Rosemarie Esposito, Program Director, Hotwire PR
As the Program Director for the IT and Software division at a global PR agency, Rosemarie oversees the overall strategy, budget and client relations for the department’s accounts. Rosemarie helps her team to hone in on and scale activities around specific campaign KPIs, and also works to develop new business for the agency. She loves to lead by example, and continues to roll up her sleeves and speak to the media about her clients.
Rosemarie began her career by researching an agency and setting up an interview for an open internship. She started a week later, and learned valuable writing skills, media monitoring and measurement, plus how to effectively pitch reporters. Upon graduation, Rosemarie’s internship experience helped her transition into a full-time position at the agency, where she stayed for three years.
While her current agency, Hotwire PR, has offices around the world, Rosemarie is headquartered in NYC. Follow Rosemarie on Twitter @RosemarieE and learn more about her career path:
On school:
I studied Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. Since my line of profession is BtoB tech, economics and sociology courses have been extremely helpful through my career. The Liberal Arts institution that I attended also gave me the opportunity to take a wide variety of courses that would ultimately help with problem solving and seeing all possible news angles.
On first jobs:
My first job was at a well-known boutique sized public relations agency (often made it into Gawker), led by a very charismatic NYC CEO.
I started out as an Account Coordinator at my first agency with the online gambling and tech practice, later transitioning to focus on BtoB and BtoC technology brands. I wasn't an AC for too long, moving to an Account Executive role after six months. I stayed at that first public relations agency for about three years.
On tools and resources:
I've taken various social media courses over the years, including one at the NYU continuing education school. I've also been very focused on being a "beta" user for any new program or platform. I was a fairly early Twitter user, and continue to jump on any new “wave” that disrupts the marketplace. The best way to learn is by doing!
Other than that, I recommend a firm understanding of all Microsoft programs, Photoshop and even how Excel formulas work (something I've been using a lot more now for reporting).
I would also recommend subscribing to podcasts, and reading anything you can get your hands on about your client's business, not just about public relations.
Advice:
I would tell my college self to be calm. This job is by nature stressful, but it shouldn't impact your daily life. In the end, everything will be ok and shake out.
Never ever burn bridges. I don't care how angry someone makes you, smile and keep them on your side. You should also research and do your due diligence, connecting on social networks and reading through your network’s published work. Research skills are a MUST HAVE in public relations.
On the biggest news in social media and how she gets her news:
Recent social media snafus continue to make all of us laugh and cringe at the same time! Take Best Buy posting that Serial tweet, or the debate over "bae" and disingenuous brands speaking to their communities. But I've also seen a lot of positives, such as the power of hashtags bringing the world together, #notafraid and #jesuischarlie.
I read TechCrunch, Mashable and VentureBeat a lot for social media news, but still go to Drudge Report, Twitter and the BBC for real time news.
Rosemarie began her career by researching an agency and setting up an interview for an open internship. She started a week later, and learned valuable writing skills, media monitoring and measurement, plus how to effectively pitch reporters. Upon graduation, Rosemarie’s internship experience helped her transition into a full-time position at the agency, where she stayed for three years.
While her current agency, Hotwire PR, has offices around the world, Rosemarie is headquartered in NYC. Follow Rosemarie on Twitter @RosemarieE and learn more about her career path:
On school:
I studied Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. Since my line of profession is BtoB tech, economics and sociology courses have been extremely helpful through my career. The Liberal Arts institution that I attended also gave me the opportunity to take a wide variety of courses that would ultimately help with problem solving and seeing all possible news angles.
On first jobs:
My first job was at a well-known boutique sized public relations agency (often made it into Gawker), led by a very charismatic NYC CEO.
I started out as an Account Coordinator at my first agency with the online gambling and tech practice, later transitioning to focus on BtoB and BtoC technology brands. I wasn't an AC for too long, moving to an Account Executive role after six months. I stayed at that first public relations agency for about three years.
On tools and resources:
I've taken various social media courses over the years, including one at the NYU continuing education school. I've also been very focused on being a "beta" user for any new program or platform. I was a fairly early Twitter user, and continue to jump on any new “wave” that disrupts the marketplace. The best way to learn is by doing!
Other than that, I recommend a firm understanding of all Microsoft programs, Photoshop and even how Excel formulas work (something I've been using a lot more now for reporting).
I would also recommend subscribing to podcasts, and reading anything you can get your hands on about your client's business, not just about public relations.
Advice:
I would tell my college self to be calm. This job is by nature stressful, but it shouldn't impact your daily life. In the end, everything will be ok and shake out.
Never ever burn bridges. I don't care how angry someone makes you, smile and keep them on your side. You should also research and do your due diligence, connecting on social networks and reading through your network’s published work. Research skills are a MUST HAVE in public relations.
On the biggest news in social media and how she gets her news:
Recent social media snafus continue to make all of us laugh and cringe at the same time! Take Best Buy posting that Serial tweet, or the debate over "bae" and disingenuous brands speaking to their communities. But I've also seen a lot of positives, such as the power of hashtags bringing the world together, #notafraid and #jesuischarlie.
I read TechCrunch, Mashable and VentureBeat a lot for social media news, but still go to Drudge Report, Twitter and the BBC for real time news.