Campus Voices - Charlie Arnot

Charlie Arnot is founder and CEO of Look East and founder of the Center for Food Integrity.

A 1986 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism & Mass Communications, Arnot started his career in radio at KLIN radio in Lincoln before moving into video and film, where he worked on documentaries like Michael Moore's “Roger and Me.” While working in film production, Arnot's interest in public relations grew, and he shifted career paths when he joined the public relations team Premium Standard Farms, a pork producer in Missouri, in 1993. At first, Arnot was confident in his work.

"We spent a lot of time defending our positions, talking about science, talking about our economic impact and attacking those who attacked us," Arnot said.

Over time, he said he realized that their strategy wasn't very effective. 

He left Premium Standard Farms in 2004 and then opened Look East, an employee-owned public relations consulting firm in Kansas City, Missouri, focusing on building trust rather than defending a position.

"If you're focused on building trust, you'll engage in very, very different strategies," he said.  

In 2007, Arnot helped found the Center for Food Integrity, a group of companies, associations and nongovernmental organizations that have come together to build trust in the food system. He credits the founding as his greatest professional achievement because he is working to shift the paradigm of communicating successfully about agriculture-related issues. 

Arnot returned to the UNL campus in early April as the 2024 Alumni Master from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. The Alumni Masters program honors UNL alumni who have demonstrated success and leadership in their fields.