Today we’re launching a brand new blog series called #MeetRegan. Each month we will be introducing you to a new team member and sharing a quick Q&A with them. First up is Maddy Sheffer from our Boston office. Maddy was recently promoted to Senior Account Executive and is sharing some public relation insight as this month’s #MeetRegan feature.
Tell us about yourself: how did you end up at Regan and what is your day-to-day like?
I grew up in Swampscott on the North Shore and studied communication and art history at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, but always knew I wanted end up back in Boston working in PR. I have a lifelong familiarity with the people and the media in this city and I thrive on helping our clients identify their messaging and finding the most impactful channels to reach the audiences who matter most to them.In a typical day at Regan I am working on multiple accounts within the hospitality, non-profit, business and lifestyle areas; my day-to-day tasks often include drafting and pitching press materials, staffing client events, tracking media coverage and putting together reports, contributing to client social media accounts, and keeping up with the news of the day.
What do you love about PR and what are some of the skills necessary to succeed in this industry?
Today we are inundated with so much information that audiences have become very selective in what content they choose to watch, read, listen to and engage with—which makes our role as publicists that much more important in strategically and creatively helping our clients’ messages stand out among the rest. PR is constantly evolving alongside the media landscape which pushes us to always be on our toes, thinking ahead toward the next big idea and challenging ourselves to secure client coverage both locally and nationally across multiple platforms.We excel at taking advantage of timely opportunities and trends that are relevant to our clients, for example on World Health Day in April the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first global report on diabetes, so we quickly positioned our client, Joslin Diabetes Center, as an expert voice on the topic to emphasize the work their researchers are doing to find a cure for diabetes.
Public relations truly embodies all of the things I genuinely enjoy doing: networking and meeting new people, writing and communicating newsworthy stories that people care about, and continuing to learn and expand my knowledge base. Thanks to a wonderfully diverse group of clients we are able to push ourselves to become industry experts in areas we may have never explored otherwise in order to best communicate our clients’ messages; I never thought I’d learn so much about diabetes, the tire industry, cocktail and food trends, and beekeeping all in the same job! And an added bonus of working in the fast-paced world of PR and juggling several different clients is that no two days are ever the same!
(Pro tip: I keep at least 5 different pairs of shoes under my desk because you never know when you’ll have to go right from the office to a last minute event!)
Favorite summer activity or spot in Boston? Do you have a favorite that locals and newcomers alike might not be aware of?
The Boston Public Market is one of my favorite summertime lunch spots since it has a wide variety of seasonal offerings, all from local Massachusetts-based vendors, and is my preferred place to bring out-of-towners since it is much less tourist-y than nearby Quincy Market. BPM is also a great place to run to if you need some fresh produce, prepared meals, fresh flowers or even a last minute handmade gift for a loved one! I usually grab a kale and seared tuna salad from Red’s Best to eat outside on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and although I pretend to like kale as much as the next girl, I’m really looking forward eating some apple cider donuts and enjoying the fall foliage (Union Square Donuts I’m looking at you)!
#MeetRegan: Maddy’s Instagram Takeover
Want to hear more from Maddy? Tune into our Instagram story on Friday September 2nd. She’ll be taking over Regan’s account all day!
