You’ve got the degree, you’ve got the desire, now where do you start when looking for a great place to increase your skills and understanding in public relations. Well, if you happen to be looking in the Los Angeles area, here are a few great firms to research. No matter where you start your career, expect to put in long hours and deal with some clients who are in crisis mode.
Edelman PR. Some of the comments from current employees talk about the opportunities for learning and growth and the positive working environment. The company offers a global network and is the largest PR firm worldwide. If PR is where you want to continue, Edelman is a premier spot to start your career and learn from a wide variety of PR pros.
PR is a 24-hour-a-day type of job, so recognize when you are in your early years in the business, you are going to work long hours no matter what firm you represent. In any large firm, office politics also raises its ugly head frequently. So, when you look for a job in PR, factor those in and decide what you most want to get out of your experience at a firm.
If you are looking for the opportunity to work with high-end global clients and have the largest PR firm as part of your resume. Edelman’s may be just the ticket.
Because the firm is large and has many divisions, if you are hired there, it could be in any number of specialty areas. Their clients include companies such as EBay, General Electric, Starbucks, Microsoft, Unilever, and AstraZeneca.
Go to Edelman jobs to see job openings with the company.
Cerrell Associates. If you are interested in making a PR career more focused on public policy, politics, government, energy, or land use and planning, Cerrell could be a great fit for you. They blend communication skills and community outreach efforts with governmental advocacy, leading-edge tech, and political involvement.
Cerrell is well established since it was founded in 1966, and they usually have a full-time staff of 20-25 people.
They are affiliated with the Worldwide Public Relations Group for times when they need PR work in locations where they don’t have offices. Clients are well-known California, national, and global entities such as Uber, 24-Hour Fitness, Clear Channel Outdoors, LA County Dept. of Public Works, Time-Warner Cable, and Turner Construction.
If you want to know more about Cerrell, go to Cerrell.com.
Konnect Public Relations. Konnect PR is a firm that specializes in creating custom campaigns for food & beverage, lifestyle, baby & children, and franchised companies. They have offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin, but the Los Angeles office is their headquarters. They opened shop in 2009 with four people. Now they employ 30 or more and have 60+ clients. Several of their clients have been with the firm since the beginning. That’s how much they enjoy working with the company.
Konnect is predominantly female workers, and often there are only women on staff. They don’t exclude men, just keep in mind that 75% of PR professionals are women, so there are bound to be firms with only women working there from time to time.
Since many of their clients have products with women as the target, it’s a natural for women to work there. In 2013, the LA Business Journal ranked them #7 on their Best Places to work in the Small Business Category.
This firm is run by three dynamic women. Some of their current clients include Dave and Busters, Nautica, Bratz, Nuna, Krave Jerky, Rocko Dispirito, and Fatburger.
If you want to apply for a job with Konnect, send your resume to tblank@konnect-pr.com.
BLAZE. Blaze Public Relations opened their doors in 1990 and since then have worked with more than 250 clients. Their clients are generally in the health and beauty, travel, entertainment, hospitality, destinations, restaurants, food, and beverage, realty, sports, and financial sectors.
They work with local clients as well as ones with global name recognition.
Blaze PR were recently named one of the 10 Best Sports PR Firms by CMPR. And President Matt Kovacs won PR Executive of the Year award from PR World Awards.
Blaze is owned by a parent company, Davies Public Affairs and Kovacs advises PR students (and employees too) to network often, always be improving your writing skills, and learn to use the phone instead of always emailing. Some of their past and present clients include Revlon, Reebok, ESPN, Ski Utah, Marriott Hotels, Viking River Cruises, Friskies, Marina Heights, and Mrs. Fields.
Go to careers/search results to see the current job listings, or email Blaze PR directly.
The Hispanic market is a core component of the company. But it’s not just about the language or showing Hispanics in ads, they assist clients in developing content for various marketing channels – keeping it culturally relevant. Some of the clients on their current roster include Listen Up Espanol, Urban Home, Celeb Luxury, Up2Us, and EVA Airways.
Read about their code of ethics and mission statement here to see if you are a good fit for their company.
If you are looking for a PR job in the City of Angels, these would all be great places to start. Some others you might consider include, W2O Group, IW Group, Coyne PR, also has a branch in the LA area.