“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple – that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus, jazz composer and bass player.
Public relations is not a term I heard used until it became a gen-ed choice in college. It came at a time when I had decided I no longer wanted to pursue musical performance professionally, having neither the desire to teach music nor spend my life as a touring musician. What drew me to public relations was the ability to help others craft messages. There are limitless ways to express a message and unlimited ways to interpret it – good communications ensure the right interpretations.
Since I started my career, I’ve worked with agencies and volunteered for clients ranging from Microsoft to environmental nonprofits, AgTech, data collecting drones and insurance verification software companies, among others. The most important thing I’ve found is finding the why for clients. They know why they started the company what pain points they are solving for their collective industries, but often, the complicated part is tying into a larger picture and helping a larger audience understand the bigger picture – with the help of media and other channels.
I joined Landis because of the company’s selective approach to finding the right client and helping them to develop their voice, their story that goes far beyond your basic press release.
My life outside of work largely revolves around observation. Yes, I still play music and am accomplished in upright and electric bass, guitar, and I have started learning lap steel since the pandemic began. Other hobbies include fly-fishing and mushroom hunting – two hobbies that demand a keen sense of awareness of your environment and require you to constantly change your approach and adapt to reap the rewards.
Taking this approach, learning and assessing, a/b testing means we can’t rest on our laurels and have to stay vigilant – that is what makes communications exciting! I’m looking forward to bringing my interest and enthusiasm to the Landis hivemind and helping our clients synthesize the perfect delivery for their stories.