King's College London, U. of London

Senior Media Relations Manager at The Aspen Institute

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

The Aspen Institute

Senior Media Relations Manager

I manage press outreach and media relations across the Aspen Institute. Working within the Communications team, I am responsible for raising the overall media profile of the Aspen Institute and acts as a liaison between the press and experts within the Aspen Institute’s programs. I also coordinate with media networks to arrange TV, radio, and online coverage of events

Senior Media Relations Associate

I oversee communications at Politics and Prose, D.C.’s leading independent bookstore and a nationally renowned cultural institution. The marketing department promotes several hundred events a year, multiple bookstores and a coffeehouse, a retail website, classes and trips programs, and provides PR for a business frequently called upon to provide public comment. Responsibilities include:   	• Oversight of all external messaging, including a website, marketing emails, a monthly print events calendar, paid advertising, social media, and the P&P membership program.• Handling public relations on behalf of P&P, fielding inquiries from journalists along with regular print, TV, and radio feature requests. • Generating earned coverage for upcoming events and new initiatives, products, and locations.• Liaising with publishers, publicists, and authors to ensure that events are well-attended, generate positive coverage, and coordinating media access. • Planning and implementing themed retail displays at the original bookstore.• One of several P&P directors consulted by the business owners regarding key decisions for the medium and long-term future of the company, and setting strategies for developing the P&P brand in D.C. and beyond. • Oversight of a department consisting of a marketing manager, graphics designer, and an AV coordinator.

Politics and Prose Bookstore

Director of Marketing and Publicity

Deputy Director of Marketing and Publicity

I performed a wide range of communications duties at this national literacy nonprofit. These included:• Media outreach on behalf of the organization as it approached its 50th anniversary. My efforts led directly to a New York Times Thanksgiving feature by Frank Bruni, one of the most significant articles about the nonprofit in several years.• Writing press releases and other promotional copy in support of RIF initiatives, including various commercial partnerships, such as Macy’s, and an e-book giveaway with Ustyme.• Generating content for the store’s social media accounts and blog, and liaising with regional RIF organizations to showcase book giveaways at the core of RIF’s mission.• Assisting with the development and promotion of RIF’s redeveloped website, <a href="http://www.RIF.org">www.RIF.org</a>.

Reading Is Fundamental

PR & Communications Specialist

I managed Politics and Prose's bookstore at 14th & V, as part of the company's ongoing collaboration with Busboys and Poets.

Store Supervisor, 14th & V location

- My responsibilities include arranging features, interviews, reviews and events for Soaring Penguin graphic novel titles across a diverse range of media, both in print and online.  • Titles include the First World War graphic novel anthology, To End All Wars, which supports the work of Doctors Without Borders and the North American launch of Regis Loisel’s million-copy bestselling interpretation of Peter Pan. I helped arrange the successful launch of To End All Wars, with a number of events taking place across the UK and national media coverage.

Soaring Penguin Press

Press Officer

Turnaround Publisher Services is the UK’s leading independent Book Distributor, and I enjoyed working in a fast-paced, varied and deadline-focused role, in which I was responsible for a Marketing and Publicity Department comprising of five full-time employees. Primary duties included:  • Generating publicity for non-UK publishers; Turnaround provides full publicity services for many American, European and Australian publishers operating in the UK. This includes, but is not limited to: generating reviews and feature coverage, arranging author interviews, organizing launches, other events and author tours. • Creating the company’s monthly Sales Kits – my department was responsible for collecting and distributing all upcoming title information to the Sales Department and elsewhere. • Writing advance information sheets and press releases for upcoming titles; I would generally write more than 50 per month, giving me extensive experience in deadline-driven and accurate copywriting.  • Managing data feeds and online product records. The Marketing Department oversees regular data feeds from an internal title database, which they maintain, to a number of organizations including Amazon.co.uk, Nielsen and BooksoniX.  • Developing and maintaining the company website, <a href="http://www.turnaround-uk.com">www.turnaround-uk.com</a>. I oversaw the development of a new consumer website in 2013 and took responsibility for content, which includes over 30,000 individual product pages.

Turnaround Publisher Services

Publicity and Promotions Manager

- I was initially hired by Turnaround as a Publicity and Promotions Assistant, before my promotion I was allocated the first point of contact for a wide range of publishers. • I took responsibility for collecting new title information, producing Advance Information sheets and, for non-UK publishers, publicizing their upcoming titles.

Jon Purves