Written by Claire Sigler, professional development director for Allen Hall Public Relations
On January 9, Samanta Luthra, Managing Director at Bread & Butter Los Angeles, joined us via Skype for our firm meeting. Samantha is an Allen Hall Public Relations alumna and served as the Assistant Firm Director from 2010 to 2011.
Bread & Butter is a full-service hospitality public relations and digital firm with nine offices across the United States. Samantha was their fourth hire almost seven years ago and loves working in the fast-paced food, beverage and lifestyle industry.
Here are our top 3 takeaways from Samantha’s presentation:
Whatever you do, do it fast and do it well.
When Samantha got her first job out of college, she experienced firsthand how fast agency life is. She had to learn to get things done efficiently, make quick but smart decisions, and how to back up the choices she was making. There is no time for laziness or waiting around; there is always something to be done. Samantha has worked her way up from an entry-level position to managing director through an extremely fast and productive work ethic.
Get personal with your work.
One of Samantha’s favorite parts about working at Bread & Butter is working with smaller “underdog” restaurants. It is extremely rewarding for her to see her work contribute to their success and growth. She attributes much of her success to her personal approach to PR. She takes the time to get to know her client, the employees, and the chefs to really understand the personality of each restaurant, allowing her to properly pitch them to the media as well as write engaging social calendars.
Want to work in food and beverage? Get in the kitchen!
One of the most valuable things Samantha looks for in potential Bread & Butter job candidates is experience working in a restaurant. Understanding how a restaurant works is essential to being a successful PR professional in the food and beverage industry. Former restaurant employees have a unique perspective that is extremely valuable when representing food and beverage clients.
To learn more about Bread & Butter Public Relations, click here.
Follow Samantha on Twitter: @SamanthaLuthra