The new media company for independent Americans

Paul Rieckhoff

Founder and CEO of Righteous Media, Rieckhoff is an entrepreneur, strategist and social entrepreneur who has spent more than two decades building organizations, brands and campaigns from the ground up — and advising the companies, foundations, networks and campaigns that need to reach America’s independent majority.

A former investment banker, Army Infantry Officer and 9/11 First Responder — and a gritty former high school football coach — he founded Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in 2004 and has been a respected fixture on the American media and political scene ever since. In 2024, he founded the high-impact organizations American Veterans for Ukraine and Independent Veterans of America, both designed to help veterans leverage their unique and powerful voices.

On the client side, he has developed and executed groundbreaking campaigns with leaders including USAA, JPMorgan, Aspiration, NASDAQ, AdCouncil, The Ford Foundation, HBO, NBC, Miller/Coors, Google, Victory Motorcycles, JCPenney and The Knight Foundation — and leads the Righteous consultancy for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies launching veterans programs to city governments, networks, tech start-ups and nonprofits. Read the Intuit case study.

He’s a nationally-recognized independent authority on politics, war, the military and veterans affairs, and a regular on MSNBC, CNN, NewsNation, Fox News and NPR — with appearances on hundreds of shows from Real Time with Bill Maher to Meet The Press to PBS Newshour. He’s testified before Congress, battled with Presidents, and led bi-partisan efforts to reform the VA, pass the New GI Bill, fight veteran suicide, and repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” — while forging partnerships with Lady Gaga, NASCAR and Netflix. He’s an author, Political Science professor, moderator and host, has produced four films and acted in Green Zone starring Matt Damon.

He’s also a proud husband and father of two awesome (and exhausting) little boys.