W. Clair Communications

Brand Strategy · Storytelling · AI Advisory

The power of story to build brands and inspire change

Skip Hidlay has spent more than three decades finding stories that engage and inspire — in small towns and big cities, on family farms and lobster boats, in hospital operating suites and patient rooms, in conversations with leaders trying to figure out their brand’s story.

He has been a reporter and editor covering everything from hurricanes and humanitarian refugee crises to presidential elections and government corruption. He has been a C-suite executive, developing brand strategies and building owned media enterprises for large, complex academic health systems.

He has built W. Clair Communications to do what he has always done: help organizations find, tell, and amplify their narrative — and the stories that break through.

W. Clair Hidlay, a successful entrepreneur and business leader in the small town of Bloomsburg in northeastern Pennsylvania. Skip Hidlay named his boutique brand strategy agency, W. Clair Communications, in honor of his grandfather.

He chose the agency’s name to honor the life of his grandfather, W. Clair Hidlay (left), an entrepreneur and business leader in the small town of Bloomsburg, where Skip grew up in the hills of northeastern Pennsylvania.

“Storytelling is not a marketing tactic. People forget facts and figures. They remember great stories.”

William "Skip" Hidlay interviewing an official during a press conference while he was working as a reporter for The Associated Press.
William “Skip” Hidlay on the scene of a news story in Chicago, where he began his 10-year career for The Associated Press. He also worked for the AP on the International Desk in New York, as supervisory correspondent in Portland, ME, and as news editor in Hartford, CT, and Miami.

A Career in Three Acts

Era I: The Journalist

Skip’s career began where many great storytellers got their start: in a newsroom, crafting the day’s top stories on deadline.

At The Associated Press and Gannett, he worked as a reporter, news editor, executive editor, and president and publisher. He led newsrooms as large as 250 journalists, coaching them to find stories that made a difference.

His work changed public policy. His reporting helped right wrongs. His writing inspired action to help others in need.

He built high-performing, high-impact teams. He won awards. And he developed a storytelling instinct that no MBA program, workshop or AI tool can replicate: the ability to find the true story that changes public perception.

That instinct is the foundation of everything W. Clair Communications does.

University of Chicago Medicine medical transport helicopter on landing pad atop the Center for Care and Discovery. Camera operator prepares to film a scene for a TV commercial as the sun sets.
A film production crew prepares to capture the opening scene for a TV commercial for the University of Chicago Medicine. The UChicago Medicine emergency transport helicopter opens the TV spot, “Sickness is relentless. So are we.” The campaign, developed under the leadership of William “Skip” Hidlay, won a Chicago regional Emmy for best TV commercial in 2021. Photo by Skip Hidlay

Era II: Health System Executive

Drawing on his earlier work as a medical and science writer, Skip pivoted to healthcare leadership after the Great Recession decimated the legacy media’s business model.

Over more than 15 years, he served as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at three major health systems — Ascension Via Christi, the University of Chicago Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

He helped each brand break through the bland sea of sameness that characterizes much of modern healthcare marketing.

He managed budgets of up to $55 million, led teams as large as 135, and generated more than $500 million in measurable revenue impact at one health system alone. He launched Emmy Award-winning campaigns, won 40 national eHealthcare Leadership Awards, and — perhaps most importantly — built high-impact teams that became strategic assets for their organizations.

William "Skip" Hidlay reading a newspaper on the campus of The Ohio State University.
William “Skip” Hidlay outside Meiling Hall on the campus of The Ohio State University, where he served for more than five years as Vice President, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Photo by Wendy Pramik.

Era III: AI-era Consultant, Storyteller and Strategist

Skip has guided teams through major technological transformations throughout his career, from print newspapers to digital-first publishing and, now, to AI-powered creativity, strategy, and productivity.

As Generative AI broke into the public’s consciousness in 2024, he saw parallels to his news media transition to web-first publishing and leaned in.

At Ohio State, Skip led his 135-member team through an AI transformation, from initial pilot testing to integration of AI tools across the department.

AI agents now monitor healthcare search trends to stimulate story ideas. They provide leadership coaching and strategic thought partnership. They handle a myriad of routine tasks, freeing time for human team members to focus on high-impact creative work that moves the brand forward.

Skip didn’t hire a vendor to lead this AI transformation. He built it from the inside with his team. That experience shapes how W. Clair can help other organizations struggling with AI strategy and adoption.

What I Believe

  • I believe shared values help shape team culture.
  • I live by my core values: positive attitude, collaboration and teamwork, continuous improvement on the journey to excellence.
  • I believe that authentic storytelling is a competitive advantage — not a nice-to-have.
  • I believe that AI is a powerful amplifier of human creativity, not a replacement for it.
  • I believe that the best brand work starts not with a brief, but with a question: What is the truth about this organization and how do we bring it to life?
  • I built W. Clair Communications to answer that question for the organizations willing to ask it.
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
William “Skip” Hidlay holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership from Friends University in Wichita, KS. Photo by Skip Hidlay

Credentials

Career

  • More than 30 years of journalism and healthcare senior leadership experience
  • Vice President, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
  • Senior Vice President, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, University of Chicago Medicine
  • Vice President, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Ascension Via Christi
  • Reporter, Executive Editor, President & Publisher, The Associated Press and Gannett

Recognition

  • Chicago Regional Emmy Award — Best TV Commercial, 2021
  • Webby Award, Video & Film for Health & Wellness, 2026
  • 40 national eHealthcare Leadership Awards for excellence in digital marketing and web design
  • Seven national journalism awards for public service and investigative reporting
  • Two-time Gannett President’s Ring winner for leadership excellence
  • Two-time Gannett winner for most-improved news operation

The Personal Side

Skip grew up in the small town of Bloomsburg in northeastern Pennsylvania. His journalism career transported him from Maine to Miami, with stops in North Carolina, Chicago, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

He lives in the Chicago area with his family. Outside of work, he is a lifelong learner, an avid skier, runner, and photographer.

He built W. Clair Communications because he wanted to keep doing the work he loves — the creative, strategic, and human work of helping organizations find and tell their best stories.

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