CWC: Our Industry is Evolving

Q: Tell me about some of your first jobs in comms.

My journey into communications was unconventional. I think growing up in Manhattan, I was attracted to PR, marketing and communications. I was a big fan girl, so I was always on street teams in middle school in high school for the bands I loved. I just I didn't, to be honest, that that was something that could eventually lead to a career in comms or mar comms.

I went to school for fashion merchandising. My major and my minor was creative writing, and this is because I wanted to be the next Anna Wintour. I thought that that was my trajectory.

I worked with Marc Ecko cut and sew team after they discovered my menswear Tumblr blog. I was still trying to find a way into fashion at the time, so it began with working in their digital communications department as an intern. I found out the licensing company that owned them also held many other brands, so I started asking “hey, is there space for me to come and intern in your comms department?” And so, I started doing that every summer and winter break for the rest of college. I had a job lined up the summer before my senior year because I had grown with them. I worked there for a while, but I started to feel like I had plateaued, just because I had been there since college.

I made the switch from working there, which was almost like an agency for me because even though it was a licensing company I worked across several accounts, so it did feel like an agency. And then I was working in-house for a French denim brand and that was cool because it just gave me my first taste of working on a more global scale. Right. I got to speak my first language, French, and I got to travel. So that was a really good run and then in that time, I met somebody who was hiring for an in-house role at a restaurant group. And at the time, it made sense for me because I'm like, Alright, it's where I want to be financially, but it also feels like a bit more like flexibility and freedom. I stayed there for about two years.

And then there was this voice in my head telling me that like, I want to do my own thing, but I also don't want to struggle.

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Q: What do you think really was the catalyst to send you out on your own?

I really had a desire to work with mission consistent organizations, and to be in the social impact space. And I think that is influenced again, by my upbringing. I started to take those steps try consulting on my own and work with brands that I feel like I have a vested interest and I'm passionate about. Fast forward to now, I'm a comms consultant. I have the nonprofit, the advocacy group, and I think taking different pathways has really shaped me into the type of comms professional that I am.

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Q: What does mission consistent mean to you?

?We’ve all heard purpose driven or mission aligned, right. But when I say mission consistent, for me, it really means organizations and brands, who don't only have the language right to say these are things that we believe in, but it shows up in their actions. ?

It's important to say mission consistent, because I think that many people can be values aligned with a company, but that consistency from where we've started to where we are now to where we hope to be where we haven't strayed away from to who we say we're helping is so important. For me, it's important to work with people in organizations and be in spaces where the commitment to the work is basically the North star. It means organizations and brands are threading that needle consistently and I think are more so led by their integrity versus like all the other external factors that could influence or force you to maybe change how you're showing up.

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Q: How can folks early in their careers seek out jobs that really align with their values and passions?

I think that's a good question. As somebody who has experienced that, it's not a hard decision when you're talking about the thing that you're passionate and care about in the long term. What I have found is when I when I stay in spaces, or when I choose to do something that I know that I like I there's tension there, it always ends up coming back to bite me.

If you're finding yourself in a space where you don't necessarily feel aligned or you know, it's not where you want to be, I think if you don't have the circumstances to be able to pivot, I think start by leaning into the aspects that you do connect with. One of the things I did early on, knowing that I like really wanted to be in the social impact space, was seeing the ways that I can use my career as a vehicle for advocacy, right? And so maybe I couldn't move jobs, but I could consider what are the things that I can do that will allow me to create the space that I want to be in within the industry that I'm in already, right? I would find ways to lead any type of social good campaigns, or messaging and narrative work around that those kinds of things are things that I like and that light me up. Lean into some of those skills that you want to have when you do find some of that more values-aligned work.

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Q: That's a good segue to talking about non-traditional backgrounds and the road to careers in comms and PR. I would love to your you know your take on that and what the industry is maybe doing well, and where it needs to grow?

I'm a big advocate of the nonlinear path, because I think that there are multiple pathways to success. You hear a lot in our industry specifically about a pipeline problem. I think that's a little bit true, but it's not the most honest take on why we are where we are. I think we have some of the issues we have in industry because of an adherence to traditional entry points and expectations. But I also think it's important to recognize that like, there's so many different skill sets that can contribute to this field. I think that's where innovation really comes from so, I think one of the great things about PR and comms is that so many other skill sets that you might have from other industries are transferable and they're valuable in our space.

A lot of PR is about being a strong writer and a storyteller. You can get that background journalism, creative writing and these other fields and that creates a great foundation for PR, but also like if you've worked in sales, so much of what we do is relationship management. Bringing relationship-building and interpersonal to the table is super important.? And so, I think we talk about like, I think why it's important right and creativity and thinking outside the box.

The diversity that embracing non-traditional backgrounds brings to the fold for our industry is undeniable. I think we are doing a much better job at it than we were when I got into the industry, there was a lot of pushback around nontraditional experience. When you know brand management and social media and content, it used to be “well that’s not PR, or media relations.” But I think we have so many opportunities for strategic thinkers and creative storytellers, and I think we should be embracing that. What we can do better is that we should be addressing nontraditional applicants differently. So it shouldn't be that we make assumptions that only somebody who studied comms is going to excel in comms, right?

Even from an educational point of view, something that I have a lot of frustration towards is when we make assumptions about four-year college as a prerequisite. I know brilliant people who went to a two-year college, who are some of the best comms professionals I know. I'd like to see us lean more into celebrating the unique perspectives that people bring to the table, because honestly, that's what's going to drive innovation and creativity. And I think that also reflects the diversity of the people we are looking to reach.

Ultimately, I'm excited, I think that we are lucky enough to be a part of an industry that can make room for so many different types of peoples and skill sets. And I think the future of PR relies on us being able to lean into that.

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Q: I've heard you speak about past toxic work experiences, and specifically you noticing Black people transitioning out of the industry, and I really would love you to dig in on that.

I always tell people that my experience in comms has been one that been filled with really great things and then a lot of challenges. I identify as a Black immigrant Muslim woman, and so in any regard a lot of the spaces that I show up in feel like I'm navigating something that wasn't built for me to succeed. And so, one of the challenges I've had is that I'm constantly having to make up for the shortfall between what I feel like I'm being handed and what I actually want, and I'm demanding of it. Early on in my career, with my identity, I developed a sense that I was finding myself in spaces that weren't meant for me to be there. And I don't think it's because I wasn't qualified, but it's just because I felt like I wasn’t wanted, and this shows that showed up in many ways. That led to some of those toxic experiences - it's microaggressions, a lack of external resources that I think like really would have helped me grow in my career that just felt like they were not being offered or given to me, and that experience isn't unique.

I think we're well intentioned in the comms industry, but I don't think we always cultivate an environment where Black professionals, specifically, are able to thrive. I think that there's systemic barriers across the board that keep Black PR pros from reaching their full potential. And early on in my career, I entered the industry with a lot of other black women. We ere all working in PR and comms and as the years passed, I watched so many of them transition out of the industry, I think due to a lack of support in their own toxic work environments, or they were dealing with microaggressions, but they were being relegated to only working on like urban accounts and no one really was investing in their growth for retention. I think it speaks to just a trend that we see where we're like there needs to be a significant change in industries, we need to create spaces where Black professionals can feel valued, respected and supported. I think this means the hard work of addressing systemic barriers, right? How are we unconsciously adding to and keeping these toxic practices in place at agencies.

Also, investing in the growth and development of Black talent is something I'm very passionate about, because I think it's not it's nice to be mentored, but I don't think we're standing in the gap for Black PR pros.

But, despite challenges, I have a lot of optimism and hope. I believe in the power of our industry to really drive change and make a difference. That’s why I like to talk about this so much. As I continue to advance in my career, I continue to be a voice for inclusion, a voice for equity to support Black PR pros and to use any platform I have to pursue that change. We need more Black leaders at tables, and I think we also need more allies who are committed to breaking down barriers. It's also why I hold someone like Michael Kaye ??? in such high regard because Michael speaks my name into rooms that I am not in. He continues to amplify my voice and work, and its consistent. ?haven't, you know, well probably I'm not in and he's always looking for opportunities to amplify the work. ???

We are collectively doing this work and that's what helps us to really create an industry that I think reflects, not only diversity through Black professionals, but the diversity of the world that we live in.

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Q: Tell me about The PR Girl Manifesto and Hold The PRess .

?Both were born out of a deep desire to create change and have support for professionals that just came from diverse backgrounds. I wanted to create a space where comms professionals could find community with people who share their same values. As I mentioned, the stuff that I was going through wasn't like unique to me, and so I knew that these weren't isolated experiences. I just wanted to build a space that celebrated PR pros, and where the knowledge-sharing and mentorship didn't feel transactional.

Hold the PRess came into fruition about four years ago. It was initially a response to PR firms and agencies sharing words of solidarity in reaction to the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. We saw a bunch of black squares on the internet, and it was just it felt like a bit like an out of body experience. Because we know in practice, for those of us who are Black employees, we know that we're underrepresented in that industry. And so, it was co-founded with three other amazing Black women who are in the comms space, and we were just tired of the lip service and wanted to hold up a mirror to these agencies. When we're asking for diversity data, it's not because we know don’t what the data is gonna reveal, but rather to put it out there because we can only start from a place of being transparent. We need to have a real conversation about what the reality is and start to change, right? It's more than words for me or just like momentary or reactionary thing. I'm big on sustained action, and just ensuring that one, the current professionals that exist in this environment are in a safe space, but also the next generation of professionals have the support, they have the opportunities and the access that they deserve. So, it's a labor of love.

I will say that, but my hope is that through this work and engaging people in it that we can collectively create an industry that everyone can thrive in, no matter where you come from, what your background is, that your voice is heard, and your contributions are valued.

??QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS??

Q: Coffee, mocktail, or cocktail?

Mocktail. Anything with cucumber in it.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

?I love a little rom com book.

Q: Are you an extrovert or introvert?

An introvert who cosplayed as an extravert?

Q: Favorite publication to read.

I will say I read the Atlantic a lot.

Q: What’s it like to work in comms?

Evolving.

Q: Do you think AI will ever take your job?

No! There's just so much nuance and lived experiences and perspective and it's gonna take a while for AI to be able to handle that.

Q: Who inspires you?

I am inspired by people who choose to chart their own paths. I'm deeply influenced by those type of people because I think they show me what is possible for my own life.

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