Today is World PR Day, an annual celebration of the work PR and communications professionals do around the globe. It got me thinking about my own journey into this ever-evolving industry.
Before I ever stepped foot into a PR agency, I started my career on the editorial side in Chicago. I loved being in a newsroom bullpen, but the highlight was always when I got to craft a story that truly felt unique. This led to my transition to PR and communications in New York City, and over 15 years later, I’ve had the chance to cut my teeth on everything from Series C funding to last minute presentation updates at CES. Today, as a Senior Vice President at DBC, I continue to be fascinated by the pace of innovation in our space, and getting a thrill from taking complex technologies and translating them into clear, compelling narratives.
But my path is just one of many. PR is an industry of diverse backgrounds, hidden talents, and happy accidents. To celebrate World PR Day, I asked our team at DBC to share exactly how they found their way into public relations.
Here is what they had to say:
“I actually found my way into PR slightly by accident. After my first year of college, I still wasn’t entirely sure of the path that I wanted to take. After a conversation with my academic advisor, she suggested I attend a PRSSA meeting. At the first meeting I went to, a few alumni who were working in PR came to speak about their careers and I was intrigued. After that, I did some additional research on the industry and networking on LinkedIn. That ultimately led to a summer internship opportunity that confirmed PR was the right path for me.”
“As a kid, I was always interested in the news. In fact, my parents would be happy to show you the newspapers I created when I was young! Realizing that it might be a tough field to break into with so many changes taking place over the years, I decided on one of the fields closest to it in PR. Now, I help my clients leverage the news cycle and make them newsmakers of their own.”
“I started with journalism, but came to realize that PR enabled me to leverage what I loved about that profession – how people access information – with my interest in how people processed information and derived action from it. This enabled me to utilize behavioral psychology elements to motivate targets to specific outcomes.”
“I fell into PR through an internship in college at a company called TerraCycle which ‘upcycles’ hard-to-recycle waste. I believed in their mission to help the planet and I was thrilled to be able to see the measurable impact my work had on the business. That summer internship taught me to storytell and jump-started my love for PR.”
“Growing up, I was always drawn to communication. So much so that nearly every report card included a comment about how much I talked. As I got older and started writing more papers, I realized I really enjoyed distilling complex ideas into clear, concise writing rather than adding unnecessary fluff. When it came time to choose a college major, journalism felt like the natural fit. PR was definitely on my radar, but my university didn’t have a dedicated communications program, and my journalism education naturally kept me focused on the reporting side of the industry. While job searching after graduation, I was fortunate to be introduced to Bill Daddi and the world of ad tech PR. It turned out to be the perfect fit, combining my love of writing, storytelling, and translating complex topics into something people can easily understand.”
“I’ve always loved writing, and before I even knew what PR was, I found myself doing publicity for theatre productions I was involved in. When I discovered public relations as a college major, it clicked. I could combine my love of storytelling, writing and problem-solving. I’ve also always been fascinated by how public perception is shaped, making PR feel like the perfect fit.”
The Bottom Line
The tools we use to communicate are constantly changing, but the demand for authentic, strategic storytelling is more essential than ever. Whether we are digging into data, pitching provocative POVs, or translating complex ad tech capabilities, the heart of PR remains the people behind it.
Happy World PR Day from all of us at DBC!