Listen to this articleThroughout his career Jonathan Ghent — owner of Rochester-based WritLarge PR — has told the stories of some of the world’s most iconic brands, and some of the region’s most dedicated organizations in the health care equity space.
“I love to write; I love storytelling,” said Ghent, whose passion for shining a light on others began in part under Friday night lights watching his older brother play football for Cal-Mum in the late 1980s. He loved the electric atmosphere ripe for storytelling and it led him to Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to study broadcast journalism.
Upon graduating from Syracuse, he quickly landed his dream job with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Secaucus, New Jersey where he produced, wrote, and edited content for NBA Entertainment, the organization’s television production unit.
In the late 1990s, Ghent returned home to Rochester and began a career in corporate communications, working for Xerox, Eastman Kodak, and Kodak Alaris, where he served as head of global communications and public relations for the latter.
“The people I worked for and with at the NBA, Xerox, Kodak and Kodak Alaris were incredibly strong leaders and peers,” Ghent said. “These world-class organizations that had really strong values and valued diversity, equity, and inclusion were beautiful training grounds for me.”
Ghent recalls his greatest “day at the office” being the 2010 People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles where he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet — including Chevy Chase, George Lopez, Carrie Underwood and Jackie Chan — about their favorite Kodak Moments.
In 2021 Ghent joined the staff of Common Ground Health as director of communications for the Rochester-based not-for-profit that brings together leaders from across a nine-county region to collaborate on strategies for improving health.
Ghent has also worked as an adjunct professor in the School of Communication at the Rochester Institute of Technology. His parents were both educators.
His late mother, Professor Jeanne K. Ghent, taught English at Monroe Community College for twenty-six years following a career as a high school teacher. His late father James A. Ghent Jr. taught at SUNY Empire State following a career in engineering and earned a law degree in his fifties and Ph.D. in his sixties.
“He was always learning, which has inspired me on my journey,” said Ghent, who noted both of his parents were also mentors and volunteers who made a positive difference in the lives of many others.
During the pandemic, Ghent, like so many, had more time to think about his past and future. “Up until that point I had an amazing career and was very happy with my accomplishments,” he said, but he felt pulled towards using all the skills he had amassed to learn something new: entrepreneurship.
He officially launched WritLarge in July 2022. The full-service PR and marketing communications agency with a passion for authentic and inspiring storytelling received New York State certification as a Minority Business Enterprise in July 2023.
The name comes from the term “writ large” which means clear and obvious; magnified; on a larger scale; unmistakable. Among WritLarge’s many capabilities are media relations; crisis communications; social media strategy; brand monitoring/insights; case studies; and corporate/internal communications,
“I learned to communicate with my heart,” said Ghent, who considers his greatest professional strengths to be premium content, thought leadership, insight articles, video production, and deeper storytelling. “Stories have to be about stories. That’s really my foundation and my education in broadcast journalism. I was trained to write for the ear.”
Among Ghent’s clients are some of his former employers as well as new clients from a range of industries including transportation and logistics, nonprofit, technology and innovation, and health care.
“Some of the work I’ve done at WritLarge on social justice is the most important work I’ve done in my career,” Ghent said.
This includes work WritLarge has done for the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Office of Health Equity Research, which is led by founding director Dr. Edith M. Williams, Ph.D.
“Jonathan tells the story of our most vulnerable populations with skill,” Williams said. “I appreciate his desire to really understand the work we do. He strives to get a deeper understanding of everything he works on and he’s just a really nice person who is warm, thorough, and detail oriented.”
Another client of WritLarge is Leonard’s Express, Inc. a family-owned trucking company located in Farmington, Ontario County, with offices located throughout the United States.
Among the initiatives Ghent has led for the company was the creation of their Leading the Way podcast, which includes high-profile industry guests and unique segments like Women in Trucking.
“Jonathan does a great job for us,” said Ken Johnson, executive chair of Leonard’s Express. “What makes Jonathan easy to work with is his experience. He knows what works and what doesn’t, but he isn’t afraid to try new ideas.”
That description of Ghent aligns perfectly with one of his favorite quotes by Nelson Mandela: I never lose. I either win or learn.
“This is the mindset I have adopted as a small business owner,” Ghent said. “I love to learn about my clients’ businesses and the latest PR/marketing strategies and tactics to help us stay ahead of the curve. And I’m never — or perhaps I should say rarely — afraid to fail!”
Caurie Putnam is a Rochester-area freelance writer.
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