The PR Wine Down

On the podcast this week, we are welcoming Trust Relations' fabulous account director, Sofia Coon! Sofia is here to share about her experience in carving a unique path in the PR field, including her experiences working at agencies large and small, as well as some lessons learned from working on an in-house communications team and now as a full-time freelancer. April and Laura also chat about the d...

This week on the PR Wine Down, our hosts are joined by Lee Caraher. She's the CEO of Double Forte, a national independent PR and communications agency, and an acclaimed communications strategist. She's wining down this week on the show to discuss the work Double Forte is doing to close the gender "Say Gap" in PR, evaluate how PR has changed over recent decades and discuss what small brands can do...

On the show this week, April and Laura welcome Rick Smith, Founder and CEO at NewsUSA and NewsCanada. He's here to discuss his experience in the content syndication business, including the differences between a press release and a mat release, how video syndication can complement a company's marketing strategy and where the future lies for independent content creators. Our hosts also discuss the l...

This week on the show, our hosts welcome Trust Relations' own Senior Vice President, Jenn McManus-Goode! Having worked with in-house teams and agency clients alike, Jenn is here to share her best advice for client management, including tips for a successful up-sell and advice for navigating major client transitions with grace. April and Laura also discuss what not to do when the company you work f...

April and Laura are sitting down this week (virtually, of course!) with Trust Relations' own Lifestyle Group Director, Allie Ullo! Together, they dissect recent changes in the modern media landscape as Allie delivers an in-depth lesson on her favorite under-the-radar PR tricks and tactics. Together, they cover everything from affiliate programs, to effective subject lines, to landing the ultim...

This week, hosts April and Laura welcome guest Susan Prekel, owner of Done & Done Branded Goods, to discuss her background in event production and planning, and her journey into the branded product industry. Together, they're chatting about the intersection of PR and product, the brand collaboration process, and why today's branded goods are a notch about the typical "swag" you might expect to...

This week’s guest on the PR Wine Down is our very own Laura Schooler! April Margulies is putting her co-host in the interview seat, for an impromptu interview to discuss the differences between working in-house and at a PR agency — and what Laura has learned from her years of experience in doing both. Our hosts also chat about crisis communications, with a deep-dive into some best practices for PR...

This week's episode features guest Cristina Dennstedt, the Director of Marketing Communications + Brand Experience at Vorwerk, LLC - Thermomix USA, to discuss the lessons she learned while managing PR initiatives for a world-class kitchen brand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosts April and Laura also bring a bit of PR news into the mix, and loop Christina in on a controversial Washington Post op-ed...

Today on the PR Wine Down, hosts April and Laura welcome special guests Diana Neille and Richard Poplak, directors of the industry-exposé documentary film, "INFLUENCE: the Rise and Fall of the World's Most Dangerous Public Relations Company." Together, the award-winning investigative journalists take our hosts behind the scenes to discuss the creation of the film, which premiered at Sundance last...

Today's guest on the podcast is Stephanie Rudnick. As a seasoned PR and brand marketing professional, Stephanie wears many hats in her career, including: Head of Global Communications and GM of hospitality and events at MKTG Sports & Entertainment in Australia; Head of PR at Angel City Football Club in Los Angeles; and Director of Communications at Beautiful Game Group, LLC in New York. Stepha...

This week, April and Laura are joined by Olu Green, director of sports & entertainment marketing at Rogers & Cowan PMK. Having worked with big name brands like the NFL, ESPN, Beats by Dre, Stance Socks, Call of Duty and more, Olu gives our hosts an inside look at what the cool kids want in 2021. They discuss the behind-the-scenes of brand marketing, influencer relations and PR opportunitie...

Welcome back to the PR Wine Down podcast! This week, our hosts welcome Brain Garrido, Marketing Department Specialist at Meticulous Design + Architecture (MD+A). They're discussing diversity in the advertising and PR industries today, and touching on the state of tourism, wine and hospitality amid the changing landscape of the pandemic. April and Laura also share a new PR Horror Story from the lis...

In this special episode of the podcast, we're celebrating the two year anniversary of Trust Relations. Laura is putting April in the hot seat this week, to discuss why she decided to start her own firm, her hopes for the future of the industry and the personal experiences she's had as a PR practitioner along the way. Also joining us are two guest hosts from the Trust Relations team: Sara Blood, se...

On the show this week, we're welcoming Laura's long-time friend Rachel Flotard, artist manager at Red Light Management and lead singer & guitarist of VISQUEEN. She's here to discuss her experiences in music management for clients like Neko Case, doing PR for her own band and record label, and how she found her way in the industry. April and Laura also share an Anonymous PR Horror Story from th...

This week, April and Laura are chatting with Gem Pinkney, the publicity manager from the industry-favorite UKTV show, Flack. We're discussing the first two seasons, the true stories that inspired the writers of the show and Gem's own experiences doing PR for a show about...well, PR! Our hosts also cover the latest brand collaboration between Chipotle and E.L.F. cosmetics and weigh in on another An...

April and Laura are chatting this week with Kelcey Alonzo, Editor in Chief and Founder of Guitar Connoisseur Magazine . Together, they discuss the magazine's recent re-launch and what it's like working behind the scenes at the publication. They also cover Kelcey's advice for PR pros, based on the pitches he receives at the editor's desk every day. April and Laura assess the public handling of the...

This week's episode features special guest is B.L. Ochman. She's a uniquely experienced digital pioneer, co-host of the Beyond Social Media Show and head of the creative team at whatsnextonline.com. She's here to chat with April and Laura about avoiding mistakes in pitching, writing and social media strategy, when to use brainstorming (or not!) and how the internet era and the rise of podcasting h...

Our hosts welcome Trust Relations' Chief Client Officer, Lana Dao, to discuss all things related to operational efficiency. April and Laura chat with her about how to improve operations at any agency, identifying workflow pain points and the steps to take before implementing changes that impact the team. April and Laura also share an Anonymous PR Horror Story about what to do when a client leaves...

This week, our hosts are joined by Trust Relations' own Media Relations Director, Erin Mathe, to discuss best practices for broadcast from pitching, to media training, to what makes for a great moment on air. April and Laura also read the latest Anonymous PR Horror story, share advice about how to maintain a positive attitude on tough client calls and dive into the PR impact of the recent events w...

April and Laura are joined this week by Tara Wyckoff, assistant teaching professor at Penn State's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. In this episode, they're discussing markers for good mentorship, underlying issues in diversity initiatives at agencies today and best practices for setting young people up for success as they enter the working world. April and Laura also discus...

April and Laura welcome Lynn Power, Co-Founder & CEO at MASAMI and former CEO of J. Walter Thompson in NY, to chat about her journey from being an accomplished advertising executive to launching a beauty brand. Together, they also brainstorm new PR strategies and discuss Lynn's experience navigating crisis communications during the early days of the #MeToo movement. As always, April and Laura...

This week on the PR Wine Down, we're crossing into advertising territory with special guest Mikal Reich, Executive Creative Director and Co-Owner at Dead As We Know It creative agency. With hosts Laura and April, Mikal discusses his career path into the advertising industry, navigating common client challenges and how to use creative ideas to generate press coverage. Our hosts also discuss their a...

On the PR Wine Down Holiday Special, April and Laura are chatting with special guest Arthur Solomon, PR industry veteran, former journalist, and previous Senior Vice President and Senior Counselor at Burson-Marsteller. April and Laura also revisit their best advice from the show in 2020, along with a roundup the craziest moments and most important tips on What Not To Do in your PR career. They're...

April and Laura are joined this week by Rembrandt Flores, CEO & founder at Entertainment Fusion Group, to discuss the ins and outs of entertainment marketing, influencer partnerships and working with celebrity spokespeople. Our hosts also cover the importance of mastering multitasking for rookie publicists who want to advance in their careers and become well rounded PR mavens. As always, they'...

April and Laura interview Ed Zitron, founder of EZPR and author of This Is How You Pitch: How To Kick Ass In Your First Years of PR and Fire Your Publicist: The PR and Publicity Secrets That Will Make You and Your Business Famous. Together, they discuss the future of PR and creating lasting relationships with journalists, as well as a few industry pain points and advice for young professionals. Ou...