Brandi Sims, Founder & CEO of Brandinc PR, shares her top tips for creating a winning collaboration between a celebrity and a brand. Inspired by her own internship experience, Brandi discusses how she started a program to help others break into the industry. Brandi also emphasizes the importance of being a mentor as well as a mentee.

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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Can you just quickly share an overview of what your agency does and the types of clients you work with?

BRANDI: Sure, I’d be happy to. So, of course, I’m the founder and CEO of Brandinc PR. We are a full-service boutique public relations agency with offices in Oklahoma and in Texas. Ultimately what we help to support is brand PR and media outreach. We help to support publicity events on behalf of our clientele, as well as community outreach services to help to support the overall mission and goal, which is raising brand awareness about our clientele. The types of clients that we have, it’s pretty, pretty diverse. It’s very reflective of my background in public relations and communications over the past 15 years. We help to support nonprofits. We help to support politicians. We help to support those in the entertainment space through or by way through authors, athletes. We also help to support those in the tech space and more recently, dived into the food and beverage industry. So quite a bit of clientele to speak to that comes from very, very diverse backgrounds.

DOUG: One of the things that your team does is connect celebrities to events. What are some of the best practices that people should know about when they’re trying to work with a celebrity and teaming them with a client for an event?

BRANDI: To start with, I would definitely say that understanding your client’s budget is an important aspect of this. Before you are reaching out to a celebrity, you need to have it an idea in mind of what you’re willing to spend in terms of the outreach. In addition to that, you need to know what is the purpose and does it align with that particular celebrity that you’re looking for. So, say, for example, I have an athlete that we’d like to get more awareness about what he’s doing and or she is doing in communications or in community outreach. I should say, we’re wanting to get them out there and really show that they’re invested into the community. So, one of the things that we’ll do is we’ll get in contact with like a nonprofit organization, that is notable, that has some great work, and we’ll find ways in alignment, ideas, things that we could potentially do in partnership with that nonprofit organization. But it just has to make sense. We’re not going to go after those that are likely just very small, or maybe don’t have the budgets in mind to be able to support like a big scale project. But it also it varies, you know, every situation is going to be very, very different and with celebrities, especially, based on the passion that they have on particular causes, I have seen where they’re a little bit more flex in their budget, in terms of paid engagements or paid opportunities or paid partnerships, they’re a little bit more flexible in working with a cause or nonprofit to that extent. So yes, I would definitely say, first things first, you got to know your budget. The scale and the coverage it’s much, much different than your local state level types of projects. This is where you really have to hone in on your strategy and your expertise. This is where you have to really think outside of the box. We’re not just reaching out to celebrities because we just want them in our things, right? It’s everybody’s doing the same exact thing, and this is where the strategy comes into play. You have to think strategically. What, do they benefit and gain from this partnership? How are we mutually benefiting each other? If there is a cost associated with it, what is our budget and what are we willing to go up to get said celebrity? And, honestly, coming into the realization that with having that budget in mind, that there is the potential that you might not get the person that you ideally are shooting for to partner with you or to be a part of an event, or whatever the case may be. But, maybe there’s someone else that fits within that budget that has kind of the similar background that you were looking for to partner with your project or what you’re leading. But definitely, I would say those two things are the major things that I look for. And the major things that anyone should make sure that they have in mind before we start making the connections between celebrities and ideal events. Either way.

DOUG: One of the things that you focus on is really helping talent advance and mentorship. What was your inspiration behind starting your remote internship program?

BRANDI: The inspiration behind starting my remote internship program and through, Brandinc PR, it was honestly my experiences, you know? Starting out really, really early. Going to my first semester of college, I already knew very clearly what I wanted to do, and I wanted to be in communications. I wanted to be a public relations consultant practitioner. Right. So, I was very clear from the very beginning when I went to school, what I wanted to do. And I understood that in order to get where I want it to go, I had to gain experience. So very early, I started interning like crazy. I took paid internships, I took non-paid internships, and I really made it a point to hone in on the skills. What is it that I need to know? How can I get better at it? Who can I align myself with that can help to support what it is that I’m hoping to achieve within my career? And I did just that. So thinking back in that time when I was just grinding and just simply trying to learn about everything that was PR and communications, I remember back to those times, and I remember the really fun and positive experiences that I had, but I also remembered those negative experiences in those early internships and in thinking of all of those things and all of those experiences, I decided to put together the program and the plan of what would an internship program look like with Brandinc PR? Well, for one, I want to very much make it very, very clear that this is intentional and that is purely, purely educational. I want interns to feel like this is another classroom for them. This is where they can really get in here and do that type of work. Meaning we’re practicing pitching. We’re working on how to write a press release. I remember the days of just begging my mentors and asking them, please let me work on this press release. I’ve been, you know, doing some research online, going to the library. I know that’s a shocker, but libraries have incredible information, especially for our younger listeners here. But libraries are great guys. But going to the library, finding books that talked about PR and talked about the things that you would be doing if you were actively working in the field. I took that information, and I just started practicing, and then to the point where I went to my mentors and I said, hey, I can do this. I’ve been practicing, let me do this. And, you know, they took that chance on me. So, in creating the internship program, that’s exactly what I wanted. Those opportunities where interns were actually getting that hands on experience, where they were doing these things. But before we actually get into the actual, we’re sending press releases. We’re reaching out to media and doing all of those things. We have to understand the why, you know, why are we doing this? Why do I need to write? What’s the importance of creating a compelling storyline or a pitch? You know, all of these things are connected to our work and what we do on a regular basis. So that’s the first thing is how do we create a program? That is educational. First things first, and be able to build from there. From that point, I started to build out the program from beginning to end, starting with all of the educational components of it the homework assignments, the things that the interns would actually be doing. And then the second fold was, how do we make the connection for interns to find valuable relationships that will allow them to continue to grow in terms of their professional development and their career development? So, through my relationships with national organizations like Public Relations Society of America, I made it a point to use my relationship with them to be able to connect interns with helpful programming, events, webinars, where there were opportunities to hear from 25 plus year veterans in public relations and communications, representing multiple different industries, they got a chance to hear from them. What has the experience been like for them throughout their career? What are the lessons that they learned? What are some important takeaways they had? How did they get to the point that they got to today where they’re so successful in their career, giving them, I think, the gems of insight and wisdom from those that have already gone through everything that they’re dealing with or at least close, just in a different time frame, and being able to pour in that way. I thought it was important to incorporate that. And thus, we did incorporate that into this remote internship program. There’s that piece of you’re not just getting all of your information from branding. We’re not just doing all homework, but we’re also getting kind of on the outside, two of the different industries that communications encompasses. And what are those careers like, especially talking to interns. It’s one of those things that I make it very clear to them that communications is an umbrella to all industries we represent, and we’re in all of these different industries.

So, as you’re learning and you’re getting to practice more, I want you to be thinking of what industry, what I actually want to work in, you know, and I know I want to be in communications, which is great. But what industry are you interested in? Are you interested in tech? Are you interested in fashion? Are you interested in entertainment?

DOUG: Can you talk a bit about your experience at ForbesBLK and the important role that that’s played in providing mentorship for others?

BRANDI: It has been an incredible, incredible experience to foster relationships and help others as they’re determining their next steps, whether it be personal or professional. Mentorship is an important aspect that I think we miss out on as we continue on in our own careers. As we start to get a level of success, we forget about what it was like in the very beginning, and we forget often. How are we pouring back into those that are just now getting into the field and getting into the space? You don’t have to be a professional mentor to be a mentor to someone, you know. We all have incredible, incredible experience and we all have a ton of value. And in those experiences, in that expertise that we’ve developed, I think it’s always important that individuals recognize an opportunity to mentor somebody and understand this as well. You know, you don’t have to be the billionaire millionaire to be a mentor to someone or to be a mentee. I think it’s twofold, very important to be both a mentor, to support behind those that are coming into your industry and wanting to learn and wanting to grow. But it’s also important to have yourself a mentee, somebody that’s ahead of you, that can provide you with helpful guidance, insight and support that could be a value to your relationship, personal as well as professional. We all need someone that is helping to, maintain and to help us grow. And of course, you know, being a part of the ForbesBLK family and helping entrepreneurs, startups, students, just a very, very diverse skill level and career level helping to support those individuals that are a part of the community and give them where they need to go has been a complete joy and highlight. And I’m excited to continue, creating and fostering those relationships that help people grow, and build a more positive environment and economy.

DOUG: Yeah, that’s really wonderful that you’re doing that. From my own personal experience, one of my most favorite parts of the jobs is mentoring younger people. And these days they all seem to be younger people, who really care and are going to put the effort in to be successful and learn and grow. But I also find that I tend to learn a lot from them. So, it’s not really mentor mentee as a fixed position. There’s a back and forth there. Any advice for, I guess future mentees, if you will, to help mentor the people they’re receiving guidance from?

BRANDI: I would say the best advice for that individual is. To again, recognize that you don’t have to be Elon Musk to provide support and guidance to someone, and you don’t have to be just a complete novice. You know, you can provide mentorship exactly where you’re at, and you can add value to relationships exactly where you’re at. So, the key advice is not to focus so much on comparison and focus on what have I done to get to the point that I’ve gotten to today? And where can I really be supportive of another person that is not as far along as I am, but I can add value to this relationship and I can add that guidance and that support that maybe I didn’t receive when I was coming up and when I was getting really started in my career in my field. So yes, it’s important for people to just, focus where you’re at, focus where you’re at, and possibly outline as well. Outline what are some key things that you think that you can help someone with in terms of a mentorship relationship? What are the key things that you think you can bring to that mentor relationship? But very, very important to don’t compare, compare yourself. You’re here where you are at, and that’s much further along than someone else. So, you can absolutely add value and bring something to the table that can help someone.

DOUG: Yeah. And it’s such a great point that, you know, it’s the younger person presumably, and the mentor mentee relationship. You’ve got a unique perspective that can add tremendous value to the person who’s, quote, guiding you. Any final thoughts you want to leave our viewers with?

BRANDI: Well, I would definitely say it’s super, super important that we all are aware at any level of career that we’re in there, there’s always an opportunity to learn. So I would definitely encourage viewers, listeners to find some opportunity where you can be, again, mentoring someone, finding opportunities where you can have a mentee. What are some opportunities where you can learn new trends, insights within the communications field? Because things are constantly growing, constantly changing, and we have to adapt. You know, in this industry it’s so important that we adapt. We have to stay ahead of the curve of those trends. So, find an opportunity where you can learn and don’t get so saddled into the I’ve made it. I don’t really need anything anymore. I’m kind of good. I’ve reached the pinnacle of success in communications. Most professionals will tell you, even the vets will tell you that there is no peak. You know, we’ve gotten there. Yes, we’ve gotten some success. But, you know, we have to constantly adapt. That’s why we’ve been able to maintain the position that we’ve been in. So find an opportunity where you’re learning something new, learning a new skill, learning a new software that is related to communication and find an opportunity to provide some guidance, in mentorship, support someone as they’re getting and hoping to get to the level that you’re at and find somebody that can pour into you so that you can get to the level that they’re at.

DOUG: And that’s great advice for anyone at any part of their career journey. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas with us.

BRANDI: You’re very welcome. I enjoyed this conversation and just happy to be here.