CELEBRATING NATIONAL PUBLICIST DAY
Today is a big day in our world. It is National Publicist Day! National Publicist Day is a day of appreciation and recognition of public relations professionals, and all of the hard work they do on a daily basis. Here at Choice, we are honored to have a team of extremely intelligent, kind, determined publicists that truly deserve to be honored more than just one day a year. Today, you’ll hear from them on things like what they enjoy about Public Relations, their craziest stories in this industry, and their favorite moments.
Olivia Parven | Senior Publicist
Why I Love This Profession?
I love PR because I get to do one of my favorite things everyday – write! For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved writing and I learned at a very young age that I would steer clear of any profession that involved math (numbers scare me). PR allows me to hone in on my creative writing and use the written word to tell a story. There is just something about crafting the perfect pitch or contributed piece that is almost an art form and is so rewarding. I take so much pride in getting to writing for my clients. I also love PR because I get to work with so many amazing movers and shakers in a variety of industries. I have the pleasure of telling our clients stories through the written word, and it’s a pleasure to help them achieve their goals.
A Favorite Moment as a PR Professional?
In my previous position, I worked with many restaurants and often coordinated media and influencer previews for new menus, events, etc. One of my favorite moments was a particular influencer dinner that I coordinated to preview one of my clients’ new winter menu. We decided that we wanted the dinner to be cozy and intimate – we set up a beautiful dinner in their winery with gorgeous string lights and candles. The chef walked us through the new menu items, which were served family style. We all chatted, drank delicious wine and ate amazing food. I had so many people come up to me afterwards telling me what a fun night they had and how much they enjoyed chatting with the people at their table. The night was about the restaurant’s new menu, and of course the ultimate goal was to secure coverage, but I loved that the dinner allowed so many people to form meaningful connections while also fulfilling our goals.
Craziest/Funniest Story?
There are many, many to choose from! A few years ago, I signed up to be an extra hand at CMT Music Awards. I got there thinking I’d just be running photos in the back, but at the last minute, they selected me to be an on-site publicist for guests walking the carpet who didn’t have a publicist with them. About 5 minutes before guests began arriving, I was told I would be a publicist for two women who would be walking the carpet. I won’t blow up their spot and name names, but they have a TV show based out of Texas that may or may not be related to the Dallas Cowboys. I had never heard of these women. We weren’t allowed on our phones but the coordinator gave us 2 (yes, 2!) minutes to google our assigned guests and glean some information so we could pitch them to reporters on the carpet. If you know me, you know that I thrive on being prepared. So, when I feel like I don’t have the tools to succeed, my anxiety likes to stop in to say hello! I quickly googled them and begged myself to remember key facts and started down the carpet. I figured I could strike up a conversation with them to get some more info and come up with some quick angles, but they did not have any interest in chatting with me. It was about an hour and a half to get them down the carpet, pitch them to different media and facilitate interviews where needed. I was proud of myself once I finished, but let’s just say there was a big glass of wine waiting for me at the end of that night!
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that throughout the years, I’ve always somehow ended up being a hand model in photoshoots. Likely why I’ve convinced myself it’s okay to spend money on manicures. If you follow some of Nashville’s greatest restaurants on Instagram, you’ve probably seen my (famous) hand holding a drink or cutting a dish.
Tiffany Segree | Publicist
Why I Love This Profession?
I love being able to be at the forefront of a company’s messaging and branding. A few of my top passions include writing, making connections, and serving people. PR allows me to combine all of those into a challenging but rewarding career. Also, besides the fact that my creative juices are constantly flowing, I absolutely love that no day is the same, ever. While I always have a list of daily priorities, there are so many aspects of PR and things are constantly changing. The unknown actually makes it more exciting!
A Favorite Moment as a PR Professional?
A moment that always sticks out to me would have to be landing a former client on CNBC Power Lunch. It was an opportunity my client thought was out of their reach, and being able to see how much joy and pride it gave the client still makes me smile.
Craziest/Funniest Story?
Nothing in particular comes to mind, but I’m pretty sure it would have to be an email with some crazy typos to a media contact. Take it from me–ALWAYS double check before you hit send!
Brittany Battista | Associate Publicist
Why I Love This Profession?
What I love about this profession is how comprehensive it is, it extends into nearly every industry that comes to mind. From celebrities to nonprofits, corporate companies and entrepreneurs, public relations delivers a collective yet highly targeted benefit when it comes to business growth and perception. As a publicist, you constantly have to have an ear to the ground for trending topics and breakthrough strategies in order to stay relevant and timely in the rapidly changing media landscape. The global pandemic is a great example of this. It has challenged every public relations professional to pivot their company or client messaging to accommodate the current media narrative. I find it exciting and empowering to learn how to position each of my clients, all of whom work in different industries, as trusted experts on the same subject like we’ve all learned to do amidst the pandemic.
A Favorite Moment as a PR Professional?
One of my favorite moments as a publicist was the opportunity to coordinate an interview for my client on Good Morning America. I’ve watched this show every morning for years and when I decided to pursue a career in this profession, securing coverage on a national morning show like this was a dream of mine. The opportunity to work behind the scenes with the expert production team at Good Morning America to coordinate pre-interview calls, virtual connection checks, review the segment script, and prep my client was such a privilege, and watching her interview air live was completely surreal. That kind of first-hand experience working with an iconic national television show instilled in me a sincere appreciation for the team behind the camera who are responsible for the very existence and success of productions like Good Morning America.
Craziest/Funniest Story?
The craziest memory I have working in public relations was serving on the media team for Luke Combs’ surprise invitation to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry is an esteemed honor in the country music community, invitations are extended sparingly and are almost always a complete surprise to both the artist and the audience. On this particular evening I was only one in five members of the staff who knew about the immement invitation and I was tasked with recording the celebratory moment to share with millions of people online and local media outlets following the event. Being responsible for connecting millions of fans with a once in a lifetime historic moment was a lot of pressure but seeing those who were unable to be there in person share in this joy around the world through my contribution that evening was so fulfilling.
