Position/Company: Senior Account Executive, Lippe Taylor
Describe your job in one sentence: My job is to make people and things look good.
Where did you go to college? Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College
What was your major? Marketing Management with a minor in psychology
First internship? What were your responsibilities? What did you learn? New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein whom I met in my college classroom; she inspired me to get my foot in the door. I also simultaneously interned at Fox Greenberg Public Relations, a boutique bi-coastal PR firm that specializes in beauty, events and luxury lifestyle. I learned so much about PR and events during both my double-internships. Meeting amazing personalities like Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Steven Taylor, Tina Fey (she is hilarious in person), Peter Dinklage (also hilarious), Neil Patrick Harris and so many more… it was just the icing on the cake!
First job in PR? When people complain about interning or working for free, I remind them that my internship is how I landed my first job in PR at FGPR.
Did you move to another city (like NY/LA) to pursue your career in PR? I was raised in New York but considered moving to Hong Kong (Frement PR) to pursue PR opportunities there. I’ve always wanted to test my language skills.
Favorite part of your job? Least favorite part of your job? My favorite and least favorite part of the job is the same, which is also something you have to accept as a publicist and that is no two days will ever be the same. Seeing all the elements come together at an event or seeing months of hard work get published is a close second for favorite part of my job.
Favorite brands (brands you think are launching great PR campaigns)? Instead of specific brands I would like to turn it around and give a shout out to my editorial counter-parts; the way the publications keeps reinventing and redesigning themselves without losing their original integrity is amazing and they deserve recognition.
Biggest lesson learned to date in your career? Triple. Check Yourself ALWAYS.
Who were/are your mentors? I learn by watching people so I was very lucky to have many strong female figures in my life that I could look up to and learn from. My cousin Elaine Yu broke many glass ceilings in a male-dominated industry; Sarah Greenberg of Fox Greenberg Public Relations gave me an experience of a life time; she never fails to amaze me, still.
Best work advice? Don’t take yourself too seriously and from Sarah Greenberg, “don’t ever assume!”
As a publicist, you can’t live without your… wit. Things don’t always go as planned and when they don’t you have to be smart about how you handle the situation and how you handle yourself. A good sense of humor also goes a long way!
In order to succeed in PR, you… need your team. The saying “it takes a village” is by no means a joke. You are only as good as your team is and my Lippe Taylor team is amazing.
If you weren’t a publicist, you’d be… something of or related to food. My friends just started their own business called Tea n’ Milk https://www.facebook.com/teaandmilk
What is your website, twitter handle, or anything else you’d like to promote? @AloraYun is my handle for everything – instagram, twitter, tumblr.