Rannah Gray

Rannah Gray is a public relations consultant whose career highlights include Louisiana’s two favorite pastimes—politics and sports. Her work as a political media producer has been honored with numerous national awards, including three Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants and eight Telly Awards, including two Classic Tellys for outstanding television produced over the past 20 years. Politics Magazine named her one of the Top 100 Influencers in Louisiana. In Baton Rouge, Sales and Marketing Executives International named her Marketer of the Year, and Business Report Magazine listed her as one of the city’s Influential Women in Business.  

For 13 years, she served as Associate Athletic Director at Louisiana State University, where she led one of the country’s most successful collegiate sports marketing programs, managing advertising, corporate partnerships, event promotions, radio and television programming, and ticket operations for 20 teams.

She previously served as Undersecretary to the Louisiana Secretary of State.

She is a graduate of LSU with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Journalism. While she is a prolific writer, having served as a speechwriter, spokesperson, and image maker for clients throughout the country, Familiar Evil was her first book.

Familiar Evil has won 14 national and international book awards, including five Gold Medals and three Silver for Best New Nonfiction and Best True Crime. Rannah speaks throughout the country to share the story of Familiar Evil.

Rannah is a native of Chatawa, Mississippi, and resides in Baton Rouge where she provides expertise in advertising and public relations, media production, and community engagement to a broad base of clients.

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Mary Jane Marcantel

Mary Jane Marcantel was not only the first paralegal in Louisiana, but the first criminal paralegal when she went to work for Camille Gravel, Jr. almost 40 years ago. Mr. Gravel, Jr. had been Executive Counsel to three Louisiana Governors and had political ties throughout the United States. She learned from Mr. Gravel that when you have a special ability to help others, you do so without fanfare and credit. She has done that in both her professional career and in her private life.

She is well known among judges, prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers in Louisiana. Besides Mr. Gravel, she has worked for many of the well-known defense lawyers in Louisiana helping defend people charged in high profile white collar federal cases involving Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Sheriff’s, Police Chief’s and other political figures. She has also helped defend people charged with murder, sexual crimes, drug offenses and other street type crimes, and has worked with law enforcement agencies in helping them in various matters involving issues for their agencies.  

Mary Jane is a mother of two children and grandmother to five granddaughters. She loves to spend time with both her real family and her chosen family who are also very special to her. She loves to cook and many times have a number of people sitting around her table with lively conversation enjoying Louisiana foods. She enjoys salt water fishing and often those fish are on her table.