Storytelling has been a part of Kara’s life for as long as she can remember. While her pursuits have differed over time (see: writing about a killer pumpkin in third grade, studying and pursuing journalism in college, and discovering her perfect fit in PR), Kara’s love for written work and its ability to influence has remained intact through it all. Today, she’s the founder of Old City Public Relations, a PR firm helping countless individuals, nonprofits and brands carefully craft their narrative and get it into the hands of the right people. She stays busy running all business operations and putting out fires when needed—all while building quality, trusted relationships with her clients.

The Basics:

Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
Current city: St. Augustine, FL
Alma mater: Flagler College
Degree: B.A., Communications
Very first job: Sales girl at Party Depot, a party supply store in my hometown. I was 15 and the owners made me watch their kids when I wasn’t blowing up balloons. I quit and learned at an early age to create boundaries in the workplace.
Hustle: Owner/Founder, Old City Public Relations

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why?
My mom. Hands down. My dad was in and out of our lives from the time I was five to a few years ago when I stopped having a relationship with him. My mom has always acted as both mom and dad, my biggest cheerleader, and my rock. She worked three jobs as a single mom, so that we could continue to live in a pretty well-to-do town in Connecticut, get a great education, and grow up believing that we could be and do anything in life. I have her steadfast work ethic and that’s why my company has been so successful in such a short amount of time.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
A bottle of wine and Below Deck on Bravo. 

What’s a must-have item on your desk or in your purse?
My phone (obviously). The darn thing doesn’t stop beeping, dinging, and ringing. Clients, potential clients, and friends know that they can always reach out to me with projects, tasks, questions, advice, etc. Since my early days in journalism, I’ve always been reachable. Other items I can’t live without include my printer, stapler, and Moleskine Weekly Calendar. I’m old school in that I like to see my work on paper and make edits with a colorful Flair marker.

Biggest pet peeve at work (or in general)?
Super needy people. I’ve had a few clients who have hired me to do work for them and then it turns out that they’re looking for a part-time publicist and full-time therapist. I don’t have the time or energy to take on everyone’s personal shit.

Dream concert to attend?
My dream concert would be seeing Björk perform in the middle of a crater lake in Iceland. She did that once in (I think) 2011 and it would be my absolute dream come true. 

Favorite fictional female character? Why?
Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) from Parks and Recreation. We are both highly organized and don’t like to take no for an answer, but that’s pretty much where our similarities end. She is a team player with eternal optimism. I wish I had more of that.

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle.
Every day is a constant hustle. When I’m not putting together press release campaigns, conducting one-on-one outreach to media, or managing my social media clients, I’m the company IT girl, manager, HR, office supply orderer, etc. The list is long. I’m also in charge of business development. When I’m not working, I’m working on getting work.

Walk us through your ‘typical’ day. What kinds of ‘hats’ do you wear in your work?
A typical workday starts at about 9 a.m. and includes two cups of coffee. I have a content manager who works with me three days a week and then I’m solo for the rest. I’m working from home right now because of the pandemic. I’m being super COVID careful and have chosen for my daughter to start middle school through virtual learning. Checking emails that have piled up overnight is my first responsibility, and then I look over client’s social media pages to make sure nobody posted anything inappropriate. Next, I get to the nuts and bolts of my day: usually writing a press release or two, writing blogs, tons of phone calls with clients, content creation, etc. Pre-pandemic, I spent a lot of time at events, restaurant openings, and client meetings. These days are way less hectic and I’m enjoying being more of a homebody. We actually moved about two months ago and have plenty of house projects to keep us busy, too.

Have you always had an affinity for storytelling? Where do you think that stems from?
Absolutely. When I was little, I was really good at keeping myself entertained. I can only remember one time that I told my mom, “I’m bored.” I would hole up in my bedroom and write stories. Sometimes they were fact-based stemming from the latest book on sharks or aliens that I checked out of the local library or were creative tales. In third grade, I wrote a story about a killer pumpkin that I thought was my best work to date. Thankfully, I’ve written some pretty cool stuff since then.

Describe your journey from journalism to public relations. What made you take the leap?
During college, I interned for our local alt weekly newspaper, Folio Weekly based in Jacksonville. I couldn’t even write a lede. When I graduated, they asked if I wanted to freelance for them. I made $3,500 that first year and logged in something like 2,000 hours of straight writing. That’s $1.75 per hour. For the next decade, everything was a constant struggle. I wrote for free, I wrote for pennies, I wrote for clients that were constantly trying to get me down in fees. It was in my late twenties, around the time I got pregnant, that I found my voice and my confidence. I no longer “thought” about what I was going to write and just wrote. I’ve covered political rallies, huge music festivals, and art openings. I was the art columnist for a tattoo magazine out of New York City for a few years (which was a cool gig!) and have written for a bunch of national publications. Being a professional freelance writer is crazy hard. For a few years, I worked for a startup distillery as their Director of Communications and learned a ton about marketing and public relations. I loved how PR is a big puzzle. You have a newsworthy item that you feel deserves press and you have to hunt down the journalist that you feel would be interested in that newsworthy item. I left the distillery to start my own PR company and haven’t looked back. I was born to do this.

What area(s) of public relations do you specialize in and/or types of clients do you take on?
I don’t really specialize in certain types of clients. Since I have a background in the distillery/cocktail/spirits industry, I do really enjoy working with clients in that realm. But diversifying your roster or portfolio is key to success. I have clients in the following industries: food and beverage, nonprofits, arts and culture, real estate, cannabis, government, builders, janitorial services, medical, and land developers. With my journalism background, a successful storyteller can write about any topic.

How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
Since my schooling was focused on journalism, I was taught how to identify newsworthy topics as well as hone my interview skills. I would say that most of my professional development came from interviewing thousands of people over the span of 13 years before I even went into public relations. I’ve interviewed everyone from Aretha Franklin and Little Richard to Taylor Swift and Jamie Foxx. If I can interview A List celebrities, I can interview anyone. I’m good at putting people at ease whether they’re the subject of an article I’m writing or have hired me to do a press release campaign.

What would you say is your biggest career milestone to date and why?
We recently got one of our clients an earned media placement in The New York Times. We work on a regular basis with Treasury on the Plaza, a historic wedding venue here in St. Augustine. On Memorial Day, a groom surprised his bride with a surprise wedding after their original nuptials had been postponed twice (the second time because of the pandemic). It was an intimate wedding and we helped secure local media to be on-hand to capture the moment. Working with the venue, we realized that this story had legs that could reach top-tier media outlets. We reached out to The New York Times to tell them about the love story of De-Shazo and Jacarra Wilkinson and they expressed immediate interest. The article was printed about a week later and it was surreal to see in the pages of NYT.

Why are relationships important in public relations? What’s your approach to creating and fostering relationships within your own business?
Relationships are everything in public relations. I was able to start my business with $500 and the reputation that I had built for 15 years as a journalist. A lot of people trusted me as a storyteller and as someone who delivered what was promised (whether it be deadlines, follow-through, or just showing up). It’s been hard to foster those relationships during the pandemic when we’re all sticking closer to home, but I’ve earned enough trust and loyalty that repeat business and word-of-mouth has kept me busier than ever.

How would you say being a woman has affected your professional experience? What can we do to create more equal, uplifting (and well-paying!) spaces for women in your industry?
I would say that being a woman has had an immensely positive effect on my career in public relations. People are more used to talking to and opening up to females. Of course, there have been a few times where I feel that a male client is not taking me seriously because I am a woman. I have the luxury of owning my own business and choosing to not work with people like that. As far as how we can all uplift each other in the public relations industry, we need to realize that not all jobs are the right jobs for us. I’d like to get better at admitting if a project is not within my wheelhouse and give it to a fellow publicist. A great way to give back to those more experienced or those looking to get started.

Are you involved with any other careers, side projects or organizations?
I still do quite a bit of freelance writing as it comes my way and take on pro bono PR work as I’m able to. I’m also a big supporter of Under the Same Sun, a nonprofit organization that brings awareness to albinism. My daughter is albino, and we are incredibly lucky to live in the United States where people with albinism aren’t treated much different from everyone else. In some parts of Africa, it’s a horrendously different story. I donate money to Under the Same Sun as I can and like to help educate people about the atrocities against people with albinism. Learn more at underthesamesun.com

What does your approach to work/life balance look like? How do you unplug and unwind?
I work a lot. I work at night. I work on the weekends. I am constantly thinking about work and, as an overthinker, have a hard time unplugging and unwinding. Our new house has a pool, so my daughter and I go swimming a lot. I love going to concerts, that’s probably when I’m most able to be “in the moment.”

What kind of support system do you have behind you and your work?
My partner is a super stable government attorney and after years of being a single mom, I’m fortunate to have his support with household responsibilities and taking care of my daughter. My mom lives only about 30 minutes away and she’s at my house all the time helping out. I’m still learning how to ask for help when I’m in over my head. I think I’m getting better about that… ?

Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Honestly, I don’t really have any PR heroes. I would say that I mostly look up to female journalists like my mentor, Anne Schindler, who works for the local television station here as Executive Producer of Special Projects, and some old school ladies in the field like Barbara Walters, Leslie Stahl, and Christiane Amanpour.  

Career and/or life advice for other babes?
When there’s a client I want to work with or project that I want to work on, I think to myself, “Why not me?” I realized in my twenties that when you ask for something, you’ll either get a yes or a no. But if you don’t ask for something, you’ll most certainly get a no. Why not ask? I’ve gotten some amazing opportunities simply by asking for them. Also, reputation is everything in the field of public relations. If people don’t trust you, then you might as well find a different career.

Connect with Kara:

Email / Website / Instagram / Facebook

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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