Name: Dan Brown
Age: 28
Occupation: Managing Director of the San Francisco office of a UK-based PR and marketing agency
Did you go to college? Where? Undergrad: University of Southern California (USC), Grad School: University of Westminster (London, UK)
What did you study? Undergrad: B.S. Public Policy and Management, Grad: M.A. Public Communication and Public Relations
Where do you work? Mulberry Marketing Communications, San Francisco
Where are you from? Orange County, CA originally
Why did you pick this career?
I wanted a career that would allow me to utilize some of my natural skills, such as public speaking and writing, and which also involved a social aspect. Marketing certainly fit the bill on all counts.
What are your future plans for your career?
For now my goal is to grow Mulberry’s San Francisco office as much as possible. I have a good package of salary, benefits, and profit sharing, and the work is interesting and varied, so I really don’t have any incentive to leave anytime soon. Down the line I probably wouldn’t mind living abroad again, maybe in Australia or back in Europe, but only if an amazing opportunity came along. I’d probably only leave my current position if I were to get tired of the madness of agency life and decided to go in house, probably at a startup, in a Marketing Director-type role.
How did you get involved in this career?
I first started in the communications field 10 years ago as a press intern in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office. Richard Riordan was the mayor of L.A. at the time, and after he left office I worked on his campaign for Governor of California as well. After losing that election, I thought I wanted to get into law, so worked at a law firm then went to one semester of law school back at USC but hated it. So, I left and moved to London to pursue a master’s in public relations. I started at Mulberry as an intern in London while doing my master’s, and was hired on and sponsored by the company for a work visa once I finished my degree. Since then, I’ve worked my way up in the company, and a year ago moved to San Francisco to start our office here.
How did you prepare yourself for this career?
Most of my PR and communications training was received during internships or on the job. I did of course complete the MA program in Public Communication and Public Relations at the University of Westminster, which delved into the theoretical aspects of communication, as well as introducing me to some newer techniques I had not used earlier, such as social media. In the end, I’m the type who learns best by doing though, rather than in a classroom though.
What are the downsides to this profession?
Marketing is an unpredictable industry. In tough economic times, it is often the first part of a company’s budget to get cut, which can mean a loss in billings for an agency. Additionally, media relations are becoming more difficult as the journalism industry continues its decline. Basically, there are the same number or more organizations trying to get media coverage, but fewer print pages in newspapers and magazines, as well as fewer journalists to contact in general. I’m pretty lucky to be working with some great clients at the moment, but another downside can be if you are assigned to an account you aren’t interested in. Sometimes personality conflicts can develop between the PR agency employee and client executives.
What is a typical workday for you?
Extremely varied, which is a big part of why I like what I do! We work with a range of different companies and organizations, so on a typical day I could be doing anything from talking to a newspaper business editor about business planning software to pitching a legal trade journal about electronic discovery. We do not only conduct media relations though, so I also write things ranging from podcast scripts to white papers to articles on behalf of clients, as well as performing other activities like researching advertising rates, running Twitter accounts, sending out email newsletters, etc. I also travel quite a bit to various trade shows and conferences to handle the press during those events on behalf of clients, in addition to a whole range of other activities.
How might this job be a stepping stone to other professions?
Working in a marketing agency is the best experience you can get for either moving into freelance PR or marketing work, or going in-house with a company or other organization to handle their marketing activities.
What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Get real world experience, even if you have to work for free to do it.
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
If you are still at college, preferably major in something that is very writing intensive, such as English, if you aren’t going to actually major in Communications. Next, identify what sector of communications you are most interested in, whether it be political, technology, fashion, consumer goods, etc. Then get some experience in that field, preferably through an internship. When I have been looking to hire new staff in the last year I generally receive hundreds of applications, even for entry level positions, and basically if there is no relevant experience on a resume, it simply gets tossed aside because there are so many people looking for jobs that do have that experience.
Once you have been hired somewhere, go above and beyond your job description. Volunteer for bigger tasks, make suggestions for ways to improve current practices and to create new revenue streams. An example is when I started at Mulberry we were not doing any social media marketing. I suggested we try to sell those services to existing clients, and now create multiple podcasts, run blogs, set up and maintain Twitter accounts and Facebook fan pages, and other social networking activities, which actually brings in revenue for the company. Making yourself invaluable in any organization is the best way to advance in your career. However, don’t let your career be your entire life. Marketing is a highly creative field, so I would much rather hire someone who took a year off to travel the world than someone who may have done three internships and now has a narrow worldview because of it.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
I’m a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA), Social Media Club, EcoTuesday, and the Log Cabin Republicans.
What’s a funny story from your college days that you can legally share?
One Friday night in 2002 my college roommates and I decided on a whim to drive 12 hours from LA to Salt Lake City to check out the Winter Olympics. On the way I got a speeding ticket in Iron County, Utah, and rather than just paying it I decided to take another road trip to Cedar City, UT a few months later to fight it. They actually have prosecutors for traffic cases in Utah, so every question I tried to ask the police officer was objected to. When I tried to challenge the validity of the radar evidence, the judge sustained an objection to the question and I responded that the constitution guarantees me a right to confront evidence presented against me. The judge’s response was ‘Not in Utah it doesn’t!’. After she found me guilty and upheld the speeding fine she made sure to say, ‘I’m sure you’re well aware of your right to appeal!’
Where can we find you on the Internet?
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dbrownusc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dbrownusc
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