Gianni Spradley, founder and CEO of Fifteen East Media Group, visited campus on Nov. 3 to discuss navigating a career in public relations and entrepreneurship as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the industry.
During Spradley’s presentation, “My Journey into PR, Communications and Entrepreneurship with Gianni Spradley, Founder & CEO, Fifteen East Media Group,” she challenged students to consider how they would respond to professional situations requiring quick thinking, communication and composure.
The activity offered students a glimpse into the unpredictable nature of an industry that continues to depend on something technology and AI cannot easily replace: relationships
“PR is a relationships business,” Spradley said.
Relationships in a changing industry
During her presentation, Spradley discussed how emerging technologies have changed accessibility and networking within the public relations field.
“Back in my day, we did not have easy accessibility to people who we needed to get in contact with…heavy on the face to face connections,” she said. “This is a relationships business.”
Spradley said technology has increased access to media contacts, encouraging students to take advantage of these tools to network and build professional connections.
“You guys have it so easy,” she said. “Powerful tools, rich databases and instant access online.”
As social media continues to play an increasingly prominent role in the industry, Spradley distinguished between public relations and social media. She explained that social media focuses on content organizations control and audience engagement, while public relations centers on earned media and reputation-building.
“Social media is its own pillar, PR is its own pillar,” she said. “Social media is one channel in the marketing…one platform with controlled messaging…Public relations [is a] broader discipline beyond social platforms: earned media.”
Spradley described public relations as “earning” engagement and emphasized the importance of connections with journalists.
“Gone are the days where you’re gonna go viral just organically…you need to put money behind it,” she said. “Public relations is still earned…again, you have to cultivate relationships with journalists.”
Spradley also encouraged students to expand their networks to include smaller organizations, which can provide valuable experience.
“A lot of people take advantage of small outlets,” she said. “If you see something in somebody, as a journalist, and they could be writing for a B, C list outlet, still keep in contact with them because you never know where it’s gonna lead.”
Networking can serve as aes, she said. Once students enter their desired fields, Spradley emphasized the importance of maintaining strong client relationships, even when creative disagreements arise
“Always show kindness, always be professional,” she said. “You have to remain professional and really be able to still provide the work that the client hired you to do.”
Destiny Garcia, a sophomore marketing major, said she attended Spradley’s presentation to learn more about career opportunities available within the media industry, including <a href="https://bitcomme.com/corporate-insight-releases-research-series-on-ai-leaders-in-financial-services/” title=”Corporate Insight Releases Research Series on AI Leaders in Financial Services”>financial services, beauty and public relations.
“I’m really interested in learning more about the media industry…I think there’s so many different avenues,” Garcia said. “There’s financial services, there’s beauty, and there’s also video relations.”
Garcia said she initially had concerns about how AI could affect the public relations industry. However, attending professional events has helped her recognize the importance of human relationships in the industry.
“I was concerned about how AI is gonna impact [the PR field], but then, as I’ve attended more events, I realized how it really is dependent on relationships and AI can’t take that away,” she said.
Reflecting on Spradley’s visit, Garcia said hearing about her experience gave her insight into how public relations professionals navigate difficult situations.
“She shared all her experiences and [the things] she navigates everyday,” Garcia said. “We all have different perspectives.”
Bringing industry experience to campus
Christine Milano, assistant director of the Career Center, said bringing industry professionals to campus gives students an opportunity to learn from experiences that cannot be replicated in a classroom.
“We’re kind of always looking into the diversity. Like, the people that we bring onto campus and giving different perspectives and opportunities,” Milano said.
Milano said Spradley’s experience starting her own agency offered students a practical example of entrepreneurship.
“[Spradley] was…leaving a position [to start] new,” she said. “All the practical advice that she has—that overall lesson of just have a vision, make it super clear, and commit to it.”
Milano also emphasized the importance of students hearing directly from professionals working in public relations, an industry that continues to evolve alongside social media and changing marketing strategies.
“I think it’s such a changing field,” she said. “I think hearing that real world experience, you can teach it all they want, but there’s something…[in] hearing that actual experience. It’s a learning experience.”
In an interview with The Setonian, Spradley said her decision to establish the Fifteen East Media Group came from recognizing opportunities that traditional public relations firms were overlooking. She said many agencies continued to approach media outreach through conventional publications rather than exploring broader cultural outlets.
Spradley emphasized the importance of staying informed about current events to recognize opportunities within the industry.
“You also need to know what’s happening…in the state of the world that we’re living in,” Spradley said. “So definitely [make] sure you’re reading, keeping up on trends and educating yourself as best as possible.”
As AI becomes increasingly involved in public relations, Spradley said journalists should learn to recognize AI-generated materials from publicists to protect the integrity of their work.
“Any sort of assets that require reading, [publicists] can tell that it’s been AI written,” she said. “I feel like…they’re not even wasting their time.”
Although Spradley acknowledged that AI will continue to develop, she said human communication professionals will remain necessary because technology cannot fully replace personal interactions and professional judgment.
“I like to always tell people, especially comms people, we have to learn to work with AI,” Spradley said. “But at the end of the day, [AI is] not gonna eliminate a real life comms person or a real life PR person, because there needs to be a human touch point, plain and simple.”
Advice for aspiring communication professionals
During an interview with The Setonian, Spradley shared lessons she learned from founding her public relations agency. She encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to find a business coach who can offer guidance when navigating difficult decisions.
“Sometimes with, you know, entrepreneurs, we’re out here by ourselves…someone, like a business coach who’s been there, done that…who can talk us off the ledge and provide us with sound advice that’s true,” she said.
For students entering the field, Spradley stressed the importance of staying informed about social and cultural trends that could impact public relations.
“Definitely keep up on trends. Definitely read, write,” she said. “You need to have duality.”
Rachel Killaly is a writer forThe Setonian’s News section. She can be reached atrachel.killaly@student.shu.edu.
