Who is Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam?

Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam is the President of Point Taken Communications, a Jacksonville-based public relations and marketing firm serving hospitality, lifestyle, and health & wellness brands nationwide.

With a background in television news production and reporting, Michelle brings a media-first perspective to campaigns designed to increase visibility, trust, bookings, leads, and long-term brand growth.

Michelle specializes in hospitality public relations, AI search visibility, influencer relations, media strategy, and performance-driven marketing campaigns that connect earned media to measurable business outcomes. Her work has helped hotels, restaurants, and lifestyle brands secure national media coverage, strengthen brand authority, and drive revenue-focused results.

Under Michelle’s leadership, Point Taken has supported brands including Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Salumeria 104, and The Hotel at the University of Maryland.

Michelle is also an emerging voice in AI visibility and generative engine optimization (GEO), helping brands improve visibility in platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. She writes about AI, marketing, and communications trends for Hotel Executive.

She believes public relations should do more than generate awareness. It should drive action, influence decisions, and support measurable business growth.

To view Gilliam’s resume, click here.

Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam’s Background

Gilliam is a former television producer, reporter and fill-in anchor who has worked for The People’s Court and various local TV stations. Gilliam has also served as a producer of private conferences for the United States military, arranging presentation topics, booking speakers and managing profit and loss for events. 

After moving from the Northeastern United States to Jacksonville, Fla., Gilliam oversaw public relations for a AAA Four-Diamond resort in Amelia Island. She then worked as a PR account manager at a marketing communications firm. She has also worked in-house at a nonprofit organization in the development department. Gilliam started Point Taken in 2012 and has helped dozens of clients grow their businesses and nonprofit organizations.

A graduate of Villanova University, Gilliam studied in Sevilla, Spain and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is conversational in Spanish.

Since starting Point Taken, Michelle and Point Taken have helped countless companies of all sizes and nonprofit organizations enhance their brands, better engage their customers and donors, and reach new audiences through innovative marketing and communications campaigns. Today, these brands have continued to prosper due to her work.

Gilliam lives in Jacksonville with her husband, son and their boxer, Roxanne (Annie).

Coverage Secured by Point Taken

Gilliam’s marketing and communications work extends across the globe, and she has secured both national and international coverage for a variety of clients in publications such as USA Today, The Daily Mirror, Forbes, MSNBC, Fox News and People, which has led to additional sales and donations.

To see more coverage secured by Point Taken, click here. To see influencer coverage obtained by Point Taken, click here.

Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam’s Professional Recognition

Gilliam is a graduate of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship Small Business Executive Program, a member of the Jacksonville Women’s Network and a former winner of Pet Age Magazine’s Women of Influence awards. Gilliam was also named a Women of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal in 2023.

Michelle Guglielmo Gilliam’s Philanthropic Work

She is actively involved in the Jacksonville community, where she serves on the board of the North Florida School of Special Education,  has served as a mentor for Jacksonville Business Journal’s Mentoring Monday, and as a speaker for the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida’s Nonprofit Works conference. An accomplished public speaker, Gilliam has emceed Thrive! on behalf of the Women’s Center of Jacksonville, helping women tell stories of resilience after the pandemic. Previously,  she served as president of the Springfield Mommies’ Group, director of marketing for the Springfield Animal Care and Rescue Club, public relations director for the Northeast Florida Builders Association Sales and Marketing Council, and has volunteered with the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville. She is currently a member of HSMAI, the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, and has also been a member of the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.