"Office Hours" #17: Who You Know
Hi everyone,
After a brief hiatus, we’re back—and with new tips and tricks to spill!
For our first issue of the summer, we’d like you to imagine you’re reading this over a frosty beverage and a yummy treat, on the sunniest, breeziest patio in existence. Maybe that is how you’re reading this, in which case: We love that for you.
Today, we’re talking about relationships. There’s a reason why the (at times problematic) Samantha Jones blueprint for publicists is so long-lasting: The woman knew her way around a room, and could talk anyone into, well, just about anything. That’s because PR is so much about who you know, regardless of the length or strength of your relationship. So many of JBC’s finest press hits of late have come courtesy of those editors contacts that were forged under genuine, authentic conditions—and in many cases, became real, actual friends.
For today’s issue of “Office Hours,” we’re highlighting a selection of recent stories that were borne out of our team’s relationships, the likes of which we value so dearly. And speaking of relationships, connect with us on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook!
As always, if you’d like to learn more, or have any questions we can help answer in our next installment, drop us a line at officehours@jbc-pr.com.
Thanks so much for being here.
‘Til next month!
Jenny & Melissa
Daydream x Business of Fashion
Julie Bornstein’s new AI start-up raises $50-million seed round
For more than 25 years, Julie Bornstein has spent her career shaping the future of e-commerce, from leadership roles at Stitch Fix, Sephora, Nordstrom, and Urban Outfitters to co-founding THE YES, an AI-powered shopping platform start-up that was acquired by Pinterest in 2022. When it came time to reveal Daydream, her next venture — a powerful new, AI-powered platform that is poised to change the way people shop online — and the impressive $50 million seed she and her founding team had raised, we knew this was an exciting moment for fashion, retail and tech. JBC worked with the Daydream team to secure exclusive interviews with both TechCrunch and Business of Fashion to share the news, which aligned with the company’s goals of recruiting top tech talent and securing partnerships with fashion brands and retailers in the lead up to Daydream’s public launch this fall.
Her First $100K x Brit + Co
8 tips to romanticize your finances (and grow your bank account) from Tori Dunlap
Tori Dunlap is the New York Times bestselling author of Financial Feminist and the host of the number-one finance podcast in the world — and has helped more than 5 million women save and achieve financial freedom through Her First $100K. JBC is working with Tori to position financial wellness as personal wellness in women’s interest outlets. In our first few days of working together, Brit + Co filmed a five-part social series with Tori, highlighting her best advice on how to romanticize finances. Each video was published on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for five consecutive Fridays, accompanied by an editorial article that was published on the Brit + Co website. Topics in the series include mindful summer spending, how to get out of being a bridesmaid, mid-year financial reset, the importance of money dates, and how to make your money work for you.
Hedley & Bennett x Eater
Finally, a kitchen renovation show for people who actually cook
Ellen Marie Bennett is a multi-hyphenate founder, designer, and chef. With this Eater announcement, she just added a new title: TV host. Ellen is taking her eye for design and creating a kitchen renovation show sorely needed: one for people who actually cook. While the slew of publications that covered this announcement news each had their own hook, strategically working with Eater for an interview set up Hedley & Bennett for this dream headline, as we knew they’d want to hone in on that key angle that most keenly reflects the Hedley & Bennett brand.
Osea x SheKnows
This summer I’m swapping heavy lotions for this celeb-approved beauty brand’s new body serum
OSEA has been at the forefront of the body-care movement and guiding innovation for quite some time. The launch of the brand’s Hyaluronic Body Serum presented the opportunity to further underscore its high-quality, effective, and innovative products. With that said, the beauty and skin-care landscapes are cluttered, and increasingly so within body care. Our team knew that to make this particular launch stand out, we needed to create unique and intimate moments for the media to interact with the product while providing an opportunity to prioritize self-care. Teaming up with the newly opened Sky Ting Yoga studio in NYC, JBC worked to book facial and body treatments for editors to experience OSEA’s new Hyaluronic Body Serum at the hands of an experienced OSEA esthetician. SHE Media editor Jacquelyn Greenfield was a bit early for her appointment, which allowed ample time for our JBC team member to speak with her one-on-one, doubling down on the brand’s rich history, mother-daughter founding story, and this new product’s key points of differentiation and efficacy. By the end of the appointment, Jacquelyn had confirmed this standalone review feature.
Rally x Fast Company
Inside one company’s plan to become the Topgolf of pickleball
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country. It’s fun, it’s active, it’s social, and the barrier to entry is low — attracting millions of new players from ages 18 to 80. Rally co-founders Barrett Worthington (an ex-gaming exec) and Meg Charity (one of the top pickleball players in the world) saw this phenomenon coming from a mile away. The duo launched Rally’s first venue, a 27,000-square-foot modern social club for pickleball and community in Charlotte, N.C. in 2023 — and hosted more than 232,000 guests in under 10 months. The co-founders of Rally know that competition to become the next billion-dollar sporting startup is fierce. In addition to planning for nationwide expansion, Rally has been working on the first-ever pickleball gamification technology with an elite team of engineers in Ukraine. In Fast Company , Co.Design writer Elissaveta Brandon reveals Rally’s technology strategy for the first time.