PR leaders

Today, a Q&A with the Founder & CEO of Brandinc PR, Brandi Sims. Brandinc PR is a full-service, Oklahoma based Public Relations agency committed to developing cohesive strategic communication plans that ensure your company’s success. We take pride in our outside-the-box approach and dedication to turn brand communication into engaging and value-generating conversations that get you the recognition you deserve. Founded by CEO Brandi Sims in 2020, Brandinc PR is focused on serving public figures and businesses with speciality in beauty, lifestyle and entertainment brands. What inspired you to start your PR agency during the pandemic? To jumpstart my entrepreneurial vision,... Read More >

Judith R. King is the founder and owner of King + Company, one of the industry’s leading independent public relations and strategic marketing firms.  She stands at the forefront of her New York-based firm’s commitment to bring together the best of traditional and digital public relations, seamlessly integrating the firm’s high-impact media relations with deep social media expertise and strategic communications campaigns. [What follows is a brief conversation with this leader. 1.       How did you get started in public relations? For many years, I was a very busy advertising copywriter in New York, conceptualizing sharply targeted advertising campaigns and writing highly recognized... Read More >

Today, a Q & A with the President of French/West/Vaughan, David Gwyn What are some ways FWV has pivoted or evolved since the pandemic began?   FWV has done a tremendous job on behalf of our clients in keeping their marketing messaging and brand touch points moving forward over the past year. Just using our long-time client Wrangler as an example, FWV and the brand executed two virtual product line reviews with New York City media members; we hosted a “Can’t Stop Country” virtual concert series on Wrangler’s digital platform The Wrangler Network; and the agency worked closely with rodeo’s governing body – the Professional... Read More >

What is JJ Studio and how did it come about?  JJ Studio was founded by Janeesa Hollingshead and me in the summer of 2020 to provide marketing, operations, and product launch services to startups. Prior to JJ Studio, Janeesa and I have each spent over a decade in leadership roles at tech startups around the world, most recently for 4 (Julia) and 6 (Janeesa) years at Uber. Due to a covid-driven mass-layoff, Janeesa and I lost our jobs as Head of Expansion and Head of Central Operations at Uber and decided to join forces to found JJ Studio. In the past... Read More >

1) How did you get your start in SEO? I think most people who have been doing it for a while got their start in SEO accidentally. In 2001, I had a mobile DJ company. I was paying for college with the GI Bill and the money I was making by DJing weddings. I wanted to reach brides coming to Las Vegas for a destination wedding, and I had an idea to build a web directory for brides to connect with wedding vendors -- DJs, banquet halls, photographers, florists, etc. So I hired a developer to build the site, “WeddingMall.com.” He... Read More >

There are hundreds of quotes about clouds, so why should it be any different in marketing? Like those clouds that pass overhead and continually evolve and reshape themselves, cloud marketing, too, has gone through many changes. Most marketers agree that cloud marketing aims to reach consumers where they frequent, whether it’s social media, websites, or email. But from there, one can find many differences in priorities and approach. One of the primary reasons is that historically, many marketers have singular focuses on customer acquisition or management of different forms of engagement. The result is scattered cloud cover. The nucleus of... Read More >

Interview today with Hugh Burnham, CEO of Silicon Valley-based Lumina Communications. Can you tell us a bit about Lumina Communications? Lumina Communications is a B2B tech public relations firm with offices in Silicon Valley and Manhattan, New York. Lumina’s team of driven PR professionals are passionate, creative and determined to help businesses differentiate and win in crowded markets. With specialized expertise in public relations, social media, creative and content marketing, Lumina’s PR campaigns have led to IPOs or strategic acquisition exits yielding enterprise value well in excess of $30B. Our team helps businesses develop strong brands and capture the media spotlight to achieve their strategic... Read More >

Today, a Q & A with Amy Scissons, who is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Russell Reynolds Associates, a global leadership advisory and search firm. She is a results-delivery marketing executive with an exceptional record of success in leveraging digital and traditional platforms to support business growth objectives. Amy brings over 20 years of experience leading and developing go-to-market strategies for firms across the globe. Skilled in end-to-end marketing management, her expertise includes integrated marketing strategy, demand generation, customer-centric digital/data-driven marketing and leading high-performance teams. Prior to her current position, Amy served as Chief Marketing Officer for Mercer’s International... Read More >

Public Relations industry veteran Mike Paffmann is CEO of a new PR agency, Virgo PR, a full-service PR, Digital PR, and digital marketing agency for clients of all sectors. Paffmann is an industry veteran, with extensive experience representing clients in enterprise technology, AI, cloud, and data.  His background is highlighted by work with IBM, App Annie, and leading HR tech companies such as JazzHR, Glint (acquired by LinkedIn and PeopleDoc (acquired by Ultimate Software). He has also done extensive work with avatar tech leader Genies.  Paffmann has worked as a Vice President at Clarity PR, 5WPR, and San Francisco-based Highwire PR. Initial clients include Genies,... Read More >

The Sway Effect is a network of independent marketing and communications agencies. At the heart of its work, The Sway Effect is focused on “swaying” opinion and influencing outcomes on behalf of clients while putting diversity, equity and inclusion at the center of everything. The Sway Effect partners with its clients – which sit across various industries from healthcare and technology, to nonprofits and retail – to serve as an extension of their internal teams. Following is a Q&A we conducted recently with Jennifer Risi, Founder and President of The Sway Effect.  How did you get started in PR? As a student at Barnard College at Columbia University, I set... Read More >