Hidden Gems: Meet Gery Deer of GLD Enterprises Communications, Ltd.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gery Deer.

Hi Gery, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been curious about how things work, but even more interested in why people do what they do. Growing up on a small farm in rural southwestern Ohio, I developed an appreciation for hard work, resourcefulness, and the importance of understanding people. I was fascinated by technology, music, writing, and storytelling, though I didn’t yet know how those interests would fit together.

I started writing at a young age and developed an interest in journalism because it let me explore the world through other people’s experiences. I discovered that everyone has a story, but not everyone knows how to tell it. More importantly, I learned that the best stories aren’t necessarily about extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. They’re often about ordinary people whose experiences reveal something meaningful about the rest of us.

Over the years, I worked in journalism, broadcasting, writing, technology, and media production. I was never particularly interested in limiting myself to one discipline. I wanted to understand the entire communications process, from the first idea to the finished product, whether that meant a newspaper feature, a documentary, a website, or a public relations campaign.

In 1997, I began building what would become GLD Enterprises Communications, Ltd., a company I formally established in 1998. My goal wasn’t simply to create another marketing or public relations agency. I wanted to build a communications company rooted in journalism, where accuracy, credibility, creativity, and good storytelling mattered more than flashy promotion.

Nearly 30 years later, I’m still doing that work. I’ve had the opportunity to interview fascinating people, work with businesses and nonprofit organizations, produce videos and documentaries, write countless articles, and help individuals and organizations communicate ideas that matter to them. Along the way, I’ve also continued writing my weekly newspaper column, Deer In Headlines, which lets me explore subjects beyond the business world.

My career hasn’t followed a particularly straight line, and I wouldn’t have wanted it to. I’ve learned that skills and experiences that seem unrelated at the time often become the very things that make your work distinctive.

Today, I’m still a writer first. Technology has changed dramatically, the media landscape is almost unrecognizable from when I started, and the business of communications keeps evolving. But the fundamental purpose of my work hasn’t changed.

I believe good communication begins with understanding, and understanding begins with listening. Everything else is just the method we use to tell the story.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anyone who has owned a small business for nearly 30 years could honestly describe the experience as a smooth road. There have been some wonderful opportunities and accomplishments, but there have also been periods when I wondered whether I could keep the doors open. However, I learned how to deal with adversity long before I became an entrepreneur.

I was born with a rare congenital medical condition that required what was then an experimental surgical procedure before my first birthday. The surgery was largely successful, but it was only the beginning of a long medical journey. Over the next 20 years, I experienced dozens of additional surgeries, medical procedures, and hospital stays. My childhood was punctuated by experiences that most people don’t encounter until much later in life, if ever.

My parents, however, never allowed those circumstances to define what I could accomplish. They encouraged me to experience life as normally and fully as possible, to pursue my interests, and to recognize that having limitations didn’t necessarily mean accepting defeat. I developed a resilience and determination that have served me throughout my life. I learned early that obstacles are inevitable, but surrender is a choice. I don’t believe in giving up simply because something becomes difficult.

That philosophy has been tested repeatedly throughout my professional career.

One of the greatest challenges has been adapting to an industry that never stops changing. When I started, newspapers, television, radio, and traditional public relations operated in relatively predictable ways. The internet changed that, followed by social media, smartphones, digital marketing, and now artificial intelligence. Each development brought new opportunities, but it also changed what clients expected, what they were willing to pay for, and how they perceived the value of professional communications.

For a small company, keeping up with those changes requires more than buying new equipment or learning new software. It means constantly evaluating your business model, developing new skills, and sometimes abandoning services that were once successful. I’ve had to reinvent parts of my company several times while trying to preserve the standards that made the work worthwhile in the first place.

There have also been the ordinary struggles that rarely make it into stories about entrepreneurship. Clients disappear, budgets get cut, projects fall through, and expenses continue whether the revenue is there or not. Sometimes you do everything right and still lose the opportunity. One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that being good at your work doesn’t automatically make you successful at running a business. Those are two very different skill sets.

I’ve also experienced the challenge of balancing professional responsibilities with personal and family obligations. When you’re self-employed, there’s rarely a convenient time for a family emergency, an illness, or an unexpected setback. You learn to adjust, often without the financial security or support systems that come with traditional employment.

Perhaps the most difficult part has been learning not to measure my own worth by the financial performance of the business. That’s an easy trap for entrepreneurs, especially when you’ve invested so much of your life in something you’ve created. A difficult year doesn’t erase decades of good work, but remembering that when you’re in the middle of it isn’t always easy.

I don’t believe every setback happens for a reason, or that every difficult experience automatically makes you stronger. Sometimes things are simply difficult, and you have to find a practical way through them.

My experiences growing up taught me that determination doesn’t mean you won’t encounter obstacles, and it certainly doesn’t guarantee success. It means you refuse to let those obstacles make your decisions for you. Sometimes you have to change direction, reconsider your goals, or start over entirely.

I’ve been doing some version of that my entire life, and I’m not finished yet.

We’ve been impressed with GLD Enterprises Communications, Ltd., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
GLD Enterprises Communications, Ltd., or GLD Communications, is an independent strategic communications and media production company based in southwestern Ohio. As we approach our 30th anniversary in 2027, I’m proud that we’ve maintained the same fundamental philosophy that inspired the company in the beginning: The story comes first.

We specialize in helping businesses, nonprofit organizations, professionals, and community leaders communicate who they are, what they do, and why it matters. That includes strategic public relations, professional writing and editorial services, video and documentary production, media relations, digital content, and communications consulting. We also provide professional coaching to help individuals develop their messaging, public presence, and communication skills.

What sets us apart is that our work begins with journalism rather than advertising. I approach a client’s project much as I would a feature story. I ask questions, listen carefully, research the subject, and look for the human element that makes the information meaningful. I’m less interested in telling an audience that a company is wonderful than in showing them something that allows them to reach that conclusion themselves.

I think that’s an important distinction in today’s media environment. We’re surrounded by promotional messages, automated content, and increasingly sophisticated technology capable of producing enormous amounts of material. But producing content and communicating something worthwhile are not necessarily the same thing. Technology can help tell a story, but it can’t replace the judgment, experience, and understanding required to recognize which story deserves to be told.

One of our signature offerings is what we call an Impact Story. It combines journalistic storytelling with professional video production, photography, editorial content, public relations, and digital media. Rather than producing disconnected marketing pieces, we develop a coordinated collection of communications assets that organizations can use across multiple platforms. The result is something with lasting value, whether the objective is building public awareness, explaining a complicated initiative, supporting fundraising, recruiting employees, or documenting an important milestone.

We also work with clients who simply need someone capable of taking a complicated subject and making it understandable. That’s a skill I’ve spent decades developing as a journalist and writer. Sometimes the most valuable thing we provide isn’t a video, article, or campaign. It’s helping someone discover what they’re actually trying to say and finding the clearest, most effective way to say it.

I’m particularly proud of the relationships we’ve developed over the years and the trust clients place in us. Many have invited us into projects involving sensitive information, important organizational changes, personal experiences, or community initiatives. That trust carries a responsibility I take seriously. Our job isn’t simply to make something look or sound good. It’s to represent people and organizations accurately, professionally, and with integrity.

I’m also proud that we’ve remained independent. That gives us the flexibility to approach projects creatively, work directly with clients, and recommend what we believe they actually need rather than trying to fit every assignment into a predetermined package. Not every organization needs a massive advertising campaign or an expensive production. Sometimes a carefully written story, a well-produced interview, or a thoughtful communications strategy can accomplish far more.

As we move toward our fourth decade, I want GLD Communications to continue being known for thoughtful work, professional integrity, and the ability to find meaningful stories where others might not think to look.

I often tell people that everyone has a story, but not everyone knows how to tell it. Helping them do that is the business we’ve built, and it’s work I still enjoy every day.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to work with me is to start a conversation. I enjoy learning about what people are doing, what they’re trying to accomplish, and where they might need help communicating their ideas. Sometimes that leads to a video production, a public relations project, a writing assignment, or an ongoing communications relationship. Other times, it’s simply an opportunity to offer some perspective or connect someone with the right resources.

Through GLD Communications, we work with businesses, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and professionals who recognize the value of thoughtful, credible communications. I’m particularly interested in projects that have a meaningful story behind them, whether it’s an organization’s impact on its community, an innovative business idea, or an individual whose experiences might inspire or inform others.

I’m also open to collaborating with other creative professionals, journalists, filmmakers, writers, and organizations whose skills and objectives complement our own. Some of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on began with an unexpected conversation.

Beyond GLD Communications, people can support my work by reading and sharing my weekly Deer In Headlines column and following The Jamestown Comet, our independent online news publication focused on local journalism and community information. Supporting independent journalism doesn’t always require spending money. Sometimes reading an article, sharing a story, or letting us know about something important happening in the community makes a real difference.

And, of course, referrals are always appreciated. If you know someone who has a story worth telling but isn’t sure how to tell it, I’d welcome an introduction.

Ultimately, I’m interested in building relationships, not simply collecting clients. After nearly 30 years in business, I’ve learned that the best opportunities usually begin with people getting to know one another, discovering common interests, and finding ways to accomplish something worthwhile together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gldcommunications.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GLDEnterprisesCommunications
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerydeer/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gldenterprisescommunicatio9278
• Other: https://jamestowncometnews.com/