Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Freitas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Carrie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After earning my stripes at major multinational PR and marketing firms in San Francisco and Los Angeles, I moved back to my hometown of Newport Beach to launch my own PR practice in 1995, at the age of 26. I’d been working for large national brands and companies (think Nintendo, Kraft Foods, Nestle), which was amazing, but I felt constrained by corporate culture, which didn’t give me the entrepreneurial freedom I sought (and made me wear pantyhose and corporate suiting, which is another tale of woe!). I also wanted to come back to OC so that my work could have local/regional impact. I wanted to see, touch and feel the client business on a daily basis.
Thankfully, my agency colleagues continued to work with me on national accounts as a freelancer since I was known for placing big stories, with a focus on national and major metro market TV. This got my practice up and running quickly! I owe a lot to them and am fortunate to still count them as friends and colleagues now — 25 years later. Moving back to Newport Beach, I immediately saw an opportunity in the residential real estate industry. At the time, the marketing wasn’t sophisticated (with a couple of notable exceptions in rockstar pros like Paula Ansara-Wilhelm and Carolyn Lowe). I cold-called them and was able to partner with them on PR, copywriting and marketing campaign concepts. This work really launched me in the local market and, to this day, my practice is especially renowned for our work in luxury residential real estate. While I continued to consult national clients, including Pizza Hut, The First Years and others, I built my business as a solopreneur.
Since I love my work, the 70+ hour weeks were not only do-able but full of energy and passion, even when I had kids and needed to learn to balance motherhood, marriage and work. My kids have always seen me as a full-time working mom who, luckily, worked from home so that I could be super involved in their daily lives, volunteer at their schools, go to all of the mommy + me classes, you name it. My business has always been highly profitable with low overhead and has even included a foray into co-founding a commercial real estate brokerage at the height of the 2008 recession. In 2010, I founded Kitchen Table Marketing + PR and brought on a talented and dedicated staff. What makes us different? I believe it’s my big agency background that enlightens and drives our strategy and innovation. We think big, then figure out how to execute with smaller budgets. I also think my background as a journalist and writer makes us the best at crafting stories and has earned the media’s respect. We are known for our tireless work ethic, our authenticity and integrity, and our connection to the community. Our firm is very committed to giving back and we are constantly fundraising and shining a light on issues facing our region.
As a result, we’ve been rewarded with wonderful clients as far-ranging as impactful nonprofits, five-star hotels, major retail centers (SOCO, Long Beach Exchange, Lido Marina Village, Pacific City), restaurants, developers (including The Irvine Company, where my mom worked in marketing when I was little!), fine artists, doctors, and more. I work with a team of Renaissance women — we know how to do it all when it comes to marketing + PR, we do it all well and we love what we do, who our clients are, and where we live and work. I truly believe that when you are in alignment with your values, and you show up as 100% “You” every day, when you work with clients who are aligned with these values, and when your team also is aligned in this way, success follows. And by success, I mean not just profits, but — more importantly — meaningful work that you are passionate about. Knowing that you are on a team that supports you wholeheartedly and knowing that you’re making a difference in people’s lives in many ways.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t know if I’d want to be traveling on a smooth road, per se. That could be incredibly boring and wouldn’t provide the challenges and obstacles that make you grow, personally and professionally. Without speed bumps or roadblocks, there would be less impetus to innovate, change things up, and keep things interesting. And, in our business, you always need to be coming up with new ideas, fresh takes, timely pivots and successful solutions. That said, because my team and I are so good at what we do, we have been able to weather hazardous road conditions as they present themselves, be they recessions, pandemics or what have you. Our clients trust us to help them navigate their businesses through all types of markets and they are loyal to us, as we are to them. We consistently attract new clients because of our sterling reputation for exceptional client service, results, responsiveness, creativity and teamwork — we are very proud of this and know that it’s a reputation we have to earn, build and nurture every day, with every project. We also are focused on expressing gratitude to each other, our clients, the journalists with whom we work, our project partners, our industry and our community. This gratitude gives us extra traction on even the toughest of roads.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kitchen Table Marketing – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Kitchen Table Marketing is a full-service creative communications and marketing firm. We do everything from branding to publicity, marketing to social media, content creation, copywriting, new business development. We love it all! What sets us apart in the region is a bit of what I covered in the first question — big agency strategy and creativity applied to small-to-medium-sized businesses and their associated budgets. Small business owners and bootstrapped startups deserve big ideas and big passion from us — and they get it! I also think that we are one of the only firms of our size and type that functions as a full-service, generalist firm, working on almost any type of business in any way that business needs. Working across business types and sectors keeps us fresh, nimble and bringing new ideas to the table.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I really love my hometown of Newport. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s changed a lot since I grew up here in the 70s and 80s. I miss the more laid-back beach town vibe it had then, but time has brought the city — and OC in general — a lot more culture, art, business, restaurants, and other types of growth that make our quality of life truly world-class here. I am excited by the innovation and entrepreneurship that is happening here. OC has really come into its own as a center for technology, research, higher education, the arts and more. It’s exciting to see. I love to help people discover our area, whether they’re from out of town or have just moved here. I always tell them to visit Balboa Island and Laguna Beach. Hiking in Bommer and El Moro Canyons and in the Back Bay Nature Preserve are highlights. And, of course, spending time at the beach — I love the beaches at Newport’s Peninsula Point the best. They also shouldn’t miss visits to the Orange County Museum of Art and the Laguna Art Museum. There is so much to do and see. I feel very fortunate to live here!
Contact Info:
- Website: kitchentablepr.com
- Phone: 9494336735
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kitchentablepr
- Facebook: @kitchentablepr
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
