1. What year did you graduate from Indiana University? 2018.
2. What did you study as an undergraduate? I majored in Journalism with a specialization in PR and a minor in Marketing.
3. What was your extracurricular involvement like at IU? I was heavily involved with PRSSA for three years. My first year I was a general member
just trying to figure out what exactly PR was. My second, I served as Secretary and Historian, as well as the One Day in April and Sports Committee head. My third year I served as President of the chapter. Outside of PRSSA I wrote for the Indiana Daily Student and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
4. Where has your career path taken you since graduating? After graduation, 3 days to be precise, my career took me to Nashville, Tennessee. Music has always played a prominent role in my life and once I learned that I could combine PR and music, I knew that a career as a Publicist was right for me. The day before I graduated, I accepted a job at a boutique style PR firm in Nashville, Music City Media, as a Junior Publicist and Digital Strategist.
5. What does your current role entail? One of the most important aspects of my job is managing my artists’ social media page. From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter, I am tasked with creating day-to-day content for my artists, which range from lifestyle posts, show graphics, tour announcements, album countdowns, etc. In addition to the social media, I am also responsible for pitching and securing television, print and radio interviews to advance the touring schedules of the artists I work for.
6. What are your long-term career goals? Working as a Publicist in Music City has been a big goal of mine for quite some time, so being able to explore different segments of the music industry is extremely crucial to me as my career progresses. Working for a PR firm, as I do now, versus working in-house is quite different, so one day, I would like to explore the differences between the two. However, I am very pleased with my current job and cannot imagine working anywhere else.
7. What did you enjoy the most about IU PRSSA while you were a member? My favorite part about PRSSA while I was a student was National Conference 2017 in Boston! Not only did I love getting to know other members from IU’s chapter, but the amount of advice I received from industry professionals was priceless.
8. How should current PRSSA members prepare for a career in PR and communications?
Be on the forefront. In the music industry especially, everything is constantly changing. Being up-to-date with the latest trends is crucial, therefore, always continue to learn and seek out new information.
Network! (Need I say more?)
Write, write and do a little more writing. It is exceptionally imperative to not only to be able to communicate well, but effectively. One of the biggest things I’ve learned in the past 6 months at my job is the value of the written word.