This week, we’re profiling one of our favorite publicists to follow on Twitter, Amanda Ruisi of AKR PR. Amanda studied communications at Fairfield University. She founded AKR PR in January 2010 –  a full-service public relations agency specializing in celebrity brands, entertainment, and lifestyle. Prior to that  Amanda was at NBC in the Entertainment Publicity Department where she handled both PR & Talent Relations for 8+ years. We asked her a few questions to learn more about how she got into PR and her advice for aspiring PR professionals.

How did you get started in public relations and what attracted you to the industry?
It’s actually all because of my mother. In middle school and high school I was known as a bit of a social butterfly. I was a freshman in high school and my mother said to me ‘you know you would make a great publicist one day.’ My mother had worked in the advertising industry for years as a producer and an advertising executive, she was on the creative side, she really gave me a great intro into what this industry would be like. Later my mom helped me get my first internship in Entertainment PR at NBC. I then worked my way up and was hired full time four months later. From there it took off and I was at NBC almost my entire career, and I’ve been doing this now almost 10 years, I launched my own PR firm AKR Public Relations in January 2010.

What is your average day like?
Nonstop. Each day brings something different but a typical day is coordinating press and photo shoots for our personal clients or planning the logistics for the upcoming press launches we have or creating the strategies of new product activations or taking brand meetings with clients or looking for the right celebrity brand ambassadors.

Aside from celebrity personal/TV PR, we specialize in brand PR. We work with a myriad of Fortune 500 brands and we help align them with a celebrity and we will do social media endorsements or an organic photo opportunity, which is a great way to do a one time brand ambassador activation. We take a 360 approach: we secure the talent, the photo shoot, place the photos within the media and ensure correct brand messaging.

What’s your favorite part of working in public relations?
As a publicist you’re overseeing your clients image, you are involved in every aspect of their career.   I love being able to help cultivate my clients who have these unbelievable platforms, whether it be on a TV show or however they break into the industry, and help them sustain that with longevity within the industry.  It’s an exciting thing to be a part of because I love to see my clients grow, because truthfully my clients become family to me.

What’s the best PR advice you ever received?
The best advice I received was from my former boss, a communications executive at NBC who told me to “make sure you pick up the phone” to not rely completely on emails. With all the new technology people are sometimes reluctant to make phone calls but really the age-old way of communication, speaking via the telephone is still a great effective way. In the world of PR we are communication advisors, so it’s key we use all platforms to do so.

Any advice for those looking to get into PR?
I always say the best way is to think about what area of PR you would like to be in. There are so many different facets of PR, it’s important to experience a bunch, I think the best way to do this is through internships, work-studies, etc, take meetings and informational and keep an open dialogue with those you meet. Everything you try and everything you do is an experience that later can become a tool that you reuse.

Make sure you find Amanda on Twitter @AKRPR and on Facebook.com/AKRPR!

We got in touch with Linda of SO’PRESS via Facebook and were intrigued to learn more about her experience in public relations in  France. She created SO’PRESS in 2009 located in the center of Paris, rue Etienne Marcel. She works with young designers specialized in fashion, jewelry and accessories including Fred Marzo, Yvonne Yvonne, Honorine Jewels, Les Trouvailles D’Elsa  and more.  Today, she would love to develop SO’PRESS internationally with designers or clients that are looking for visibility in France.

How did you get started in public relations and what attracted you to the industry?

Since I was 15 years old I was very attracted to fashion, press and communications. I was obsessed with fashion and wanted to organize runways and photo shoots. After  graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communications, I was hired as a communication assistant in a  business school but was still obsessed with fashion. Unfortunately in France, there are a lot of internship opportunities but not many job offers.

I was determined to make my dreams come true so I decided to create a small agency. I started with the promotion of a very feminine and avant-garde  e-shop called  ModeTrotter  and a young  minimalist chic brand  bag designer called Yvonne Yvonne. It became successful and  fashion editors started to recognize  SO’PRESS and that is when SO’PRESS  was born; my goal is to promote and develop young designers in the industry from all over the world. Young designers need us and it is good to see new creators in the media. PR is a real passion, relationships are very important and that is what I love about this job!

When  I opened my first office last year in the center of Paris rue Etienne Marcel, that was when I started to realize that SO’PRESS wasn’t a dream anymore – it was a reality! Also meeting great fashion editors  that help me a lot in the improvement of the company. I am forever grateful.

What is the best PR advice you ever received?

Always be reactive,  never gossip about people and keep it simple. Your client is the star  not you!

Any advice for those looking to get into PR?

PR internships are very important, even more so in fashion. Communication schools can help you find good internships, meet others and gain experience. The more you make of your internships, the more you will be ready to work in the PR industry.

What differentiates PR in France from everywhere else?

I think the approach to editors can be different. We need to learn more about how editors are approached in other countries such as United States, but I think the big part of the work is nearly the same in France than anywhere else, apart from the fact that  in France  we are not using a lot of the social media in PR services at the moment. It is developing more and more but is still a little bit rare.

Fore more information, check out SO’PRESS on Facebook.

There’s nothing we love more than our avid followers on Twitter and this month,  we want you to meet Charlie, a Chicago PR boy we connected with online with a fellow passion for PR.

My name is Charlie Rice-Minoso (@ChiTownCharlie) and I’m a born-and-bred native of Chicago.  I’m of Cuban, English and Irish decent, and in May of 2011, I graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Public Relations and minors in Theater and Cultural Studies. I’ve currently wrapped up an internship at Ketchum, working in their Brand Practice and Food Communications division working on brands such as Kimberly Clark, Kellogg’s and ConAgra. I’ve recently received word that I will begin an internship in Weber Shandwick’s Consumer Marketing branch in February. In my spare time (what’s that?), I enjoy quality time with friends, boating, traveling and new adventures. I also volunteer for an equal rights organization that defends the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Illinois.

How did you get started in public relations and what attracted you to the industry?

Through my parents’ business, I’ve been in close proximity to public relations my entire life. My father is a former professional athlete and now works in the community relations division of his former team. So, from a very young age I’ve had the opportunity to attend functions and get that behind-the-scenes view that I would never be able to receive otherwise. So, after assisting my dad throughout the years, I knew that I wanted to do something like this professionally, but was never able to make the distinction of what industry that fell under.

Although my writing abilities and vocabulary have always been strong, it wasn’t until I joined a student organization on my college campus that I began to utilize different skills and abilities that I had been using when working with my parents. The more events I had produced, the stronger these skills became. As soon as I began planning our organization’s larger events, I knew that I wanted to use these abilities professionally. Once I had several of those accomplishments under my belt, I was referred to the academic advisor for my school’s public relations program. Once I met with her, I knew that it was meant to be.

What is your favorite part of working in public relations?

I would say that what I love most about a career in public relations is the need to be a jack of all trades, and as every PR girl knows, no two days in the industry are ever the same. Whether you’re working on a 1,200 person gala or researching Times Square’s rental rate, you never know what the day is going to throw at you.

What is the best PR advice you ever received?

A former professor of mine once told me that the best thing I could do as a public relations young professional is to intern anywhere that I could that was a fit with my career aspirations’”and I really could not agree more. As interns we have the luxury of taking this specific company for a ‘œtest drive’ and see whether or not we actually want to pursue a future in corporate marketing over lifestyle PR, or fashion over food communications. Through interning at a non-profit, to a small boutique firm, to a midsized agency, to two of the largest public relations firms in the industry, I’ve really been able to receive a well-rounded experience. Not only have each of these places added to my portfolio, but they have each taught me something that I will be able to implement throughout the entirety of my career.

What are your future PR aspirations?

Like any recent grad, I’m hoping to finally get my first position within the next six month to a year. For someone new to the workforce, I feel like being in a larger agency is one of the best environments to really become well versed in the industry. After all, if you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best. I’m not sure if I’ll be in Chicago or in another major city, but I really feel that the agency world is the best place for me to be within the next few years of my career. Although I’m enjoying these large firms, I still plan on opening a business or two of my own down the road. Who knows!

Any advice for those looking to get into PR?

Aside from garnering a substantial amount of intern experience, I would highly recommend anyone in school to appropriately utilize the resources of their university. In all of the courses in my major, I made it a point to befriend all of my professors, as well as my advisors. They provided me with insight, advice, counseled me on what courses to take and have even provided me with stellar professional references. My good relationship with one of my professors even led me to my very first internship.

I also recommend becoming involved in a student organization. The entire purpose of on-campus groups is to provide students with opportunities to demonstrate leadership abilities and exercise business skills before entering the workforce. It was almost as though these were practice rounds before my internships, where I was able to get my feet wet and develop talents that I would utilize in the public relations industry.

And above anything else, always believe in yourself. Be your own best cheerleader! Because at the end of the day, if you don’t take care of yourself, who will?

Be sure to connect with Charlie on Twitter @ChiTownCharlie!