PRSSA Welcomes Grady Grad Julie Sternberg From Hunter PR

By Sara Lawrence

This Tuesday, PRSSA got the opportunity to talk with Julie Sternberg, managing director and marketing communications strategist at Hunter PR, a consumer marketing communications firm headquartered in New York City. 

Julie is a UGA Grady grad who majored in public relations. She spoke about her time at UGA, emphasizing the importance of the internships she had which gave her a taste of the music business industry that she first entered out of college, along with the campaigns capstone course, which public relations majors complete at the end of their time in Grady. She discussed how the campaigns class was beneficial in teaching real-world experience with a real client and working in teams that is prevalent in the agency world. 

Julie talked about her dream job of working in music and entertainment public relations, which she accomplished by working in publicity and artist relations for record labels directly after college. She then decided that she wanted to broaden her horizons and explore industries outside of the music realm, landing her at Hunter PR. 

Hunter PR specializes in consumer marketing across a broad spectrum of industries to connect their clients with their target audiences. These industries include food & beverage, home & lifestyle, health & beauty, wine & spirits, fashion & retail, among other markets. They work with brands such as Amazon, Tabasco, Johnson & Johnson, La-Z-Boy, Jelly Belly and more. Hunter PR focuses on identifying cultural moments where their clients can show up and be a part of the lifestyle to connect with their consumers. They provide solutions for their clients in traditional PR, design, social and digital strategy, entertainment work, crisis communication, partnerships, branding strategy and global reach.

Julie discussed how transitioning from entertainment to agency public relations gave her the opportunity to grow and foster creativity. In an agency, she was able to blend marketing and PR and open her eyes to new ways of working, while still being able to provide a unique perspective from her experience working with talent in the music industry. Her favorite part of her job is being able to brainstorm and think outside of the box for her clients, which she does on a day-to-day basis by providing client counsel. This incorporates both meeting with prospective clients and strategizing with current clients. 

To work at Hunter PR or in any agency setting, Julie stressed that students need to hone in on the skills required for the specific avenue they want to pursue, as agency work is very broad. Overall, she believes presentation skills are a must for all public relations professionals. Dynamic presenters are needed at every level of the job to pitch their services to potential clients and pitch the work they have done to their existing clients. Julie also talked about having to adapt and learn about finances in a management position, along with recognizing the ever-changing communication flow with the impact of social media. To prepare for a career in PR, she highlighted the importance of internships, not just from an experience standpoint, but also from the benefit of making connections to help students as they navigate through the industry. 

Hunter PR is offering an in-person Summer 2023 internship program located at their headquarters in New York City. Interns will be placed in different groups focused on clients in different markets. Students can expect to develop different skills that vary depending on the client and projects they are working on, including event work, message development and strategy and research. Hunter PR is expecting interns to be active participants in their roles, sharing their opinions and brainstorming with their team. They are looking for students to bring their personal passions and connections to the job, highlighting what area they are interested in so that they can thrive in a team fit for them. PRSSA membership is also a plus for applicants! Interested students can learn more about Hunter PR’s amazing opportunity here: Hunter PR Summer 2023 Internship

We are so thankful that Julie took the time to enlighten us on her experiences navigating through the PR industry and share opportunities for students to explore working at Hunter PR! Members, make sure to mark your calendars for our healthcare PR meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Studio 100!