Name: MiMi Johnson
Age: 27
Current City: Atlanta, GA
Job Title: Blogger/Marketing Director
Company Name: F.A.M. Fiend
Length of Time in this Role: less than a year
Web Site: Famfiend.com
Twitter Handle: FAMFiend

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. How did you wind up in this field? MJ: I have sort of a unique path into the field. I was accepted into college as a fashion design major, but quickly changed it to Marketing in efforts of being more ‘practical”. I graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a BA in Marketing, but also never gave up on my aspirations on doing something within the field of fashion. I later linked up with my super-creative college friend, Alesha Gunn, to start up a blog that displays our common interests for the love of fashion, art, and music. Alesha is more of the creative designer of the site and I’m more of the business/marketing go to person for the blog. I also co-own a makeup/hair/fashion styling agency called P3 Lab and do all of the marketing/PR for that as well.

Mopwater: What aspects of the industry are you most excited about? MJ: I love meeting new people from diverse backgrounds. That is always so refreshing to me. I also love being able to be creative with stories I write up, different angles I take when writing up releases, as well as coming up with cool marketing ideas and having the total authority to execute them.

Mopwater: Describe a typical workday including your work hours. What do you do all day? MJ: My daily tasks change from day to day. I could be interviewing a new artist or designer for a blog feature, typing up posts, putting together e-blasts for clients, researching new products or daily news, attending a special event, meeting with a client, or simply online all day responding to emails. Read the full story

Rebekah Lovell of Renown Promotions in Atlanta

Rebekah Lovell, 24 Woodstock, GA (Atlanta)

PR Strategist to Small Business

Owner of Renown Promotions,  going on 2 years

Renown Blog

Twitter: @Renown

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. What made you want to get into the field?
RL: Back in high school I was elected to the Public Relations seat on our Student Council and something clicked. Since then, I’ve always gravitated towards managing people, business, and events and loved the idea of creating value for businesses and organizations by doing so. I started in college as a Dance Pedagogy major, then Journalism, and then quickly changed to PR upon learning what it was really all about. I was the nerd who sat on the front row and actually read the textbooks and started a blog upon my professor’s suggestion. After a stellar experience at my internship, I took a job in Marketing with a top Atlanta Real Estate Firm. I couldn’t wait to strike out on my own once I saw the depth of small businesses in our area needing counsel and direction. I like to be behind the scenes, and position people and causes for success. It seems PR is a natural extension of my personality and gifts and I’m very passionate about what I do. I enjoy the fast-paced climate of PR and always learning what’s next.

Mopwater: What aspects of the industry are you most excited about?

RL: Strategy and Campaigns, Writing, Social Media, Causes and Events. I like to help businesses get from A to B, and help them look back at how far they’ve come.

Mopwater: Describe your office and workplace. How many co-workers do you have? Where, how, and how often do you collaborate with them?
RL: I work from my home office and communicate with the world outside non-stop via phone, email, and social media. I work hand-in-hand with a couple of other PR companies and freelancers to accomplish everything on my plate.

Mopwater: Describe a typical workday including your work hours. What do you do all day?
RL: My days are always different-but that’s half the fun! I start early and end late, and even work weekends most of the time to catch up. I may have a few office days a week, but I travel a lot to meet clients, attend events, and network.

Mopwater: What are your favorite and least favorite PR tasks? Do you love to pitch? Do you dread writing releases?
RL: Reverse of your example answers-I love to write and don’t enjoy pitching! I have a knack for the written word and really enjoy getting a client’s message across so that a certain media’s listeners, viewers, or readers can relate to and identify with the idea or story behind the feature. Read the full story