{"id":5624,"date":"2014-10-25T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2014-10-25T11:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=5624"},"modified":"2018-08-28T12:50:46","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T16:50:46","slug":"agency-vs-in-house-public-relations-national-conference-session-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2014\/10\/25\/agency-vs-in-house-public-relations-national-conference-session-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Agency vs. In-House Public Relations [National Conference Session Recap]"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Conference<\/a>
Conference attendees pose for a photo amidst a day of sessions and networking. | Courtesy of PRSSA National.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Session: <\/b>Choosing Your Path: Agency or In-House PR<\/p>\n

Presenters: <\/b>Brandi Boatner, Digital Experience Manager at IBM; Ryan McShane, Account Supervisor at Taylor<\/p>\n

Recap:\u00a0<\/b>Brandi Boatner, a digital experience manager at IBM, and Ryan McShane, an account supervisor at Taylor, led a \u201che said, she said\u201d professional development session entitled \u201cChoosing Your Path: Agency or In-House PR.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough, Boatner and McShane served together on the 2007\u20132008 PRSSA National Committee. Boatner held the vice president of member services position, while McShane was the FORUM <\/i>editor-in-chief. However, the two parted ways when they entered the professional world. Boatner entered the world of corporate public relations by landing a job at a Fortune 50 company in New York City. McShane chose a divergent path, moving to Charlotte, North Carolina to work at a small agency.<\/p>\n

The pair outlined the three factors new professionals should consider when choosing a path in public relations: location, personality and \u2014 of course \u2014 agency or corporate.<\/p>\n

McShane said the three benefits of agency public relations are a diversity of clients, a diversity of work experience and a diversity of colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cChoosing agency is a lot like being a freshman in college,\u201d McShane said. \u201cYou get to dabble in a lot of different areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Boatner shared three things she did when she decided to work in corporate public relations: she researched how the business generated revenue, identified companies that had global awareness and found companies that had high consumer brand loyalties.<\/p>\n

Overall, both speakers came to an agreement on one main idea, which Boatner stated near the end of the session.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look for a company or agency where you think you\u2019ll fit in,\u201d Boatner said. \u201cLook for a company or agency you think would fit you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Takeaways:<\/b><\/p>\n