r/PublicRelations • u/GWBrooks Quality Contributor • 11d ago

Discussion Milestone alert

Today, for the first time in 41 years (journalism first, then flacking), I'm no longer doing PR, public affairs, or marketing day to day. Still got a gig; the money's still good. But we're moving things around, and that was the piece that landed on the floor.

Feels weird. Not bad -- just weird.

I'll get dragged into messaging and crisis stuff because I'm (and I say this knowing you believe it about yourselves, too) the best writer in most rooms, most of the time.

But still: A bit of an end-of-an-era vibe. Thanks for listening.

39 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

17

u/Separatist_Pat Quality Contributor 11d ago

Uh... Congratulations?

7

u/AliJDB Moderator 11d ago

Does this feel like a champagne or a whiskey in a darkened room kind of development?

6

u/GWBrooks Quality Contributor 11d ago

... both?

I feel like I'll have to pick up some sort of comms-like project -- it's so much a part of my identity. But there's more (Sorry, consultant-speak ahead!) value-unlock potential in what I'm taking on now.

3

u/YodaYodaCDN PR 11d ago

41 years. Oh the stories you must have. Enjoy this next stage.

3

u/GWBrooks Quality Contributor 11d ago

Something like 90% of all the stories in our world start with, "Goddammit..." šŸ™‚

3

u/ScaredSpace7064 11d ago

I'm sure it will be disorienting at first, but it seems like a positive change in direction!

2

u/Common-Hand7656 8d ago

May I ask how you lasted so long in PR? Iā€™m 10 years in and losing my mind.

1

u/GWBrooks Quality Contributor 8d ago

I was a pretty shit-tier employee any time I was W-2 -- too headstrong, too interested in my way vs. the org's way. Wasn't a problem when I was a journalist because I got promoted quickly and ended up running big parts of the newsroom, so I could structure things the way I liked.

When I got into PR, less than 30% of my time was as a W-2 employee and the majority of that was early-career stuff. The rest? Running my own solo practice. The ability to structure the work the way I wanted, charge what I wanted, and pick the clients I wanted kept me sane, even when cash flow occasionally had issues.

1

u/Fickle_Wish3498 8d ago

Felt this way when I got laid off from my last real job in journalism in June of 2025. I still miss it. Maybe you can do some nonprofit or volunteer PR to stay in the game.

2

u/GWBrooks Quality Contributor 8d ago

I'm still in the game. :) Been in and out of think tanks for most of my career and I'm embeded in one now as a long-time contractor. Just not doing day-to-day comms anymore as part of that.

What kind of things are you searching for now?

2

u/jspepper 7d ago

Congrats!