Bob Brody, a media consultant and essayist in Italy, is author of the memoir “Playing Catch with Strangers: A Family Guy (Reluctantly) Comes of Age.” His humor has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times and The Guardian, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

Stories by Bob Brody

•

Memo To PR Pros: How Bad Is The News Going To Be This Year? (Media Relations) Wed., Jan. 31, 2024 The news in 2024 is going to be worse than anything that happened last year. Just a little heads-up here for all you PR pros out there planning to get crazy opportunistic in your media relations activities.

•	It Was The Worst Day Of My Career, But She Made It Manageable (Career Advice) Tue., Nov. 21, 2023 At about 9 a.m. on April 17, 2008, an executive vice president at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide asked me to come to her office. I had no idea why, least of all at so early an hour.

•	A Labor Day Lesson Learned (Career Advice) Sat., Sep. 2, 2023 With a looming recession on the doorstep in late 2007, senior managers at my agency met one morning to discuss the inevitable—layoffs at our firm.

•	Why I'm Seeing Double  (Humor) Tue., Mar. 14, 2023 Folklore holds that every person on the planet somewhere has a twin. Some years back I met mine.  Yes, another me. Just what the world needs, right?

•	Why You Should Never 'Fake' Authenticity (Career Advice) Wed., Feb. 8, 2023 Some years back my boss told me what nobody had ever told me before. And it happened to be the truth. Here's what she said, and how it helped define my career.

•	Why I'm Definitely - Or At Least Probably - Going to Quit Pitching The News Media (PR Commentary) Wed., Dec. 14, 2022 ​Come the new year, I plan to stop doing something I've done all but nonstop, week in and week out, since 1991. Pitching the news media.

•

David Rosen: White Collar By Day, Blue Collar By Night (PR Commentary) Fri., Dec. 2, 2022 In 2011, David Rosen took a ride in the back of an ambulance speeding toward a hospital, siren wailing. But rather than getting medical attention, he was giving it. The former pharmaceutical industry executive had recently become an emergency medical technician (EMT).

•	Why The Noun 'Content' May Deserve A Quick Death (Professional Development) Fri., Mar. 18, 2022 It used to be whatever came in a box. Now it's a synonym for writing and much else.

•	Let's Stay in Touch in 2022 (PR Commentary) Fri., Jan. 14, 2022 Our relentless attempts at communication threaten to render us incommunicado. The push for planned obsolescence may come for us next.

•	Saving Shari (PR Commentary) Thu., Dec. 2, 2021 Our dear colleague Shari was dying. Luckily, our agency helped save her life.

•	I, Consultant: 10 Lessons Learned (PR Commentary) Fri., Oct. 15, 2021 Ten key lessons learned on the road from agency executive to full-time PR consultant.

•	Why Media Training—And Brevity In Interviews—Still Matter (Professional Development) Fri., Apr. 9, 2021 Years back, the Fox News Channel invited me on to talk about my blog, letterstomykids.org. The interview put to the test whether I actually practice what I preach when media-training clients.

•	13 Fun Pandemic Activities Any PR Pro Can Try At Home This Winter (PR Commentary) Fri., Feb. 12, 2021 So let me guess how you’re making out right about now as we plunge into February with Punxsutawney Phil predicting winter still has six weeks to go. Feeling Zoomed out?

•

Here's What It Was Really Like To Work For The Legendary Howard Rubenstein (PR Commentary) Thu., Dec. 31, 2020 We who worked for Howard lived and died by his responses to our weekly reports. If his reaction was favorable, you felt entitled to resume breathing. Otherwise you operated on pins and needles until your hopes arose anew the following week.

•

The Absolute Gospel About How To Crack The Code For PR In 2021 (And For All Time) (PR Commentary) Wed., Dec. 16, 2020 Now that I’ve practiced public relations full-time for nearly 30 years – and you know what they say practice makes – I’ve presumably picked up a lesson or two. So it’s time I shared some New Year’s resolutions that I make every year.

  

More »