My practitioner interview is with Kristen Karpinsky, a free-lance PR professional working in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. She works with corporate companies to fashion and interior designers and has a hand in all things marketing, advertising, creative direction and business development.

1. A freelance PR Professional
By: Sophie Peters

2. Background
“I am a 51 years old, married and a mother of
three teens. I spent the first twenty years of my
career in pharmaceutical sales, then stayed home
to be with the kids. Over the first 6 years, I
started businesses, wrote and published a book,
designed a line of children’s clothes and met with
entrepreneurs on a regular basis counseling them
on getting their business up and running. I also
held numerous leadership/volunteer positions with
the school and organizations. These experiences
ultimately lead me to the career I currently
have.”

3. Educational background
Attended: St. Olaf College (1982-1984), Minnesota State
University, Mankato (1984-1986)
Degree: Majored in P.E. and corporate fitness.
“Nothing that I majored in had ultimately anything that
ended up doing.”

4. Segway into the world of PR
“I hired someone to place me in media when I wrote a book
and thought I could do that and decided to move into the
world of media and marketing and from there was able to gain
experience and build my own practice.”

5. How would you define Public Relations?
“Public relations to me is working with the company to make
sure that company is perceived in a positive light and that
company gets maximum visibility leading to business growth.”

6. Do you consider yourself to be a PR professional?
“Yes. I consider myself to be more of a hybrid PR
professional. I also do marketing, advertising and business
development. PR is only one thing I do for companies but it
all goes together and PR is a part of what I do to promote
that company.”

7. What is your job title? What does your job entail?
“My job includes Account development and management,
marketing, advertising, media placement and coordination of
photoshoots.”

8. Where do you fit in the organizational structure?
“I work hand in hand with the owner and I report to the
owner of the company on any job.”

9. Companies you work with…
Adri collection: luxe fur accessories for the home and body.
Works on media placement, marketing and advertising and also
has a hand in photoshoot production
Plush pumpkin: Original velvet pumpkins meant for seasonal
decoration.
Beautifeye: a skin revitalization and laser clinic
marketing, coordinate photoshoots, work with magazines,
pitch them to magazines

10. Companies you work with…
Marcomm Inc.:a company that provides temporary marketing
professionals and business development to other companies.
Kristen works with Marcomm to promote their services.
PureAlchemy Design: a commercial interior design company
Kristen works with the marketing and media placement of
PureAlchemy Design.

11. Adri Collection

12. Plush Pumpkin

13. Beautifeye

14. How long have you been practicing PR?
“I’ve been doing PR for about five to six years and my
previous experience was in sales, which I was in for twenty
years. I started a children’s clothing company and I also
wrote a book. Coming into contact with entrepreneurs is what
gave me my start in the world of PR.”
Prior job experience: Pharmaceutical industry before moving
on to PR. Senior Professional Science Liaison with Agouron
Pharmaceuticals. Went on to start a line of ready to wear
children’s clothing for Tirza Baby.

15. Typical day in the life…
“A lot of computer work. Whether that is pitching to a
magazine, television station, creating marketing materials
or doing research and targeting a certain market. Also
follow up calls. Maybe four times a week I’ll have in person
meetings. Also, I’ve started going to networking events. I
will attend about 2 industry events a month for networking
purposes.”

16. What have been some of your favorite jobs or clients?
“One of my favorite clients is Adri Collection because it’s
in the fashion industry and so everything is exciting with
that. We go to New York a couple times a year and do trunk
shows and are able to meet other designers and
manufacturers. My favorite clients are design and fashion
based.”

17. What would you like to do in the future?
“Manage growth of my own company. I see myself moving more
towards business development. I love media placement but
there are facets of PR I’m not good at. One of my weaknesses
with PR would be my journalistic capabilities and in PR you
need to be a strong writer because you have to do write ups
for your clients or press releases.”

18. Personal experience…
Hired Kristen to help my exposure as a singer in the
Twin Cities, she was able to get an article written up
about me in a local magazine.
Kristen was able to
also assist me in
getting hired for
modeling jobs
around the
Minneapolis one of
my jobs being with
her client Adri
Collection.

19. Examples of Work
Kristen is involved in
the creation of all
marketing and digital
materials and
photoshoot processes
with Adri Collection

20. Something you wish you had known before you started
in communications
“I think one of the biggest things you learn when you go
into PR is that there is no direct result from PR, you can’t
predict what will exactly happen. The client needs to have
faith in the system. But, the PR professional should be
producing results. Also, I came from a salaried position so
it was very hard for me to transition into billable hours.”

21. Advice for starting in Public Relations
“I would say take whatever job you can to get in. Learn
everything you possibly can about every facet of the company
and never burn a bridge. Networking is one of the most
important things you can do for yourself and for your
career. It allows you to move from one job to another
easily.”