PRSA-LA 2024 The State of PR

PRSA-LA 2024 The State of PR

“Embracing A New Frontier: AI’s Impact on PR”

Thursday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m.

Indie Desk
333 S Grand Ave Suite 3310, Los Angeles, CA 90071
In the Wells Fargo North Tower

 

This event is currently sold out!

Parking Information:

Must enter the Parking Structure at 330 South Hope Street (street level). Parking Validation is available for $10 after 5:01 pm
There are also plenty of streets and parking lots surrounding the venue.
Cash lots are available on 2nd/Grand and 1st/Olive that are within walking distance. Meters in front of the Wells Fargo building on Grand Ave. and at the rear on Hope Street side are free after 6 pm.

Check-In Information:
Check-in will be in the lobby. The venue is in the Wells Fargo North Tower building.

Event Details:

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence at conferences, over the kitchen table, and at work. Come and hear how PR leaders are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence tools and dealing with the ethical dilemmas AI presents to the PR industry.

 

Our panel of PR luminaries includes:

Moderator: Fred Cook, Director of the Annenberg Center of Public Relations, University of Southern California

Panelists:

Emily Scherberth, Managing Director, APCO Worldwide West; North America Tech Practice Lead

Melanie Gazazian, TriplePoint PR

Dainius Krasauskas, Public Relations & Advertising Graduate Student, University of Southern California, USC Annenberg

Patrick Buchanan, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Lulus

 

Agenda:

Thursday, February 15, 2024

6 p.m. Networking Reception

7 p.m. Program

Let’s navigate the AI PR landscape together!

Speakers’ Bios:

Fred Cook
Chair Emeritus, Golin
Director, USC Center for Public Relations

 

Fred Cook has worked at Golin for over 35 years and credits the company’s culture for his long tenure with the firm.

During his time with the agency, Cook has had the privilege to work with a variety of high-profile CEOs, including Herb Kelleher, Jeff Bezos, and Steve Jobs. He has also managed a wide scope of crises for his clients, including airline crashes, product recalls, and sexual harassment.  He is also partially responsible for unleashing several cultural phenomena, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokémon, and the seedless watermelon.

Fred is proud of the firm’s accomplishments, but he is even more excited about the future. The world is experiencing profound changes in demographics, globalization, multiculturalism, and technology which are impacting the way people communicate with each other. To stay ahead of these changes, Golin adopted a proprietary business model called g4, to deliver deeper insights, bigger ideas, and broader engagement to their clients. Since then, Golin has been named ‘Agency of the Year’ more than a dozen times.

In 2014, Cook published “Improvise – Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO,” which shares the wisdom he gained as a cabin boy on a Norwegian tanker, a doorman at a 5-star hotel, and a chauffeur for drunks. In 2015, after speaking on college campuses around the world, Fred accepted an additional position with the University of Southern California as the Director of the USC Center for Public Relations at the Annenberg School whose mission is to shape the future of public relations and those who will lead it – through research, education and thought leadership.

Fred is frequently invited to speak at major industry conferences, most recently the AMEC Summit, ICCO Global Summit, and PRCA Americas Conference. Recognized throughout the industry for his leadership, Fred has received numerous awards for his contributions to public relations including the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Holmes Report, PR Week, and PRSA. In 2021, Fred was inducted into the PRWeek Hall of Fame.

Fred and his wife Cheryl have two children and live in Los Angeles.

 

Emily Scherberth
Managing Director,
APCO Worldwide West, North America Tech Practice Lead

 

Emily Scherberth is the managing director of APCO Worldwide’s West region and serves as North America Tech practice lead. She is based in Southern California. Ms. Scherberth is a seasoned corporate communications executive with more than two decades of experience as a storyteller, qualitative researcher, and business strategist. She has guided several Fortune 500 companies as well as early-stage tech and healthcare startups over the course of her career, serving as a trusted counselor to venture capital firms, serial entrepreneurs, and other C-suite executives.

Prior to joining APCO, Ms. Scherberth was the founder and CEO of Symphony PR & Marketing, Inc., a consultancy that worked with disruptive technology, digital health, and healthcare delivery companies. At Symphony, she advised CEOs, created thought leadership platforms, and developed go-to-market strategies for more than two dozen startups including Justin.tv (Twitch), ZipRecruiter, Media Temple, and Crossover Health, and led corporate communications for iconic companies like Mayo Clinic. She also served as an interim head of communications and marketing for several companies in transition and helped executive teams transform their organizations into high-performing cultures. Prior to Symphony, Ms. Scherberth led the consumer technology practice at Allison+Partners, Los Angeles, expanding its portfolio of business to include YouTube and raising the company’s visibility during the rise of Silicon Beach. Earlier in her career, she led award-winning teams at agencies like Fleishman-Hillard and MSLGroup on high-profile consumer brands such as Yahoo!, Nestlé, Nike, and General Motors.

Ms. Scherberth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge. She is also an experienced speaker and moderator and has served as an adjunct professor of communications for more than 14 years at various universities across Southern California including Loyola Marymount University, California State University, Fullerton, and California State University, Dominguez Hills.

 

Melanie Gazazian

TriplePoint PR
PRSA-LA Young Professionals Lead

Melanie Gazazian has been in the PR industry for the last four years with a focus on technology, startup culture, virtual reality, and video games. After her first internship, she knew this would be the career for her.

Melanie graduated from USC with a Master’s in Public Relations and Advertising after graduating with a B.A. in Sociology and English from the University of La Verne. She is currently an Account Executive at TriplePoint PR supporting accounts like Blizzard Entertainment, Paradox Interactive, and more.

At TriplePoint, she worked in-house at Blizzard Entertainment as an in-house consultant, continues to lead several high-profile accounts, and holds the record for the fastest promotion from Associate, to Account Coordinator and finally to Account Executive today.

Aside from work, she is an adult supporter of the youth Leadership Team with the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls after serving on the team for 2 years as a girl herself. During her time from 2015-2017, the team created the Leadership Program that is still used today and facilitated the first Disneyland Takeover.

 

 

Dainius Krasauskas
Public Relations & Advertising Graduate Student
University of Southern California, USC Annenberg

Dainius Krasauskas is an overly curious, long-haired European creative who loves to innovate. Before joining USC to pursue a Masters in PR and advertising, he brought the Bavarian Prime Minister to a former employer to play with robots, art-directed a rap video with over 20 million views for a soccer superstar, and composed music for one of Europe’s largest modern art museums. He also loves early seasons of “The Simpsons,” generative AI and bossa nova.

 

 

 

 

Patrick Buchanan

Vice President of Brand Marketing, Lulus

Patrick Buchanan serves as Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at Lulus. He joins the organization during an a critical period of growth, leading the charge in establishing the brand’s identity, shaping market perception and translating creative concepts into impactful campaigns to ensure the brand remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving fashion landscape. As a member of Lulus’ leadership team, Patrick plays a pivotal role in guiding the brand’s trajectory and propelling it to new heights of success.

As an award-winning marketing executive with more than 15 years of experience, Patrick is no stranger to leading culture defining, barrier-breaking campaigns. Prior to Lulus, Patrick served as VP of Marketing at Good American, the first-fully inclusive women’s fashion brand, where he spearheaded brand marketing initiatives that challenged the status quo and worked to ensure the Good American brand was at the forefront of the inclusivity movement. Before Good American, Patrick served as senior director of brand marketing at Universal Music Group,  collaborating with some of the world’s top musicians, including Lil Wayne, Nas, Justin Bieber and more, to forge closer connections between fans and their favorite artists through fashion. He also previously held key marketing roles at K-Swiss and fashion footwear leader, Creative Recreation, where he drove brand-defining global initiatives.

An innovator at heart, Patrick has forged his own path in the fashion industry, with campaigns that challenge societal norms and the status quo. As a disruptor, super-connector, and conversation driver, his work has garnered global attention with some of the biggest talent in music and entertainment. Leading with brand-forward initiatives and strategic partnerships, he continues to out-pace his track record, building relevance and bolstering bottom lines.