Tommy O’Shaughnessy · Marketing VP and Civic Organizer, St. Louis

I use data to tell stories that drive real results.

I'm the VP of Marketing at Clever Real Estate, where I built the PR and research team behind studies cited by The New York Times and Bloomberg. I run the content engine that has saved 200,000+ customers over $220M in realtor fees. I use those same skills to make political noise and hold local government accountable.

Tommy O'Shaughnessy interviewed by KMOV News 4 at St. Louis City Hall
Talking with KMOV News 4 outside the Board of Aldermen chambers at St. Louis City Hall.
Marketing

VP of Marketing at Clever Real Estate

Clever is a real estate tech start-up based in St. Louis. I lead consumer marketing: the content, PR, research, and paid campaigns that bring home buyers and sellers to Clever.

In 2018, I started Clever's PR and Research department. Our data studies on housing costs and buying and selling homes get cited by The New York Times, CNBC, Business Insider, Bloomberg, and more.

Since then, I've scaled a content team, a social media team, and run million dollar paid ad campaign budgets to drive sustainable growth.

  • Data-driven PR studies, surveys, press
  • Media pitching national and local
  • Content and SEO search-led growth
  • Paid social UGC and creative testing
  • Short-form video TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Shorts
  • Building with AI tools, sites, workflows

B.A. in Journalism, magna cum laude, University of Missouri Columbia

What I've built

1

A PR and research team

Started from scratch in 2018. Writers, analysts, and outreach specialists who turn surveys and market data into stories reporters want.

15,000+media placements
2

Consumer growth channels

Search content, paid social, and UGC video that bring buyers and sellers to Clever's brands.

$6Min high-margin ARR
3

AI-powered marketing tools

Reporting dashboards, ad analysis, and content workflows that let a small team move fast.

15AI-enabled team members
How I work

The playbook

The same three steps that work for a housing study also drive action from local government officials and bureaucrats.

1

Find the story in the data

Find the one number that matters: a cost, a gap, a date. Everything else supports it.

2

Make it easy to understand

Plain words and real numbers. If a reader can't repeat it in one sentence, rewrite it.

3

Give people one easy action

Click, share, sign, or call. Make the next step take less than a minute, then measure it.

Outside of work

Using marketing for better local government

The flag of the City of St. Louis

I care about how St. Louis is run. I built CityHallWakeupCall.com to hold city government accountable when it lets residents down, and I plan to keep using it. The first case: for 18 years and four mayors, the city ignored federal warnings about its railroad crossings. In September 2026, it lost its quiet zone, and freight trains started blowing horns at every crossing, all night. I ran a campaign to get City Hall to own the failure and fix it fast.

  • Built the platform: one-click emails to City Hall, a petition, and an original song, "18 Years."
  • Took it public: pitched reporters, posted short-form video, and spoke at committee hearings.
  • Earned coverage: three local TV stations and a Post-Dispatch column by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Messenger.

The results: Driving the city to action

Crews
When it startedOne crew
Now20 Traffic Division workers on repairs
Hours
When it startedMonday–Friday schedule
NowOvertime available over the weekend
Signs
When it startedStandard ordering
NowSigns purchased ahead of schedule
Updates
When it started"Prior administration" blame
NowWeekly public progress updates
Relief
When it startedHorns until all 187 crossings pass
NowQuiet zones come back corridor by corridor
Cost
When it started$750,000 in material costs
Now$105,000 for paint and signs

"O'Shaughnessy updates his website every day, hoping it will hold the city accountable."

Tony Messenger, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 4, 2026
Press

In the news

Local advocacy

Coverage of CityHallWakeupCall.com and the fight over St. Louis train horns.

St. Louis Post-DispatchTony Messenger · Oct. 4, 2026
Train horns in St. Louis spark a song, a website and a burst of advocacy
FOX 2 St. LouisSept. 2026
St. Louis residents frustrated by return of train horns; city vows to act
KSDK 5 On Your SideOct. 8, 2026
St. Louis pledges swift action to restore 'quiet zones' amid prolonged train horn disruptions
KMOV First Alert 4Oct. 7, 2026
St. Louis City rushes to restore railroad crossing quiet zones

Clever coverage

Stories that cite studies from Clever's PR and Research team.

The New York TimesNov. 2024
Here's where minimum-wage workers can actually afford rent
CNBCAug. 2022
72% of recent homebuyers have regrets about their purchases
CNN BusinessDec. 2023
Four tips to save on real estate commissions
Business InsiderSept. 2024
Most baby boomer homeowners won't sell, straining housing supply
Bloomberg OpinionAug. 2025
Wealth gap between boomers and millennials, Gen Z is growing
Contact

Let's nerd out.

Marketing, PR, advocacy, St. Louis politics — if you have a project you care about, reach out to me. If our values align, I'll figure out how I can help.