Author: Thea Nagle

PRSSA Candid Conversation with Erika Mayor 

By: Thea Nagle 

 A majority of nonprofits have been active during the pandemic supporting and providing services to their clients and communities. Public relations professional Erika Mayor has an extensive career in nonprofit, working for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for five years. Mayor was always passionate about nonprofits and recommends that anyone interested in nonprofit works for an organization they truly care about. It makes the work more rewarding and enjoyable. Mayor still works with her nonprofit passion today in the consulting firm she started in 2013, GrupoMayor Consulting Inc. 

Mayor began her PR career as a journalist after graduating. While journalism was not her desired career path, she learned a lot of valuable skills as a journalist that she brought with her to her PR profession. Mayor was offered her first PR position with Red Cross, “On my first day I got to the office and they asked me to write a media alert and a boilerplate and in my mind I was like what is that?” Without much experience in PR she quickly realized that she already knew how to do some key PR functions after working in journalism. At Red Cross she learned about the creation of press materials, conducting press conferences, planning events and fundraising. She became the spokesperson for Red Cross, “It was scary to stand in front of a mic and say something because the cancel culture we have now is very intimidating, but the experience made me the confident media trainer I am today.” A lot of what she learned during her time at Red Cross prepared her for success with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

After the Red Cross, Mayor took her skills to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where she worked her way up to be the Associate Director of the South Florida Region. Working for a large organization proved to be a challenge because of how detailed and strict they are about branding and image, but it helped her stay organized. In addition to working in crisis communication, branding, strategy and other aspects, Mayor thought “If I wanted to get in with the key players I needed to have the same skill set and knowledge, so I went to get my masters in business.” After receiving her masters she gained more respect and had better knowledge in the business realm.

After several years, Mayor created her own consulting agency. Starting her own agency was something she was always interested in, but it took time. Mayor advised students that “It’s not years, it’s not quantitative. It’s all experience and what you have learned and what your previous experience is.” Being able to experiment with different roles and positions was extremely valuable to Mayor, because she needed to figure out what she liked. Gaining experience and wearing as many hats as you can is crucial to success in communications. She told students that employers like to see consistency and adaptability. Staying at a role and learning as much as you can should be our top priority before we move onto the next to expand our skill set. 

Mayor’s top tip for current PR students is to take advantage of what else you can be learning outside of the classroom. What certifications, webinars, online courses would benefit you?

By: Thea Nagle, PRSSA Secretary

PRSSA kicked off its Candid Conversations Series for the Fall 2020 semester with Matthew Sacco on Monday, Oct. 19. We connected on Zoom for an honest discussion between Sacco and the students. The event opened with Sacco summing up his professional journey from starting his collegiate career as an architecture major, then making his way into the sports, entertainment and political communication industries. After sharing his journey, students engaged in a Q & A session to learn more about the realities of working PR. Some students asked questions about starting their careers, advice and skills needed while others asked specifics to his past and current positions. 

“I found out it wasn’t the path for me (in reference to architecture),” said Sacco, earning group nods of approval as most of the audience has felt the same. Prior to exploring working in PR, Sacco was an architecture major at UMass Amherst before realizing he wanted to go into a communication field. He accepted a role with a campus newspaper and found a calling in writing and communication. After graduating he reported on lacrosse until a connection passed his resume off to someone at the Florida Panthers, where his career in sports PR began. After 10 years with the Panthers and working his way up through the ranks, he shifted into a new role in the entertainment public relations industry. Sacco joined Roc Nation to help create and manage a new arm of the organization and offered him an opportunity to return to New York and his family. After achieving success in New York, but realizing he wanted a better work-life balance and to pursue more stimulating work, Sacco returned to Florida to work as a political consultant and lobbyist. Sacco is currently a governmental consultant for Rubin, Turnbull & Associates. Here he offers clients seasoned lobbying expertise as well as advising on business strategy.

Working in lobbying “is very entrepreneurial in nature,” Sacco says. By setting his own schedule and agenda he works with more predictable outcomes and can better control his and his client’s destiny. Lobbying requires finding mutually beneficial solutions with clients. He represents clients in every regulated industry to find different strategies to change decisions. The specific examples Sacco provided about what kind of clients he has worked with and what they accomplished, helped to illustrate political communication. 

Sacco’s biggest piece of advice for college students is to “find mentors in people you admire, and ask them to invest in you to help you learn and grow.” A mentor encourages their mentee to constantly work on themselves and become a top mind in their field. If you can be an expert in the room then you automatically elevate yourself and set yourself apart. At Emerson we have the opportunity to acquire and perfect the skills that will launch us into our future career. Sacco inspires us to set a goal for learning and gaining as much experience as we can while at Emerson.