Russell Newell's inspiration and his love for storytelling come from his life experiences and his life's work in the communications industry.
Currently, Newell is a writer for Disney|ABC Television Group at the Walt Disney Company, where he crafts speeches and stories for the senior leadership team to address audiences worldwide.
Previously, Newell served for 14 months in Baghdad as the Senior Media Advisor for the spokesman for Multi-National Forces-Iraq, where he provided strategic communications counsel to U.S. leadership during a critical time in Iraq’s history.
Newell has also served as a speechwriter for four Cabinet secretaries and Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida. It was as Governor Bush’s chief speechwriter during an event for National Missing Children’s Day that Newell first conceived of writing about a kidnapped child and a parent’s tormented reaction in The Boy and What Might Have Been.
Newell grew up in Massachusetts and is married with two young sons.