Name: Tyler Pearson
Chapter: Georgia Chapter
Current position: Director of Public Relations, WellStar Health System
How long in current position: 2.5 years
First PR job: PR Specialist, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
Where you attended college: Masters in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a BA in History from Furman University
If you weren’t doing PR, you’d be…… If I weren’t in PR, I’d probably still be in TV news. At this point, I’d probably have made the switch to behind the camera work—executive producer, news director, etc… Either that or I’d be a ninja. Flip a coin.
Proudest professional accomplishment: There have been a number of great moments from my agency days—promoting big brands in national campaigns to working with smaller not-for-profits on local crisis communications, but my proudest moment happened recently. On April 1, WellStar Health System completed the acquisition of six hospitals. Overnight we grew from 5 hospitals to 11, becoming the largest health system in Georgia. As you can imagine, there is a lot of work that goes into making something like this happen and communication is a critical component every step of the way. Our team worked together throughout the process. This includes PR, internal communication, events, marketing and digital. There were long hours and some serious challenges, but we pulled together and everything went smoothly.
What is your passion? I am passionate about story telling. I got into TV news to tell great stories. In PR I do the same thing, I just tell a brand’s story. My TV reporter friends have trouble understanding this, but at its best, PR is about storytelling—not spinning.
Why you are a PRSA member? I do not have a PR degree. In fact (this freaks people out), I never took a PR class in college. My knowledge of the media comes firsthand from working as a reporter. PRSA gives me the opportunity to network and learn from the best in the business. This organization has been invaluable to me as I have grown in my career.
Each week, the PRSA Southeast District highlights one of its 2,700 members. To join PRSA, visit prsa.org.