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Corporate Communications: Serve as lead communications officer at PBS, working directly with President & CEO in newly created role charged with developing a strategic external and internal communications plan to support PBS’ strategic vision. Manage internal staff comprised of Corporate Communications team, PBS Kids PR, Primetime Publicity, social media and events teams. Manage relationships with station PR executives, show publicists, numerous Public Relations agencies, and with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR. 

Media Relations: Serve as PBS’ chief corporate spokesperson. Manage crisis situations. Develop and manage relationships with PBS’ beat writers, managing all high-profile stories and CEO interviews.  Lead PBS’ participation in twice annual Television Critics Association Press Tour, managing CEO session, 40 press conferences, concerts, and meet and greets. 

CEO Support: Manage CEO’s internal and external events, including Board presentations, All Staff meetings, speaking engagements, station visits, screenings, donor events, and industry events. 

Social Media and Digital: Grow PBS’ social media channels (Facebook: 600K fans / Twitter: 700K followers) and manage tune-in, crisis, and grassroots outreach. Re-developed “About PBS” corporate pages, bringing 1 million page views to the site since October ’10 and employing social sharing tools to extend reach of articles and press releases.

Stakeholder Outreach: Developed strategy to manage PBS’ proactive campaign to maintain Federal Funding, which incorporated grassroots, media, social media, and digital efforts. Garnered viewer support with overall campaign driving 500,000 calls and emails to Congressional leaders. Developed “Save Public Broadcasting” social media Twibbon, viral videos, “Why Save PBS” infographic, and bi-partisan voter survey.   

SocialBuzzPR is a boutique PR consultancy that provides all aspects of communications council to technology companies and start-ups. Our experience is built on a track record of success across a wide spectrum of consumer and B2B technology brands.

As Founder, lead firm’s start-up, direction, growth and management. Principal responsibility for directing the design and delivery of communications and social media strategies for key client engagements. Current clients: digital lifestyle, communications, local, social networking and Smartphone app developers.

Corporate Communications: Served in high-profile role, responsible for developing and implementing a company-wide external and internal communications plan to support AOL’s reputation and brand internationally. Garnered support from senior management for program execution. Managed 20 direct reports. Administered an $8 million dollar budget.

Media Relations: Established the plan and executed strategies to ensure global coverage for business transformation, international expansion, advertising strategy, major deals, acquisitions and divestitures, personnel, legal, innovation, executive management and other areas of strategic significance. Well-connected senior spokesperson with international outlets, business and industry press, bloggers, analysts and consumer press. Acted as chief company spokesperson.

Internal Communications: Developed and executed internal communications activities, including design and launch of employee news site, plasma TV system, executive communications, and town hall events. Set editorial direction for daily Intranet site/blog that highlighted news, executive communications, and people at AOL. After 1 year, site traffic increased to tens of thousands of page views per week and became a go-to employee site. The site was also recognized in the PR industry via a 2008 PRNews Platinum award for internal communications.

Issues Management: Initiated issues management and crisis communications plans for all regions/operations of the company on a global basis pertaining to personnel, consumer complaints, data integrity, lawsuits, campus security, etc. Assessed impact of issues and provided counsel to executives and either minimized issues through strategic counsel or through effective media relations and digital PR efforts.

Public Policy: Worked with AOL and Time Warner public policy organizations to support ongoing legislative and regulatory priorities and initiatives, including AOL’s re-entry into Mainland China and consumer awareness building around behavioral targeting.

Communications Policies: Wrote and implemented employee media and digital communications policies and trained AOL personnel.  

Team Development: Strong leadership skills, integrity and the ability to attract, motivate and develop high-performing teams. Developed 360 feedback and development planning process with staff. Established department internship program in 2000.

New Business Line Launches: Launched the company’s digital advertising business in the U.S. and Europe. Included announcements of five acquisitions in a period of 12 months totaling an investment of $1 billion dollars and rollouts in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. 

Speakers’ Bureau: Extended Speakers’ Bureau across all divisions, including CEO-level speaking opportunities, which resulted in better message management in key categories. Managed 100+ opportunities per year.

Corporate Philanthropy: Managed the Company’s corporate philanthropy initiatives, including over $1 million in direct donations and in-kind media and employee fundraising activities to support AOL’s main philanthropic cause, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Developed employee-focused Community Relations initiatives, including an employee Matching Grant program, the WaRP (Walk and Run) grant, and employee-directed giving initiatives.

Product and Services PR: Provided leadership for consumer software and product launches, programming publicity, and press campaigns across categories such as personal mobile software and hardware, finance, women, consumer electronics, search, video, entertainment, movies, music, living, travel, and the AOL flagship brand. Launched AOL’s flagship products: AOL 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and AOL 9.0 Security Edition. Campaigns included developing product review guides, securing major reviewer and consumer press coverage, financial and industry analyst outreach, press conferences, and major consumer launch events featuring celebrities and musical artists.

Consumer Publicity and Broadcast: Created a series of creative publicity campaigns to garner consumer press, including: American Moviegoer campaign; Moms Wired Cities campaign; AOL Food & Wine Magazine “Food in America” survey and campaign; Love@AOL Valentine’s Day campaign; Taxes Online campaign; the AOL/Travel & Leisure “Travel Survey” campaign; and the Teens Wired Cities campaign. Re-invented company’s broadcast initiatives to reach consumers via television with AOL Consumer Advisor; led development and roll-out of SEO PR tactics across team to drive website traffic, in addition to traditional media and blogger coverage.

Trade Shows & Events: Managed key partnership and new initiative announcements at industry events, including AOL CEO’s Keynote participation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to announce a deal with Intel and the introduction of AOL’s wireless division at CTIA. 

Developed PR strategies and led launches for Greenhouse Networks/AOL Studios, the leading online/Internet content division of AOL. Developed strategies to support vertical content site launches; announced major entertainment content partnerships; supported the publicity of Internet to TV content. 

Managed communications initiatives for acquired companies, CompuServe and Netscape. Repositioned brands for target audiences, including the low-cost and small business markets.

Directed corporate communications initiatives and brand launches for the AOL Greenhouse, which provided seed investment funding to Internet content start-ups. Included PR plans for launches in categories including personal finance, women, moms, sports, entertainment, books, gay and lesbian, and personals. 

Senior Account Executive responsible for new business and project proposals. Set direction and strategy for campaigns, managed major media outlets and national press tours, and pitched clients to panels and lectures and planned launch events and parties. Clients included: Levi Strauss & Co., Time-Life Books/The Nature Company, and Viking/Penguin publishers. 

Responsible for all aspects of national author media and reading tours for Doubleday hardcover fiction and non-fiction titles, in addition to the Nan A. Talese/Doubleday imprint.  Developed departmental publicity plans; booked author appearances at bookstores, museums, and arts programs; secured major media and review coverage; hosted launch parties; managed staff; and edited company newsletter for bookstore managers. Best-selling campaigns included: GATES by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews; A RIVER SUTRA by Gita Mehta; and A MAP OF THE WORLD by Jane Hamilton. 

Responsible for all aspects of public relations at Rutgers University Press, including: research, planning and execution of publicity campaigns for all press titles; development of seasonal marketing plans, which included information on advertising, public relations and direct mail campaigns; presentations to major book critics; awards coordination; and management of staff.  Prepared and executed seasonal subsidiary rights plan, and managed submissions and negotiations, including sales of first and second serial, book club, paperback and film rights for Press titles.

Assistant to Senior Publicist and Publicist, who were responsible for performing on-going media relations for genre titles in this publicity department.