Name: Stephanie Fedler
How You Know Her: The multi-faceted PR rep brings some major brands to your fingertips. She represents brands like Adele sings songs, yeah that good.
Day Job (Describe your job at Idea Grove)
The Idea Grove is a small agency that specializes in content marketing, public relations, SEO and web design for technology and healthcare companies. As an account executive, I work on several different client accounts, including RiseSmart, ShopSavvy and Systemware, among many others. I focus on the public relations and social media strategies for our clients, which involves writing press releases, bylined articles and blog posts, pitching the media, engaging with social media influencers and participating in team brainstorms to come up with new strategic marketing/PR campaigns for our clients.
What’s the coolest thing about public relations?
It allows you to do many different things, so you’re definitely never bored. It’s a fast-paced world – one that I thrive in. You can do so many different things. To name a few, you can write, pitch, simultaneously manage multiple social media platforms, plan events and if you’re lucky, travel around the country during media tours to serve as a company spokesperson on television news programs (my personal favorite). In 2011, I served as product spokesperson for a women’s shoe line and that’s when I realized my favorite part of PR: the on-camera action. There are numerous other fun and exciting things about PR, but I think everyone would agree that securing a big media placement for a client is by far the best feeling as a public relations professional. I very recently landed my client, RiseSmart, on CNBC while pitching a Super Bowl angle that had to do with comparing the unemployment rates of the two competing cities in order to predict the winner. Coming up with interesting new angles like that is an integral part of leading media relations campaigns. That’s always my main goal – finding an interesting, new story that the media will want to cover, therefore increasing brand awareness for my clients by getting them in front of their target audiences.
We see you are quite the bookworm. How have your degrees helped you in your career?
Why thank you! I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ve always been a very hard-working, determined person. I felt it was important to take advantage of my education at Southern Methodist University. If it’s possible to get two degrees, why wouldn’t you? I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology as well as corporate communications and public affairs. I wanted to have more than one option in regards to choosing a career after graduating college. By earning both degrees, I could go to grad school to earn my doctorate in psychology, which I always thought I would end up doing, but I ended up choosing the marketing/PR path and couldn’t be happier. My degrees have given me the freedom to choose and who knows, maybe I’ll go back to school and you will have to call me Dr. Fedler someday.
What’s something that a company or individual can do to overhaul their image?
Invest in quality PR/marketing services to help deliver your company’s message to its target audience. It’s all about knowing who you’re trying to reach and finding the best way to get your company name in front of them.
Last movie that scared the crap out of you
I absolutely despise scary movies, so I avoid them at all costs. I’m more of a comedy kind of gal. Yes, I’ll admit that I like a good chick flick every now and again. Seriously though – even when I’m just trying to have a nice, relaxed evening watching one of my favorite TV shows (a current favorite: How I Met Your Mother) and the previews for “The Devil Inside” or “The Lady in Black” come on, I immediately change the channel or else I’ll start to imagine that the evil characters from the movie will straight up “The Ring” it and come out of the TV to kill me. Too dramatic? Okay, let’s just say I’ll have nightmares.
If girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, what are guys made of?
Beer and meat and smelly feet
One cool thing you want to do before December 21, 2012…just in case
My boyfriend and I would love to take a trip to the Maldives. Never heard of it? Do a Google image search and you’ll put it on your bucket list too.
Last time you had a really good meal
I just made a killer batch of lasagna this week. I love to cook and thanks to my mom, I have plenty of delicious family recipes that I experiment with on a weekly basis. Cooking is like a form of stress relief for me. It’s a great way for me to relax with a nice glass of wine.
One company that you would love to have the PR account for
I’ve worked with clients in several different industries, but I really enjoy working on beauty/fashion accounts. I would be elated if I could do the PR for Michael Kors. He’s by far my favorite designer and I would be absolutely over the moon if I could serve as a spokesperson for the brand.
Tell us a secret
When I’m walking down a flight of stairs I almost always imagine myself falling.