This Is Why I Want To Earn My Agency Stripes

The Cast of Mad Men -- talk about earning agency stripes

The marketing/public relations field isn’t the easiest to understand when you’re on the outside looking in. As communicators, it is our job to properly educate those who don’t understand our area of expertise as well as we do – team accounting, team law, team advertising, team C-suite and everyone else. Of course, we’re all working together to generate revenue for one company, but sometimes everyone gets caught up in their department teams. This situation is usually something you see in every environment but agency.

As you all know, I am a proud junior staffer at an agency but … I did not start off in agency. My most memorable college internship was working for the mayor of Charlotte, on his political campaign team.

I served as his press assistant and worked under the press secretary, communications director and campaign manager as the press assistant. While working on the campaign, I saw some things that convinced me to take an agency route right out of college. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the structure of political campaigns, it’s basically a variety of people who have different professional backgrounds coming together to help a candidate get elected.

As a PR/marketing student, the “what’s the value in this program” and “why is this more important than this” questions were extremely challenging to answer. Was there an answer to those questions? … Yes. Could I present a valid case … No. Being the young and confident student I was, I thought I had all of the answers but I didn’t. There was something about questions regarding PR measurement that was always confusing.

This is why I decided agency would be best for me right after college. The majority of agency junior staffer positions are designed to help you grow in this area. In the agency setting, you’re surrounded by PR/marketing people and you don’t have to worry about the “what’s the value in this program” or “why is this more important than this” questions because someone else will be responsible for answering it. Well, not exactly … but you get my point, right? This is the perfect time for you to sit back, observe and learn.

If someone asked those questions today, I could shoot out an answer without any hesitation and I honestly think it’s because of my agency experience.

Have you ever been in a similar situation?

Why Entertainment Public Relations?

Working directly with people brands, insane work hours and a “if you want to get married, entertainment is not for you” quote from a PR instructor were all characteristics of an entertainment PR specialist/publicist that turned me off to this portion of my industry. I’ve been a PR professional for a short time but have made some great connections in the wonderful world of entertainment public relations and happy to say all of my negative perceptions of this field have been proven false.

The entertainment public relations field is filled with a lot of practitioners who enjoy what they do. Yes, the majority of us in this industry love our careers but I believe it takes a certain level of passion to survive in the entertainment world. To help paint a clearer picture, I asked two professionals and two students “why entertainment public relations?” Check out their responses below:

PR Professional Derek Ross

Derek Ross is a Account Supervisor at French/West/Vaughan and oversees the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) account which encompasses fully integrated marketing services including public relations, event production, promotions, media relations, sponsor relations and activation, digital and social media, advertising and creative services. Derek has also worked across various accounts including Wrangler Jeans, 1800Hotels, House-Autry, etc.

Why Entertainment Public Relations?

Fast-paced. Energizing. Fun. Challenging. Rewarding. All of those words describe just a small portion of the entertainment PR world. I love this industry because there is no true script you have to follow. You become a part of the recipe for success. You are just as important as the client because the relationships you build in this industry matter just as much as the final goal.

PR Student and President of Kratz PR Harrison Kratz

A junior at Temple University, Harrison has made great strides in Public Relations, and is starting to make a name for himself in the public relations industry. Harrison has completed an internship at the prestigious Sharla Feldscher PR. Currently, he is leading a nation-wide toy and clothing drive, the 2010 Holiday Tweet Drive

Why Entertainment Public Relations?

Entertainment PR is definitely in a class all on its own. It can be extremely stressful, but the rush you get when your efforts show positive results is incredible. You have to be prepared for rejection in entertainment PR, but I think versing yourself in this sector prepares you for future ventures and projects a little more than other communications fields. It’s cut throat and intimidating, but I know I am a better PR professional and student because of what it has taught me.

Celebrity Publicist Josh King

Josh is an Atlanta-based celebrity publicist who double majored in PR and journalism. At the young age of 25, Josh has had opportunities to work on projects people dream of working on. He enjoys music and is a man of God. Josh is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and co-directs music artist Sammie’s youth foundation.

Why Entertainment Public Relations?

It takes a certain type of person to work in this industry: one who is passionate, goal-oriented, drive and creative. To work in this industry, you have to live a life without boundaries. This industry is time consuming so you have to love it. Without passion, you are wasting your time and other people’s time. Growing up, I always was a people person and the combination of music and entertainment excited me. In school, I completed nine internships that prepared me for future projects. If you get a call at 2 a.m., you have to act on it. A lot of people enter this industry and expect a quick turnaround but that is not the case, it takes time.

PR Student Monica Karkhanis

Monica Karkhanis is a junior communication major with a focus in public relations at the University of Maryland. As a student at UMD, Karkhanis holds a position in the university’s 12-member high riser council, which organizes and manages promoting the university to prospective students. As a promotions representative for Capitol Records, Karkhanis is in charge of promotion in the Washington D.C. area for several music venues and artists. Recently, Karkhanis served on the planning committee for the 2010 PRSSA National Conference as the co-program director.

Why Entertainment Public Relations?

I have decided to pursue a career in entertainment public relations because it presented an opportunity for challenge in a field that has continued to keep me on my toes. Through my experience at various entertainment-related internships, I discovered that I truly thrive off the fast-paced atmosphere and sometimes spontaneous moments that come with the job.  It is important for people to understand that entertainment pr is not glamorous; it requires the same creativity, determination and passion as other fields.

Are you interested in the entertainment industry? … Why?

Do you have any experience in this industry? …. How was it?

I Refuse To Be An Uninformed Junior Staffer

“The more questions you ask, the smarter you become” was nailed in my head by my fourth-grade teacher. At the time, I didn’t have a clue how much it was going to prepare me for my future. As an entry-level agency employee (especially at large agencies), it is extremely easy to get lost in your day-to-day tasks and miss the big picture.

Yes, we build the media lists, tweet, post the Facebook updates, write the pitch e-mails and work on various other tactical projects. But, do we understand which strategy supports our client’s objective? Do we fully understand what goes into yearly planning? And, how did we become the agency of record for this new client?

If we expect to grow and develop, we don’t have time to get lost in our work and forget to ask those important questions. While working for Weber Shandwick, the North America President Cathy Calhoun shared with me the importance of not getting lost in the weeds and finding the right moment to ask all of the appropriate questions.

Thanks to the evolution of social media, we – junior staffers – have a wonderful niche at a lot of agencies. The right moment to ask all of those questions which will help you become a more strategic-thinking professional could be at a simple dinner. Reaching out to one of your VPs and saying “Let’s go see ‘The Social Network,’ then grab some dinner so I can pick your brain” is easier than you think.

Let’s not be clueless because it will only hurt us in the long run.

Thoughts?

What else is important for junior staffers to be aware of in the agency world?