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Member Spotlight: Dresden Engle, Dresden Public Relations

Dresden Engle is director of Dresden Public Relations and previously led PR efforts at Geva Theatre and George Eastman Museum. We sat down with her to chat about her career path, her love for theater, and the changing relationship between media and PR pros. 

You are currently director for your own public relations firm, Dresden Public Relations. What led you to this position?

I am living the dream! I started my career as a newspaper journalist and then segued into public relations while getting my master’s degree in communication, first heading the PR efforts for Geva Theatre and then George Eastman Museum before starting Dresden Public Relations three years ago. I needed more flexibility for family balance as I have a young child with a disability. Sure, I actually work more hours now, but I can structure my schedule to best serve my clients while also being just a phone call away for my kids.

What do you enjoy most about your career in public relations?

People, writing, and strategy.

And now that I head up a PR firm, I get to focus on the full integration, beyond just the categorized role of PR, which still is often under the marketing function (and we PR folks all know it should always be the other way around, with PR having direct access to the CEO at all times).

When you’re not busy working, what do you like doing in your spare time?

All the world’s a stage …

I studied theater alongside journalism in college and I continue to embrace this passion “on the side.”  I have written for and performed with a sketch-comedy troupe for two decades called EstroFest and I have written a musical comedy titled The Cougar & The Cabana Boy, which I hope to take all the way to somewhere near Broadway.

Actually, there are many similarities between acting/performing and public relations — you need to know your audience, effectively tell your story, make a good first impression and ultimately a lasting impression, and also take chances for maximum results with your audience.

However, when I go to my “happy place” in my mind, my two daughters and husband are always at the center of the visual picture. They are my everything.

What advice do you have for young professionals entering the field of public relations? 

Write and then write somewhere. I am an adjunct professor of PR and I enthusiastically encourage my students to take journalism classes and write for the college paper. A PR professional is expected to be the best writer in the room and to lead all content creation. The only way to get those skills is to write as often and much as you can.

Also, it’s important to realize PR will never be a 9-to-5 job … while you have time to unplug, you need to be continually thinking about your craft and clients when on social media, reading an article, or having a conversation. You never can completely turn it off, online or in person.

You’re speaking on a panel at our upcoming Media Relations Summit. What are your thoughts on how PR practitioners and journalists can work better together?

Mutual respect between PR and media professionals is an important necessity. For PR professionals, responsiveness is also at the top of the list for fostering that relationship. I strive to make the media’s job as easy as possible. I have learned from how some PR practitioners treated me when I was a journalist, such as acting annoyed when I requested an interview with their boss (for a positive feature story) and also not getting back to me by deadline (heck, not even asking when my deadline was).

Media folks are still the gatekeepers and because I do my job as I should we have mutual respect for one another (oh, and I’ve never lied to them). A D&C reporter recently asked me, “How is that you are the only PR person I know that everyone in the media likes? How did you manage to do that?” That inquiry was a true compliment to me … some proof I’ve done my job right all these years, simply by being respectful and responsive (insert smile icon here).