by: Kim Aquino
AJ Feuerman is the hero we didn't know we needed.
Her path to public relations began with a guest speaker who shared a juicy article from Vanity Fair. Instead of an exclusive media hit looking into the women of the next hit television series, Vanity Fair shared the difficult relationship between the stars. The story of a total PR failure hooked AJ Feuerman to this career.
After receiving her B.A. in screenwriting from USC, she shifted gears and went forward to major in Communications, specifically focusing on entertainment and the internet. She paved her way through the industry, working in TV, film, music and home entertainment within her first six years in public relations. It was during her time at Gravitas Ventures where she truly found her passion within PR. AJ described Gravitas as a small independent film distributing company with cool projects of tiny films, with really passionate filmmakers. She found her niche and an affinity to work with these storytellers. The challenge of working around small budgets and the excitement of making magic happen became satisfying and fun for her.
She mentioned “Fast Ball,” “For the Love Spock” and “All Things Must Past” as some of the projects she had worked on. She also shared humorous stories about Chris Evan’s beard and Ernie Borgnine’s secret to life longevity, as well as tips from her social media managing experience.
Social media is ever changing, and you have to stay current and stay informed. She advised us to use Facebook newsroom, to read a lot of publications, know who those outlets are serving and where those people live. She also said to be educated on current trends and tactics, research what your competition and the people in your industry, and to use our media.
After gaining experience in more than a handful of companies, AJ decided to take control of her own destiny and create her business, AJ Feuerman Communications. Her 13 years in the industry she has established a strong reputation and curated a huge Rolodex.
As she was once inspired into this career by a guest speaker, she has done the same for us. Leaving us with valuable advice and a final statement of, “Know what everyone else is doing and do it better.”