Meet Gracie Kaplan-Stein, a Senior Account Executive who counsels legal, real estate, and professional services clients at Schwartz Media Strategies. As an in-house legal marketing veteran, Gracie brings a breadth of experience having managed strategic communications for some of the country’s largest law firms.
In this Q&A, Gracie shares her personal journey, insights on working with in the professional services sector, and her approach to maintaining a work/life balance in a demanding industry.
Tell us about your background and how your early experiences (like working in-house at big law firms) influenced your interest in marketing and media relations.
Working in-house at international law firms shaped my interest in marketing and media relations because I was constantly exposed to how important it was to strategically position the firm and its attorneys. From submitting detailed RFPs to creating content for social media, I quickly saw how thoughtful messaging and a strong public profile can make a huge difference in overall firm reputation. I was very fortunate that my first boss, Tina van der Ven, took the time to teach me the intricacies of legal marketing. Her knowledge and strategic approach showed me how to market the firm and communicate messages in a more purposeful way. The experience I gained in-house ultimately prepared me to transition to the agency side, where I could focus more on media and public relations.
With over a decade of experience, what are your favorite parts of working in the communications industry? And which ones present the biggest challenges?
There’s nothing quite like the excitement of seeing one of your pitches catch the interest of a reporter – it’s like a little dopamine hit every time. It’s so rewarding to see your ideas for a good story also resonate someone else, with the potential to reach a large audience. At the same time, that’s also one of the biggest challenges. The pressure to act fast for a timely story is sometimes stressful. You have to nail the pitch and get it out quickly, or the moment passes, and it becomes old news.
Balancing creativity with speed can be tricky, but when it works, it’s incredibly satisfying.
The PR industry continues to transform, particularly with the integration of social media and digital marketing. How is this evolution impacting your role and strategy for clients?
The ongoing evolution of social media and digital marketing has completely transformed PR which has naturally shifted my role to a more integrated approach. While a lot of what I do is still centered around the strategic, high-impact media relation, I work daily to leverage and marketing our earned editorial coverage and create ongoing digital conversations that complements those efforts. Extending client messages across social platforms allows us to further measure reach, share of voice, real-time engagement, which is necessary is our multifaceted media landscape.
A fun fact we love about you is the time you spent rowing as a collegiate athlete. What lessons from your time as a varsity athlete have you applied to your career in marketing and your approach to client services/management?
My time as a collegiate student-athlete taught me many invaluable lessons that directly translated to my professional life. One of the most significant insights is the importance of collaboration, not competition. Just as in sports, success relies on teamwork and effective marketing thrives on valuing diverse strengths from colleagues and clients.
My respect for different perspectives helps foster innovative solutions and cohesive strategies. I also learned to adapt to various teammates’ styles and strengths.
This skill directly translated into my ability to tailor my approach based on client needs and market trends ultimately building strong relationships.
You work with high-profile attorneys and the nature of what we do can be demanding at times. How do you manage work/life balance?
I’ve learned that to manage work/life in this industry, flexibility is key. The nature of what we do can be incredibly demanding, and unexpected requests or tight deadlines can pop up. Rather than seeing these moments as disruptions, I embrace flexibility and adapt when needed. If an urgent need arises, I’ll adjust my schedule to accommodate the task without sacrificing my personal commitments. It’s all about striking a balance between being responsive and proactive for the client while also prioritizing time for myself.
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