Meet Amy Prenner

We were lucky to catch up with Amy Prenner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I got my work ethic from my parents. As a young child they encouraged me to get good grades, study hard and go on to college, all of which I did. I thought I knew everything when I was just a young woman fresh out of college. Little did I know that I had a lot more work to do on me and figure out I thought that internships automatically meant that the doors would open me to my dream job. That was just a blip. It wasn’t until I figured out where I was supposed to be, in public relations that I learned that if I put in the time, nearly 17 years as an independent, and counting that I would start to see a real profit and also hit my stride.

I still have this work ethic now. I work nights, holidays, weekends, whatever it takes to get the job done and I have no ego about being the lowest person on the totem pole and doing all the different jobs from the outreach to the administrative. Whatever it takes I don’t stop till I get it done.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The Prenner Group was born in 2007 out of a need for me to use my skills that I learned as a television and film publicist to create a boutique Public Relations and Communications firm. I was very hesitant at first but after friends and mentors convinced me that I could do it there I was launching my company with my very first client NBC’s THE SINGING BEE, hosted by NYSNC’s Joey Fatone. It was a blast and it opened up so many doors and so many referrals. I stumbled upon publicity after trying my hand at so many other things. First, I thought I wanted to be an on-camera news reporter. Then I thought I wanted to be a talent agent. After I went through those experiences, I ended up working for a producer who was on the rise, Lynda Obst. She was coming off the heels of SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and was about to release her next film ONE FINE DAY starring George Clooney & Michelle Pfeiffer and she had a book coming out about the entertainment business called HELLO HE LIED. I was immediately intrigued by the ABC News Camera Crew who came to the office for a sit-down interview and then the Glamour interview that took place immediately after. When I was able to attend the premiere and see the lights and action of the red carpet I was immediately hooked. Once that happened, I knew there was no turning back. I went to a PR firm where I learned about talent publicity working with rising stars Ben Affleck, Calista Flockhart, Jared Leto, Adrian Brody, Debi Mazar and so many more. It was a good time to learn the basics of PR and see which side of the entertainment business I could excel at. I ended up working in TV publicity, relaunching EXTRA in 1999 and then over to Paramount to work with the producers of Entertainment Tonight to launch a movie-review show called HOT TICKET and a spin-off of the popular show BLIND DATE, RENDEZ VOU. After that I went on to work at WHEEL OF FORTUNE where I spent five years promoting the heck out of America’s Favorite Game Show. Once I started visiting locations to film the show more than a few times I knew I was ready to spread my wings and set up shop.
The Prenner Group is one stop shopping for communications needs for companies, products and entertainment outlets of all shapes and sizes. The Prenner Group (TPG) is a full-service, strategy-driven public relations, marketing and communications practice representing a roster or experts, lifestyle, and consumer brands. Founder Amy Prenner is a communications executive who thinks like a producer to provide a mix of public relations, marketing and brand building designed to help position established brands and convert new and younger brands into thriving businesses.
We generate media attention as a result of long-lasting relationships with key members of the press community. With experience and expertise along with media connections that span multiple platforms ranging from consumer to trade to online to local, national and international markets, we showcase our clients to the world.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three skills of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey have been resilience, persistence and patience. Without these important qualities I would not be able to shape my career or my company. I still practice them every single day. For folks who are just starting out in publicity and are developing their own business practices, setting boundaries is key but also making sure you’re giving yourself enough balance. Sometimes it’s very challenging when you work for yourself to establish structure. Just make sure it’s what you want and not its for your clients. You started your own consultancy so you can work on your time clock not for someone else’s.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I’ve learned the most from my clients. Over the course of the last three years I have learned to pivot to working in communications across other industries. My forte has always been entertainment but as the world shifted, I’ve advanced in other industries and flourished in education, with authors, podcasts, nonprofit sector and fast channels. I’ve also dabbled in start ups, technology and consumer goods. The harder the client the more challenged I feel and compelled I feel to produce and be successful. I’ve learned to be tenacious, and to ask a lot of questions and as a publicist the more I ask the more successful I will be for each respective client.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Amy Prenner/The Prenner Group

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