We were lucky to catch up with Briahna Gatlin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Briahna, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from knowing there was no one like me in my lane when I first started my career in Chicago. No one was doing PR for the hip hop artist and growing up in hip hop and understand how to tell that story was very important to me. To be able to pave the way for younger PR professionals and storytellers has placed me in rooms that I never imagined I would be in. That energy to keep going and knowing that there are generations watching me and learning about me and from is where it comes from.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a publicist and I started my PR agency Swank Public Relations 17 years ago. Swank PR is a customized PR agency and boutique that tailors to clients needs and provides; public relations services, creative branding and marketing, ingénues, resources & Partnership building, client relations and social media awareness.
My job is to tell the stories that are impactful, embracing and beneficial to the world we live in. I explain to people that PR is an art form, you have to be creative in order to tell someone else’s story in an organic way that moves the needle. I recently had two events that I did PR for go viral and its been a amazing knowing the impact it made. I also was apart of Griselda owner and artist Westside Gunn historic launch of his wrestling brand 4th Rope, combining art, music, wrestling and culture.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that have been the impactful to my journey is consistency, passion and being a student. Consistency will get you further than talent and money. Your passion will always shine through your work, if you take what you do seriously and you care about the product that you produce, your work will speak for itself. Your passion will take you far because you love what you do. and being a student means you never stop learning and you stay in tune with trends and it keeps you sharp and ahead of the curve.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
One of the most impactful thing my parents did was send me international to study journalism as a teen in highschool. I learned very early in my life that world was bigger than my neighborhood, my block and even my city. Because I traveled and studied abroad it changed my perspective on things and how the world works. It also taught me to embrace different cultures and be open to unique experiences.
Since my teens I have made it a healthy habit to travel and be open to new places and healthy environments that fulfill me spiritually, physically and mentally. Discovering is a huge part of my leaning process and it is connected to me learning to travel as a young teen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.swankpublishing.com
- Instagram: @Briahna31 @SwankPR
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briahnagatlin , https://www.linkedin.com/company/1632413/admin/dashboard/
- Twitter: @SwankPR @Briahnaj
Image Credits
B/W Photo – DDP Photography Images with Red Sweatshirt – Jordan Hiraldo Images with Black Grey shirt – Jordan Hiraldo Image with Blue dress/black jacket – Big Tsu Media
