secretary; past Chairman, Libertarian Party of America
See the complete project profile here.
(10) The Committee for the Moral Defense of Microsoft
Background: In 1998, the Department of Justice was prosecuting Microsoft for allegedly violating a variety of antitrust regulations. Pro-liberty activists across America were outraged, but individually, could do little to stop this legal assault on free enterprise.
I learned of the CMDM as I was about to launch a new magazine in south Florida, and offered to donate a half-page of space to the organization for an advertisement – but none existed at that time.
The Challenge: To help the Committee write, design and produce a print ad, on a rush basis, that:
- Explains the basics of antitrust and the DoJ’s assault on Microsoft to the layperson
- Places the issue in a moral context
- Rallies citizens to act on behalf of freedom, by supporting the CMDM and its activities
The Result: A print ad that the CMDM placed in numerous publications across America, and which garnered favorable reader reaction in my magazine.
See the complete project profile here.
(11) My “Support Our Troops” informational flyer
Background: As Americam soldiers were being deployed to Iraq in early 2003, radical leftist activists were making incendiary allegations against our military and its command leadership. Military consultants on TV often talked about how important it is for our soldiers to know we are thinking of and supporting them – but almost never followed up with how to communicate with them, send them gift packages, etc.
The Challenge: To research, and rapidly create and distribute a directory of email and mail addresses that Americans can use to send their thoughts and gifts to our soldiers.
The Result: The flyer (page 1 at right) resulted in my being interviewed on the local NBC-TV affiliate. This occurred in large part because protesters in Charlottesville, VA began to tear them down as quickly as I put them up – motivating me to create and post even more of them.
See the complete project profile here.
(12) My published rebuttal to a hate editorial against the U.S. military
Background: Ted Rall is a far-left hate columnist whose editorial, 
“Don’t Support our Troops,” was published on the entire inside back cover (his usual space) of a Charlottesville, VA weekly, in March 2003. Rall’s basic premise was that American soldiers should be considered no better or worse than Nazis, and that we should not support them as they were being deployed to Iraq.
The Challenge: My objective was to rapidly write and get published a fact-based rebuttal to Rall’s screed against the U.S. military, and its command leadership.
The Result: My rebuttal was published in place of Rall’s usual space on the inside back cover of the weekly paper, and inspired a steady stream of pro and con letters to the editor.
See the complete project profile here.
(13) Blue Ridge Home Builder’s Association
Background: “Affordability” is a major point of contention in new housing developments.
The Challenge: The Blue Ridge Home Builders Association (BRHBA) in Charlottesville, VA, retained me to help it develop make a presentation to local planning & zoning commissions, to demonstrate how various governmental land-use decisions affect (and often increase) the “bottom-line” prices of new housing.
The Result: The presentation I designed and produced was used by the BRHBA in presentations to P&Z commissions throughout Central Virginia.
See the complete project profile here.
(14) Arizona’s Helping Save The Big Easy
Background: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, numerous nonprofits throughout America were formed to try to raise money for relief efforts. My aunt, Wink Blair, a Scottsdale, AZ resident and native of New Orleans, established “Arizona’s Helping Save The Big Easy,” which sought to raise money specifically for New Orleans musicians through the sale of custom T-shirts.
The Challenge: I was asked to rapidly create the design for such a T-shirt, using only two colors.
The Result: After working through numerous design
and color possibilities, I developed a design that Wink and the principals of her organization were thrilled with, and which produced results:
“In less than a week, and working from nearly 2,000 miles away, Jon conceived of, designed and produced the art for this extremely original and classy logo… [W]e’ve sold nearly 1,500 shirts so far, making our fundraiser a huge success. This could never have been accomplished without Jon’s talent, professionalism and responsiveness.”
– Wink Blair, founder and Chairwoman, “Arizona’s Helping Save The Big Easy”
See the complete project profile here.
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