Brenda is an account manager at BAM The Agency.

Brenda has been working at BAM for 5 years, starting her career as an intern and transitioning into an Account Manager role. In her first year as an intern at BAM, she was also finishing up her Bachelors’s in Communication Studies at San Diego State University before graduating in 2015 and starting her career full-time.

Within her role as an Account Manager, Brenda is constantly strategizing business plans, securing placements for her clients and helping them exceed their business goals. She has a wide array of knowledge when it comes to leading B2B campaigns for consumer tech, lifestyle and entertainment brands. She is truly the whole package when it comes to PR professionals and PR strategy. Oh, and she is a shoe-a-holic!

Read more about the things Brenda loves about her career in PR and what she wishes journalists knew about PR professionals as a whole!

1. What is daily life like for you as an agency PR professional?

The best part about working at an agency is that no day is the same. My work mentality often ebbs and flows from “yikes I have a million and one things to accomplish” to “phew, we’re killing it across all accounts, I have time to be proactive and jump on these new projects I’ve been thinking about.” At large, a good portion of the day is spent pitching stories to the media – my personal favorite. Pitching is all about trial and error, which is coupled with plenty of epic fails, but that’s okay! These moments present you with the best learnings and opportunities for growth, so why not embrace them? Beyond pitching, team leadership and mentorship are also major aspects of my day-to-day. I lead my teams by sharing guidance on strategy, media insights, general pro tips and more to ensure we’re tracking towards our campaign goals for each client. This career encompasses a lot, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2. What has been the best moment of your PR career so far? Is there more than 1?

Nothing gets me more excited than a successful launch with heaps of meaningful media coverage. I recently managed a large funding announcement for a client of mine, where we landed 20 pieces of coverage and intro’d the client to top tier reporters from the Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg. This was majorly satisfying.

3. If you could be a publicist for your favorite brand, who would it be and what would be your first order or business?

I have a confession to make: I’m a shoe-a-holic, and DSW is my second home. I’d love to do PR for this brand, mostly because I don’t see them in many headlines and there is loads of fresh story potential. I’d also put my CTO hat on and encourage the company to take advantage of some super cool tech that can revamp their customer experience to make it fully immersive and one-of-a-kind. Best of both worlds – shoes and tech!

4. What’s the best story you’ve ever pitched?

“Want to make your MacBook a touchscreen? Let me tell you about AirBar.” I had this Swedish tech client called Neonode that launched AirBar – a slender, lightweight product that attached to the bottom of your laptop’s screen with magnets, plugged into the USB, and instantly turned it into a touchscreen. This was by far the coolest consumer product I’ve pitched, and we absolutely crushed it at CES circa 2017!

5. One of your most favorite clients to work with was…?

MedCrypt. It’s a medical device cybersecurity company based right here in sunny San Diego. The founder is a super down-to-earth surfer dude and dad of two, who just “gets it” when it comes to all-things business and PR. His team is incredibly intelligent and so is the tech – they’re doing something truly life changing, and I feel lucky to be the one leading their press strategy.

6. What do you wish journalists could know about PR professionals?

We’re storytellers, just like you! Many journalists have a bad taste for PR peeps (I don’t always blame them for this – not all publicists follow the unwritten rules of PR), and I am always on a mission to rid them of it. We’re here to help journalists do their jobs, and they’re here to help us do ours!

7. If you could change one thing about the relationship between PR professionals and media what would it be?

Break all stereotypes and make sure we’re all communicating respectfully, yet effectively! As simple as that. (Mic drop)

Brenda gave some great insight into the life of a publicist. Did she inspire you to construct your next winning pitch? If so, then login to your profile and get to work! Submit your pitch for our approval and you will be well on your way to receiving a placement.