Story Time with Molly Currey

This week, My PR Writing class welcomed Molly Curry, PR Exec. and all-around bad ass, to speak to us about the world of Public Relations.  Let me tell you, she was one of the coolest women I’ve ever met- everything from her chic stiletto booties to her past in Semi-truck racing to her daring hairdo was pretty much the embodiment of the coolest PR person I could imagine.  Not only was she knowledgeable in the world of communication, but she also offered great life experience and a contagious passion that left me completely inspired and thrilled to graduate and begin a career in Public Relations.

One of the most resonant points in her presentation, and one that I was very relieved to hear, was that to her, an outstanding personality and innate passion for anything was far more important than a stellar grade point average.  I definitely don’t pride myself on getting straight A’s, and I was so happy to hear that my activity within my interests and an outgoing personality (along with a natural knack and some rock-solid PR skills) will make me a great candidate to be a PR success.

I was also really interested when she spoke about how traditional english classes can actually be detrimental to successful PR writing.  In English 1001, we are given page number assignments, and we stop at nothing to meet the astronomical words/pages/characters just to fulfill a requirement.  In PR, we are encouraged to prune, not pad our stories.  Molly said that we have to learn to write, cut it in half, and then cut out another 20%.  There’s no time for inquisitive questions, or long introductions.  We need to grab our audience’s attention immediately.  People want to know, and they want to know now.

Lastly, I was really excited to hear Molly talk about how much of a thrill PR is.  It’s unpredictable.  It’s fast-paced.  It’s rewarding.  In other communications fields, there is such a sense of certainty and guarantee, while in PR, there’s no telling when a client is going to screw up, when you’re going to have to swoop in to the rescue, or who you’re going to have to convince.

It sort of blows my mind that someone as cool as Molly Currey graced the same hallways and stairwells of Johnston Hall (and Strack!!!!!) that I do every day.  With a passion for her work, her play, her family and herself, I believe that Molly Curry proves single-handedly what life is all about.  PR is, according to Molly, 90% story telling, and let me tell you- I’d listen to ANY story Molly has to tell.