Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Draper.
Hi Abby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career at a boutique agency in Baltimore where I was focused on conducting traditional media relations. This was at the advent of brands being curious about leveraging social media to cast a wider net and I became passionate about learning more. With tenacity, I proactively absorbed everything I could about marrying traditional PR outreach with social media on behalf of the agency’s clients. After persuading my boss to let me try a few things, I was able to prove success and in turn, created the agency’s first social and digital media department.
Word spread about my tenacity and I was poached to move to a larger agency on the east coast where I proved to be an asset to some of its largest clients and accelerated my career pretty quickly. Ultimately, I was managing a fully integrated client based in Orange County so the company asked me to move to LA to open its first west coast office. I did and after great experiences and many successful years, I took a breather from agency life and practiced PR, social media, influencer marketing and networking on my own. Consulting was a great way to continue expanding my Rolodex, gain business development and management skills and practice my tenured PR knowledge on behalf of brands and categories that I have a personal passion for.
I made a few more stops along the way and ultimately knew the best thing for me was to start my own agency. One that does everything through a thoughtful and kind lens. The golden rule is its mission — treat others how you want to be treated. I’m excited that my client roster has already included Barry’s Charlotte, Polished, StretchLab and Quail Hollow Country Club.
My mission in growing this practice is to continue to prove that leading with a clear heart and ongoing candor get you farther than following the reputation that agencies have made for themselves.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like with every life experience, there have been some bumps in the road, but the thing I am continually grateful for is the network I’ve built. Even during tough times, the connections I have made continue to show up for me and I find true joy in reciprocating that kindness when and where I can. Teamwork truly does make the dream work. I’ve grown from an entry-level employee to a business owner, an influencer, a published writer, an award winner and a tenured expert in every pillar that falls into PR as a whole.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
By trade, I am a public relations practitioner and mentor with experience in all aspects that entail — media relations, crisis communications, reputation management, strategic communications, new business development, influencer marketing, etc. I would say that the thing I am most proud of is that I have worked my ass off to develop and retain important relationships over the years. Be it with colleagues, clients, media, influencers, junior team members and the barista at my local Starbucks, I know that I have treated them with kindness and respect and in turn, that’s continually reciprocated. Understanding how the market works and being flexible through changes like the development of social media, dealing with Covid, transitioning into larger roles, starting my own business and remaining true to what I believe is key have been made much easier because of the connections I have nurtured.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I trust the industry will continue to expand and evolve as growth tends to lend a hand in a world that is constantly changing. I believe social media will always be working to cast a wider net, offering new platforms with new opportunities for connection, engagement and promotion. I think we can agree that we have learned a lot in the last couple of years by working remotely or in a hybrid position and that is quite likely to become the norm. Influencers will be heavily relied upon as a great support and growth system for catapulting brands to a much larger audience. I’ll step out on a limb here, though and say that I also have a feeling “old school” PR tactics will return. Physical press kits, phone calls, trade show traffic and more will make a comeback to instill the community we are proud to be a part of as experts in our trade. My biggest hope is that with that return to old-school tactics, we also return to old-school kindness. The golden rule shall hail.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/abbydraper
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/abbyldraper
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/abbydraper
