Brian Keeler, Democratic Candidate for NYS Senate

"Brian Keeler is one of the most intelligent and dedicated people in internet politics, and his devotion to making people's lives better, every day and in every way, cannot be too highly praised.”

-- Stirling Newberry

Brian Keeler is a progressive Democratic candidate with a "netroots" background. He began his political activism as writer and founding member of two online organizations, Political Cortex and ePluribus Media, the largest citizen investigative journalism organization on the Internet. Through his work with ePluribus, Keeler was part of the team that broke the Jeff Gannon story in January 2005 (Gannon was the phony Republican White House reporter who turned out to be a male escort) and helped expose a large part of the “Republican Media Complex.” Today, Keeler also contributes to Daily Kos, one of the Internet’s most popular political watchdogs.

Proud of the role he played in pushing for accountability in government and its relationship with the media, Keeler realized there was much more he should do. After witnessing his neighbors lose their IBM pensions, learning of well water contamination in his home town of Hopewell Junction, and feeling the devastating effects of skyrocketing costs of health care and school and property taxes, Keeler has decided to take a leadership role in solving those problems by running for New York State Senate.

Keeler and his wife, Peggity Price-Keeler, have been residents of Hopewell Junction for 17 years. He has spent much of his life sharing his knowledge, passion, and talent through the performing arts. After receiving a BA in History at Duke University he earned his Masters of Fine Arts from UNC-Chapel Hill. His first job was with the North Carolina Arts Council, when he traveled throughout the western part of the state to introduce drama to junior high and high school students. He spent the next 30 years building a successful career as a performer, teacher, writer and activist. He was associate artistic director of the Weathervane Theatre in New Hampshire (1975-1978) and a founding member of Merely Players (1978-1984), a play development group in New York that sent works to Broadway and theatre around the world. Keeler has appeared in countless stage productions and television commercials. He has recorded hundreds of voice-overs for television and narrated audio books. Today he teaches at the School for Film and Television in New York City and is a core faculty member of the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, Colorado.

He also runs Actorfactor Communications, a small business consulting firm. Through Actorfactor, Keeler created and implemented the business plan for The First Tee, a youth development organization dedicated to introducing life skills to children. By creating partnerships between federal, state and local governments and private interests, The First Tee has established 250 chapters across the US and has positively impacted the lives of over half a million children and young adults.