Perspectives from PRSA's VP of Programming, Joel Hammond
Posted on Sep. 23, 2022 / Subscribe 0
by Joel Hammond, PR Specialist, Hyland and PRSA Cleveland Chapter VP of Programming
How did I end up practicing public relations at a global software company and serving as the programming chair for the Cleveland chapter of the PRSA? I’m glad you asked!
Whenever I chat with college students looking to network or gain any tips on entering the job market or about the industry, I always chuckle when I go through my career trajectory and land on one thing that has defined my career: You never know what the future holds.
When I majored in Journalism at Bowling Green, I thought I was going to be the next Tony Kornheiser or Dan LeBatard. And I did work in sports in newspapers after college, but it was a grind. I worked second shift (4PM-1AM) on the sports desk at a paper with three editions, and a managing editor who was so in love with baseball he’d make us stay for West Coast baseball to be done, stop the presses and “fly in” the baseball page. It was madness.
After two years, I left the hills of Upstate South Carolina to move back closer to home and joined a weekly business newspaper – Crain’s Cleveland Business – where I achieved a little more work-life balance (Friday afternoon deadlines for the win!) and learned a lot about being a journalist from excellent, seasoned journalists. I also adapted my skills and background to make the paper better: My sports background served us well as I created a sports business beat and blog where we put a business spin on the crazy Northeast Ohio sports scene.
With the newspaper industry continuing to suffer, though, I saw a potentially career-defining opportunity to shift to PR: with the then-Cleveland Indians, where I pitched myself as someone with the skills and knowledge to make an impact on the team’s communications staff. Five seasons, one child, one World Series appearance (not win, darnit!) and one 22-game win streak later – and with another child on the way – I took my experience both in journalism and with the team to lead an agency’s social and PR practice. Three years later and way too many 99% billable weeks later, I was off to the client side, where I took my B2B PR experience at the agency and applied it to my current work at Hyland.
In the process, I took on a leadership role with the Greater Cleveland PRSA, using my career experience to develop programming based on industry trends I’ve observed in my professional role. I’ve also been able to network with fellow pros, invaluable – especially during COVID, when all of us could use an extra set of eyes and ears.
Can you see a recurring theme?
I majored in Journalism and expected to have a long career in the industry. Stuff happens. But the versatility I was thankfully able to gain throughout my career and my broad skillset has helped me adapt to changing industries and roles, and I’ve been able to carve out several areas where I can safely call myself a subject matter expert – and give back a bit to the profession through my work with PRSA.
How does that apply to young or emerging pros? I strongly encourage individuals at that stage in their careers to gain as much experience as you can when they’re young: Work at an agency, which I credit as an important part of my growth as a marketer. Work in B2B: Sometimes, it’s not quite as sexy to market B2B companies or products, but that experience will help.
And don’t be afraid to adjust your career, experiences or expectations: I may not have a talk show on ESPN or a World Series ring (so close!), but I do have a great job with immense impact at a wildly growing company that’s a leader in its field. And that’s pretty cool.
Have a question for Joel? Feel free to drop him a line.
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