Interview with Sage Buitron
Last year, I was fortunate to be introduced to Miami-based Public Relations practitioner Sage Buitron, who hired me to create her online ministry, Positive-Talk.com. Since this time, our services at JamesWorks Entertainment have been outsourced to several of her clients. Despite this working relationship, I haven’t particularly discussed her background in the field previously to working with her on the website. This past Wednesday, I was fortunate to have a phone conversation about the matter.
Sage Buitron planned to be the next Barbara Walters, getting her formal education at the University of Miami, where she studied Broadcast Journalism. After four years in television news, she wanted to make a career change. This brought her into the field of PR.
“It was very easy for me to switch into Public Relations, as many of the agencies I spoke to wanted an individual who knew how to speak to the media, coupled with good people skills,” she says. Seventeen years later, Sage is still working, now as an independent practitioner. However, when she first got into the business, she didn’t realize how expansive the industry was.
“Every client is unique,” she explains. “You have the opportunity to learn about many different industries, which is fascinating from a business perspective. For example, if you’re working on an airline account, which I did for American Airlines 10 years, you suddenly have background on how that business works. A few year later, I worked with the tourism board in Costa Rica for 6 years. Both of these deal with travel, but they are completely different ends of the industry.”
Over the course of this time, much has changed in the field. “For example, putting things on YouTube, it didn’t exist when I came out of school. Every industry goes through changes, but [you have to] be willing to be flexible with those changes,” Sage says. “In some ways, it has been wonderful, because it’s easier to disseminate information. But there are now so many Public Relations practitioners disseminating information, it’s hard to stand out. You [now] have to know who the trade media is for each of your clients, because there are so many different markets.”
However, while much has changed, some things remain the same. She says that writing is just as critical today as it was when she first attended school. “If you cannot write, you cannot be effective, because you have to be writing a multitude of different things for the client. It can be brochures, websites, or copy, but it also could be dialog for a corporate video.” Sage suggests that after college, it is important to keep these skills fresh through courses and additional learning tools, allowing practitioners to become better writers and publicists. She points out there is always room for improvement, because this is an industry which thrives on the people you know. Therefore, constantly improving your work helps it stick out.
As students leave college and start their work in real world application, she believes it is important to find a mentor who has been in the business for a long time. “While they don’t have to be officially a mentor, you can pick their brain and learn from mistakes,” Sage concludes. “But ultimately, Public Relations is truly about relationships and connecting with people. There are a lot of times people can’t look at everything that’s sent to them, so you really have to have that connection, which is difficult due to the transient nature of individuals.”
Indeed, I believe that most professionals will agree that the willingness to be adaptable, coupled with strong writing skills and a smart mentor, will allow students to become productive, entry-level practitioners.
As a final note, I would like to thank Sage for her time, and hope you will visit our project, Positive-Talk.com.
