About Us
Based in Washington, DC, East West Communications offers a wide range of nation branding services, including consultancy on positioning and strategies for reshaping and promoting a country’s brand. East West has extensive experience in designing and implementing communications campaigns to reach target audiences around the world. For examples of our work see our Credentials. We work with political and business leaders, and have a record of providing confidential consultancy for some 65 countries around the world.
Our principals are Thomas Cromwell and Francisco Quintanilla.
Thomas Cromwell
President
Thomas Cromwell is the founder and president of East West Communications. His understanding and practice of nation branding is based on journalistic and publishing work in many countries, rather than academic theories. He spent 25 years in the Middle East, where he published and edited the Middle East Times and other publications for 18 years, and where he developed a number of successful country reports for major media outlets in Washington, DC. He has interviewed many national leaders and developed an expertise in advising on nation branding strategies and programs. His nation branding work has taken him to 130 countries so far. He is based in Washington.
Francisco Quintanilla
Vice President
Mr. Quintanilla has more than 25 years of experience in global media communications. He has worked at leading communications firms, at top media properties, and as an independent consultant.
Mr. Quintanilla started his communications career at Theisen Communications, a leading publisher of country reports, whose vehicles included The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. There he rose rapidly from a sales position to marketing director and eventually general manager. Mr. Quintanilla then moved to Wide Angle Television, which specialized in international video and television projects, as general manager.
Taking advantage of his broad communications experience, Mr. Quintanilla became an independent consultant and for 15 years worked with several Washington Communications firms, including United World Communications, Hayward International, Cohen and Woods International and East West Communications, among others. Most of his work involved developing countries, with a primary focus on Africa.
From 2007 to 2009 he was the managing director of the International Advocacy Department at The Washington Times newspaper in Washington, DC.
Mr. Quintanilla has consulted for and worked at East West Communications in various positions since 2004, with countries from Kazakhstan to Equatorial Guinea. Mr. Quintanilla is fluent in English, speaks Spanish and some French. He has an MA in International Affairs and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.