Submission declined on 7 December 2025 by Fermiboson (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that: provide significant coverage: discuss the person in detail, not brief mentions or interviews lacking independent analysis; are reliable: from reputable outlets with editorial oversight; are independent: not connected to the person, such as interviews, press releases, the subject's own website, or sponsored content. Please add references that meet all three of these criteria. If none exist, the subject is not yet suitable for Wikipedia. This draft reads like an advertisement. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a platform for promotion or marketing. Drafts that are exclusively promotional may be deleted without notice. Wikipedia articles must be written neutrally in a formal, impersonal, and dispassionate way. They should not read like a blog post, advertisement, or fan page. Rewrite the draft to remove: promotional language: see Words to watch; personal commentary: opinions or direct addresses to the reader; informal language. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. If you have a conflict of interest (e.g. you are the subject, an employee, or a relative) or are being paid to edit, you must disclose this to comply with Wikipedia's Terms of Use. If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. How to improve a draft Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia. Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Add tags to your draft Editor resources Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs Declined by Fermiboson 5 months ago. Last edited by Fermiboson 5 months ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

• Comment: You can't cite Wikipedia. The books I obviously cannot access but they don't seem SIGCOV (nor do they seem independent in any case). Other coverage is routine. WP:GNG fail. Fermiboson (talk) 22:24, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

Todd Defren is an American public relations executive and entrepreneur. He co-founded the agency SHIFT Communications in 2003 and served as its chief executive officer until the firm was acquired by National Public Relations in 2016.^[1]

In 2006, Defren and SHIFT were credited with creating the first social media press release, a format designed to adapt traditional press releases for online and social media platforms.^[2][3] The format has since been discussed in trade publications and academic textbooks.^[4][5]

Defren co-founded SHIFT Communications in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2003. The firm expanded to New York, San Francisco, and Austin, and by the early 2010s was recognized among the larger independent U.S. public-relations agencies.^[1]

In July 2006, Bloomberg Businessweek reported on SHIFT’s launch of the social-media press release, describing the template as an attempt to modernize corporate communications by adding links, multimedia, and interactive features.^[2] The approach drew attention from industry media including Adweek and PRWeek.^[3]

In 2013, Fast Company profiled SHIFT’s adoption of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), highlighting Defren’s decision to make employees co-owners of the firm.^[6]

In 2014, CBS News covered SHIFT’s recruitment of Scott Monty, former global social-media head at Ford, as Executive Vice President of Strategy, noting Defren’s role in the hire.^[7]

In 2016, PRWeek reported that Canadian agency National Public Relations had acquired SHIFT Communications. Defren remained as CEO during the transition.^[1]

The social-media press release, first proposed by Defren in 2006, has been cited in industry and academic literature as a milestone in adapting PR practices for the digital era.^[4][5] It originated in response to journalist Tom Foremski’s 2006 critique of traditional press releases.^[2]

The format is referenced in professional and academic handbooks including PR 2.0 (2008), Putting the Public Back in Public Relations (2009), and Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect (2014–2025 editions).^[4][8][5]

Under Defren’s leadership, SHIFT Communications won multiple industry awards, and his work has been cited in trade press such as Adweek and PRWeek.^[3][1] His role in the creation of the social-media press release is noted in the Encyclopedia of Public Relations and in the Wikipedia article on the History of public relations.^[9][10]