In the Spotlight with David Thomson, Public Relations Professional and Professor at Salem State College
By Kristin Albano, Publicity Club of New England Intern

David Thomson, a Danvers native, takes on many roles each and every day. He is the President of his own agency, college professor, husband, father of three young daughters, and an avid ice cream lover.

Publicity Club (PC): How did you get your start in Public Relations?
David Thomson (DT): I have always been interested in the field of public relations. My father had a radio show for about 30 years and hosted the PBS TV show The Victory Garden for about 12 years. When I had the opportunity to watch my father work, I was always interested in the behind the scenes operations. This interest continued through some freelance writing and since my college did not offer PR, I was able to get some formal education in the field by getting my master's degree in public relations at Emerson College.

PC: Where did you attend College?
DT: I attended Salem State College where I was a Business Administration major with a management concentration.

PC: What was your first corporate job?
DT: My first corporate job was at NYNEX Mobile Communications (now Verizon Wireless) where I worked in the telemarketing department. Cell phones were new and service wasn't very reliable at the time. In fact, the company did very little advertising so we didn't get a high volume of in-bound calls.

PC: What did you learn from that job?
DT: It was a great way to learn a lot about the company as well as the products and services that I sold. It provided the foundation for my 10-year career at that company. It also taught me a great deal about customer service and working with a team. Most of the people in the group were recent college graduates in their first "real" job and some of them have become life-long friends.

PC: Tell me about some past jobs you've had. Do you have a favorite?
DT: During college I ran my own wholesale business, growing annuals and perennials and selling them to nearby garden centers and farm stands. I also worked at a health club and a convenience store. Then I began selling real estate my senior year after completing a class and getting me real estate license.

PC: How did you decide to leave your past job and open up your own agency?
DT: It was not an easy decision. In 2000, Bell Atlantic Mobile (formerly NYNEX Mobile) and GTE merged to form Verizon Wireless. At that time I was the Director of Marketing. I was responsible for marketing, advertising, and public relations for the New England region. I held this position prior to the merger. However, as the two companies merged into one, the company decided to do some things differently. In March/April of 2001 I was informed that my position was being eliminated in order to consolidate similar roles throughout the Northeast. I was offered a position as a sales director in New England and had the option to move to the marketing department at the corporate headquarters in New Jersey. Coincidentally, I had spent the previous year knowing that my 10th anniversary was approaching and thinking about whether I wanted to stay with the company or leave to open my own agency. I felt that if I didn't leave during this time of transition I might never try it and regret it. So, in May of 2001 (10 years to the day that I started with NYNEX/Verizon Wireless) I opened Thomson Communications.

PC: What type of public relations does Thomson Communications deal with?
DT: We are a full-service communications agency. We don't specialize in one specific industry or discipline. In addition to public relations, we do some marketing consulting and sponsorship/event management. I feel that it is important to have a broad range of clients (consumer, non-profit, high-tech, etc.) in order to have a balanced perspective. With this approach, we have also been able to bring clients together for mutual benefit. For example, Verizon Wireless has been the title sponsor of the Alzheimer's Association's golf tournament for several years as a result of both being clients of mine.

PC: Do you have any advice for PR professionals that are interested in opening up their own agency?
DT: Owning your own business is hard work, but it can also be very rewarding. For those starting their own agency, I think it is important not to turn down any business, even if it isn't exactly what you want to focus on. For example, you might have a client that you are doing a PR campaign for that also wants to send out a direct mail piece. Offer to do it. You can either do it on your own if you have the right skill set or sub it out to someone else, but in either case you become a valuable resource for your client. I also wouldn't turn away business due to the size of the account. Small accounts can help to sustain your business and have the possibility of turning into larger accounts as the business grows. Finally, don't price yourself out of the market. You might need to lower your hourly rate to get s started, but once you've proved yourself, you can renegotiate.

PC: How do you see the PR field changing in 5-10 years?
DT: Just as technology is changing everything we do, it will continue to change the way PR professionals work. With blogs, pod casts, and web casts, it is hard to keep up. In 5 to 10 years these high-tech tools may or may not prove to be important parts of our industry. With shrinking readership for newspapers, declining viewer ship for TV news, and the ability to watch live TV on cell phones I think it is anyone's guess as to where the industry will be in 5 to 10 years. What I do believe, however, is that it will be both an exciting and challenging time for the industry and I look forward to being a part of it.

PC: What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
DT: I love ice cream! I don't think I ever tried a flavor that I didn't like. Some of my favorites are Maine Black Bear, coffee, strawberry, black raspberry, chocolate chip, and banana.

PC: How would you relate Public Relations to ice cream?
DT: PR and ice cream are both all about timing. If you have a story that you want to share with an audience through the media you have to make sure it is timely and delivered to the right audience, just as you'd expect the person who's scooping your ice cream to do it in a reasonable period of time and hand what you've ordered to you and not the person at the next window. In both cases, if you wait too long your news isn't news anymore and your ice cream is going to melt.

PC: You have been teaching Media Relations at Salem State since the fall of 2005, what have you learned from your students?
DT: I learn from my students all the time. They often look at things from a different perspective than I do and sometimes question the way things get done in the PR field. My students help to keep me on my toes and hopefully prevent me from getting stale.

PC: What's your favorite part of each day?
DT: My work day varies everyday so it is hard to pin point a favorite part. What I like about my job is at the end of the day I could have ended up working on something that I hadn't even though about when I walked in the door in the morning. No two days are ever the same. Personally, I think my favorite part of each day is coming home to my wife and three young daughters.