Readers share Brown Palace memories
The Denver Business Journal asked readers to share memories of the Brown Palace and our very own James Wall was featured.
From James Wall, head of Agency 33: “I got into the PR business at the Brown Palace. Gerry Freeman, my cranky old Bronx-Jewish mentor invited me to lunch there back in 1996. Out of the blue, he offered me a job (after imbibing at least a couple of glasses of red wine).
“I had moved to Denver from Cambridge, England in 1994 where I’d worked as a lawyer at a large, Cambridge firm. I came over here, took and passed the Colorado Bar, but soon became disenchanted with the practice of law, US-style.
“I had a great interest in marketing and advertising, but soon realized that PR sounded like a lot more challenging and fun (having spoken informally with a lot of ad and PR pros). One of those pros mentioned Gerry Freeman, a former New York real estate PR guru who had moved from New York to a ranch in Jeffco a few years earlier. Gerry was an Anglophile, he told me, and appreciated people with broad experience.
“So, I contacted Gerry who immediately invited me to lunch. His first choice was 240 Union in Lakewood but I was still working as an attorney downtown so he agreed to meet me in Denver. The Brown Palace was his choice for lunch at the time (he soon switched to the Palm) so we met there. Gerry offered me a job mainly because I was British and was educated at Eton College – a school that has produced 19 British prime ministers (including the current one) and royalty (Princes William and Harry).
“The salary: $25K to start.
“Five years later I was Gerry and his wife, Sharon’s, business partner and rest is history.”
