1. Be passionate
2. Learn to communicate persuasively
3. Surround yourself with talent

Many of us at Fenway have been fortunate enough to work with Josh Earnest & his advice for political staffers couldn't ring more true. (We agree with everything he says about Cody Keenan too.)

Vinay Reddy thinks like Joe Biden on a level that very few can -- and the results speak for themselves.

Just a brilliant and heroic #SOTU .

Huge congrats to Vinay for leading the most difficult speech process there is and turning out one hell of a final product - not too many speechwriters or humans as kind, humble, thoughtful, and talented.

Joe Biden is very lucky to have him.

One thing that's clear from tonight:

Joe Biden is gonna fight like hell to stop Donald Trump from taking power again.

Had a great time chatting with Erin Burnett during CNN's #SOTU coverage tonight, even if I apparently, at one point, made this face. Erin Burnett OutFront

Speechwriting at its best is 'a reflection of the speaker,' and speech delivery can seem like a 'ballet with several movements.'

Ahead of #SOTU , former President Biden aide Dan Cluchey spoke with the The Associated Press about our craft and what it takes to nail Biden's voice: apnews.com/article/biden-…

Fenway's Dan Cluchey, former President Biden speechwriter, on #SOTU drafting:

'Everything starts with Joe Biden. He is the architect ... As you get into the actual writing of it, that’s where you fill in the details and start putting the stories together.'
politico.com/newsletters/we…

'It’s a chance for you to communicate directly with people without it being chopped down into six-second bites.'

Fmr. Biden aide Dan Cluchey lifts the curtain for POLITICO's Lauren Egan Eli Stokols Ben Johansen — and explains why #SOTU still matters:
politico.com/newsletters/we…

This is the only week of the year when people want to talk to speechwriters — and to that end, I had a nice time chatting with Lauren Egan for today's WW Playbook.

politico.com/newsletters/we…

Fenway's Dan Cluchey, former Senior Speechwriter for President Joe Biden, previews the State of the Union: 'Your job is to ensure that when the speech is done, that it has a reflection of the speaker.'

Read more The Associated Press: apnews.com/article/biden-…

What was the wildest policy pitch fmr WH Director of Speechwriting Cody Keenan ever got for a State of the Union? Abolish the penny

Subscribe to Friends of the Pod to listen to the latest Inside 2024 where Jon Favreau & alyssa mastromonaco discuss writing a SOTU crooked.com/friends

To mark 100 years since the first presidential radio broadcast, BBC Radio 4 asked our own Cody Keenan to host a Very Special Episode of Archive on 4, leading a discussion with a panel including our friend Sarada Peri. Give it a listen!

bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…

'It's 5% writing and 95% therapy — that's what the job really is.'

Check out more advice on speechwriting from Fenway's CEO, Ben Krauss, in today's Axios Communicator Spotlight.

axios.com/2023/08/24/com…