Founded in 1996, Dennehy Public Relations is a boutique agency, and the woman behind it is Julie Dennehy. She connects brands with consumers via creative PR, having built a diverse portfolio of clients that includes well-known brands, small businesses and events.
Julie has also served as president of the Boston chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and currently teaches at the Boston University College of Communications. Look Left’s Davida Dinerman recently caught up with her. Conversation highlights include:
- Julie notes that while talking about obstacles she’s faced, it’s also important to recognize that there are some challenges she’s never experienced: “It’s something we have to learn more about. I’m doing a lot of listening and learning in this area and making sure that we’re making room for people of color. When we talk about our own barriers, we have to recognize we have our white privilege to fall back on and [that others experience] barriers that we do not have to worry about.”
- On the shift from earned to owned media: “What’s changed is this PESO model—paid, earned, shared, owned—and the way that that pie is divided has changed. We’re much more into owned media, which, if you’re a writer, [is] a beautiful thing because now we don’t have to worry as much about the [publication] gatekeeper as we do about creating great content.”
- As a college professor, Julie applies what she learns from her students: “There are brands I didn’t even know existed, and [one of their assignments] was to share those brands with me. I feel very fortunate to learn from these really smart young people who are way more hip than I will ever be, and they are teaching who’s big on TikTok, [and] who are the big influencers that influence them personally. I love that. I love trendspotting — it’s part of our job.”
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